BOSTON, MA — The Red Sox have finally made their move this offseason. Boston and outfielder J.D. Martinez have agreed to a deal, ESPN's Pedro Gomez reported early Monday evening. MLB Network was first to report the two sides were "moving close to a deal." The signing would come just days before the team opens its spring training schedule.
Martinez, 30, was the top free agent remaining on the market. He made the All-Star team in 2015 with Detroit, and slugged a career-high 45 home runs last season, including 29 after Detroit traded him to Arizona.
There are injury concerns with Martinez. The righthanded hitter has played in more than 123 games only once - his All-Star year with Detroit.
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The contract is reported to be for five years and $110 million, with a player opt-out after two years. The money is reportedly front loaded, meaning Martinez may have incentive to cash out after three seasons and sign a richer deal. The contract also limits the risk of the Red Sox paying an injury-prone slugger into his mid-30s.
With Boston's dynamic outfield of slick-fielding youngsters, it's expected Martinez will be the primary designated hitter. He's likely to split duties with Hanley Ramirez when Ramirez isn't playing first base, with Martinez moving to one of the corner outfield spots. The signing does put a squeeze on Ramirez, who needs to hit a plate appearance benchmark to have his hefty 2019 option automatically vest.
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The free agent market has been extremely slow to take shape this offseason as teams seem content waiting out the players. The Red Sox were among the teams who stayed quiet through much of the winter, only recently re-signing infielder Eduardo Nunez to a one-year deal.
Boston faced mounting pressure to add some punch to their lineup, which finished near the bottom of the league in home runs last season. The biggest move the Sox had made this offseason was signing first-year manager Alex Cora after the team let go of John Farrell.
The Sox are coming off back-to-back division titles, but appear to have fallen behind the Yankees, who added National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to a lineup that led the majors in home runs and finished just a game from the World Series.
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(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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