The power outage just might be over in Boston. According to multiple reports, the Boston Red Sox and free agent outfielder J.D. Martinez have agreed to a five-year, $110 million contract. The deal is said to be front-loaded, as Martinez will receive $50 million over the first two years, and includes an opt-out clause after the second year. Martinez and his agent, Scott Boras, were hoping for a larger payday all winter, but with spring training underway, they appeared to take the best deal on the table, and it was from the Red Sox.
The 30-year-old is coming off a fantastic 2017 season, in which he hit .303/.376/.690 with 45 home runs and 104 RBI in just 119 games. Martinez was traded mid-season from the Detroit Tigers to the Arizona Diamondbacks and helped the Dbacks secure a postseason berth.
Martinez bolsters a Red Sox lineup that has sorely lacked a standout power hitter since David Ortiz’s retirement. The Red Sox were last in the American League in home runs last season. Martinez will likely be the team’s designated hitter, as young stars Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley Jr. will again man the outfield.
Many view signing Martinez as the Red Sox’s counter to the New York Yankees’ acquisition of N.L. MVP Giancarlo Stanton last December. Sox fans are hopeful Martinez can help the Sox keep pace with the Yanks, as Boston seeks it’s third consecutive A.L. East title.
