J.D. Martinez is one of many top tier free agents who still has not signed this winter.
Martinez, 30, is coming off a monster season that saw him hit 45 home runs and drive in 104 RBI with a .303/.376/.690 line across 119 games for the Tigers and Diamondbacks. Despite the lofty numbers from a season ago interest in Martinez has been temperate at best with the team most linked to him, the Red Sox, preferring to go less than the seven-year, $210 million that agent Scott Boras commanded at the beginning of the winter.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Red Sox offer for Martinez checks “in the rage of” $100 million across five seasons. That’s rougly a $10 million decrease per season from what Boras was originally asking.
With Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna already traded and Jay Bruce recently signing with the Mets, there’s not much pressure for Martinez to cave to the Red Sox offer at this time. It would not be a surprise to see Martinez wait until Spring Training in hopes of getting a deal more to his liking.
Source: Boston's offer to J.D. Martinez is in the range of five years, $100 million.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 17, 2018
After coming up with the Astros, Martinez found himself outright released. He turned his career around in the three and a half years he was a member of the Tigers before a mid-season trade sent him to the Diamondbacks.
While known more for his bat than his glove, Martinez said previously this winter that he would prefer to play in the outfield than DH. The Red Sox are believed to have interest in Martinez primarily as a DH.
