FORT MYERS — The Red Sox finally appear to have replaced the offensive void left by David Ortiz upon his retirement after the 2016 season.
Elusive free agent J.D. Martinez and the Sox are in agreement on a five-year contract, according to a source. The 30-year-old slugger can opt out of the deal after the second and third years of the deal, a source said.
According to multiple reports yesterday, the deal is worth $110 million but front-loaded in the first two years. ESPN first reported the deal.
The Red Sox had not yet confirmed the news as of last night, but there were indications of a buzz at JetBlue Park in the afternoon, when principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner were seen leaving facility only to be called back to meet in a private space with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and other officials.
After Eric Hosmer reportedly agreed to an eight-year, $144 million contract with the San Diego Padres late Saturday, it was believed a Martinez signing would soon follow.
Arizona was the other team considered to be in contention for Martinez’ services after he hit .302 with a 1.107 OPS and 29 homers in 62 games with the Diamondbacks after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers in mid-July. For the 2017 season, his average was .303 with a 1.066 OPS and 45 homers in 119 games.
The Herald reported in January that the Red Sox made a five-year offer near $125 million, and the ballclub showed patience throughout the offseason while avoiding bidding against itself. Also in January, chairman Tom Werner said the Red Sox were trying to exercise restraint in their spending.
“We are in active negotiations with J.D. Martinez,” Werner said Jan. 19. “People know about that. It takes two to make a deal. I can only speak for the Red Sox, we’re going to have — we will most definitely have the highest payroll that we’ve ever had and you know other teams have to make their own decisions but we expect to be competitive and we expect to improve from our team last year.”
The Red Sox’ team salary for luxury tax purposes was in the $210 million region before adding Martinez, so with a $22 million annual average value, the Red Sox should be able to remain under the $237 million mark, avoiding a costly penalty of 10 spots on their first-round draft pick and the loss of international bonus money.
New manager Alex Cora has said he wants Mookie Betts to hit leadoff and Andrew Benintendi to hit second, leaving the 3-hole wide open for Martinez to provide some lineup protection for the two young outfielders after the Sox finished last in the American League with just 168 homers last year.
A former 20th-round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 2012, Martinez hit just .251 with 24 homers in 252 games over three years with the Astros before they released him prior to the 2014 season. Two days later, he was signed by the Tigers, whose general manager at the time was Dombrowski.
With a remastered swing, Martinez hit .315 with 23 homers in just 480 plate appearances in ’14, and since joining the Tigers ranks seventh in the majors with a .936 OPS and sixth with 128 homers.
Current Red Sox pitchers and former Detroit teammates Rick Porcello and David Price were in on the recruitment.
“Oh man, just his approach,” Price said last week. “Watching what he did before the game, just watching his at-bats, what he tried to do as a hitter. Being around (Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera) every day for those 21⁄2-3 years, that was really good for him. Kind of taking Miggy’s approach, hitting everything to right field and if a pitcher throws you a breaking ball in the zone, you’ll still be on time for that. He really took a couple pages out of Miggy’s book and he incorporated his own swing into it, and he’s reaping the benefits.”
The knocks against Martinez are that he’s been injured a few times and isn’t well-regarded as a defender in the corner outfield spots. Last year, he missed five weeks with a sprained ligament in his foot, he missed seven weeks in 2016 with a fractured elbow and nine weeks total in 2013 when he suffered from injuries to his knee and wrist.
With the Red Sox, he’ll likely be the full-time designated hitter, pushing Hanley Ramirez into a possible platoon at first base with Mitch Moreland.
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