Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez will face an opt-out decision at season’s end, but the slugger told Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic and other reporters Friday that he’s unlikely to leave behind the remainder of his contract.
“Given the situation, I’m probably not leaning that way,” said Martinez, who will discuss the matter with agent Scott Boras.
It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see Martinez stay put, as he’d otherwise be vacating the final two years and $38.75MM left on his deal. Martinez is slated to earn that money as part of the five-year, $110MM contract he signed before 2018, at which point the former Astro, Tiger and Diamondback was one of the sport’s most feared sluggers. Martinez continued to thrive in his first year in Boston, which he helped to a World Series then, but has since seen his production tumble.
While Martinez remained a terrific hitter last year, when he slashed .304/.383/.557 with 36 home runs in 657 plate appearances, those numbers still fell well shy of the otherworldly output he managed from 2016-17. Martinez could have opted out after last season, but he elected not to do so.
As for this season, it’s shocking how poorly Martinez has performed, as the 33-year-old owns a .217/.293/.389 line with a mere six homers over 222 trips to the plate. It’s the worst production Martinez has offered since 2013, his final season with the Astros and the last year before he broke through as a star offensive player.
Even if Martinez had another fine campaign, opting out would have been risky because of the uncertain economic landscape a pandemic-shortened season will present for baseball. Martinez even expressed leeriness about the upcoming free-agency period three weeks ago. Now, it looks even less likely he’ll return to the open market in the coming weeks.
Shocker
I’m shocked that you’re shocked. :)
this was a no brainer from the start. it was always too much money to walk away from.
In other news, water is wet.
Hahahahaha
Water isn’t wet. Water leaves you feeling wet.
Just to be contrarian…
Couldn’t JD realistically get a 4-5 year/80-100m type deal even in this environment? The gaurenteed money is obviously great especially coming after a poor season in a covid world but he’s still relatively young-ish and now the alternative is getting a multiyear deal at 35.
Im still agreeing with the general sentiment but just thinking out loud I suppose.
Not a chance.
U really, really need to keep putting that propaganda into Boras’s ear.
Buying free agent seasons for ages 33 and beyond is not “young-ish”
In any “environment” he’d have to take a 1-yr pillow contract like Donaldson and Ozuna did. He’d probably fetch $20MM on a 1 year deal, even as a 33yo.
200 ABs w/ a .700 OPS vs. 1.000 OPS the 4 years priors, plenty of teams would take on the $20MM risk considering the upside + good/decent odds that he’ll return to his pre 2020 form.
Wouldn’t get $20m for one year due to his inability to play the field (I think it’s more hype but he seems to have injuries when he’s out there). What will Nelson Cruz get this off season? Then comes JDM although I’m happy to have him in Boston next year. I just don’t think between the way players are viewed, the horrendous last two months and teams cutting payroll due to the pandemic, he would command more than $12m on a one year deal. Also still no guarantee that the NL uses a DH next year as I still think the league will use it during the upcoming CBA negotiations.
SHAMROCKYOASS60803 Zero chance of that. Who is going to be lining up to offer that kind of contract to a 33 year old DH coming off a ugly season? Especially right now. Maybe he rebounds and ages like a Nelson Cruz, but odds are for most of those 4-5 years you’re paying for his decline years and past performance
Maybe five or ten years ago, but teams were wary of committing big money and especially years to power hitters on the wrong side of 30. It’s possible he could’ve done better, but is $40m extra worth the risk of having to settle for a one year deal is the question. One in the hand and whatnot.
I wonder if he would become more valuable if the NL adopted the DH permanently? I was never a fan, but it’s worked out well for the Mets this year, allowing Alonso and Smith to play pretty much every day.
With the season hes had, there was no way he was opting out. If he had a good season, he probably would have given the dh still iin the NL in 2021 and probably permanently after the next negotiations assuming they dont strike.
Who says the DH will be in the NL next year? If the pandemic is still around then perhaps but it’s a big carrot for the league to give up before the CBA negotiations.
The DH is here to stay 7 innings double headers are here to stay. 14 team playoffs with top teams getting bye is here.
Seven inning doubleheaders should not be here to stay. Changes the way you use your pen. Considering teams don’t play the same amount of twinbills, it’s not fair. This year was an exception but all these changes should revert back if 2021 is a typical season (who knows?). Man on 2nd in extra innings? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. DH in NL is also not a sure thing for next year with negotiations coming up.
Bird in the hand.
The guy I’d now love to see make it to his opt-out is Arenado.
Does he want to win more than he wants to make a quarter of a billion dollars, we’d find out.
You always hear people say that the player might opt out if the team isn’t contending, even if it means leaving $ on the table. They said it a lot about James Shields and Ian Kennedy. Obviously those didn’t happen. AJ Burnett did it tho. And then went on to make the All Star team for the only time in his career.
We will see on Nolan.
AJ thought he was Batman. The sane people don’t opt out.
IIRC he opted out because he wanted to play for a contender, not because be thought he was worth more $ than he was leaving on the table.
Not everything should be about money.. When money dictates all your decisions you’re missing the entire point of money: it’s just a tool. Some ppl understand that and use it to achieve higher goals. JD on the other hand would rather add to his pile of dollary-doo’s than walk to a WS contending team on a pay cut. He deserves all the regret he’ll feel for that when he’s old and money no longer serves much purpose beyond surviving. If JD was my son (theoretically) he’d be getting a good kick in the a.ss right about now, tbqh.
He’s not playing for the Pirates here, he’s already won a World Series with this team…if you were his father, the smart move in this environment would be to stay put for another year
1. Red Sox gutted the team and will be trash for a while
2. He could easily land a 1-yr pillow deal around $20MM
What he’s doing is pretty cowardly, choosing security instead of appealing to his competitive juices and winning. Maybe his mom would advise him to do that, definitely not his dad.
If he returns to form next year that 1-yr pillow deal I proposed could have been parlayed into an even bigger contract than he currently has. But he doesn’t want to risk it, doesn’t want to compete, why even play baseball at that point?
When did the Sox “gut” their team? I must have missed that. Yes Mookie is a tough loss but at least they replaced the position. Sale and E-Rod will be back next season and they will add to the staff in free agency too. Certainly not a “gutted” team….more of a contending team in 2021.
Cowardly? And gender prejudice on top of it? Did you think before typing that? By the way, the coward can afford to hire you as his chauffeur for considerably more than you’re making now.
jvalk24. I agree they will be fine. I’m a Dodger fan and the Sox got a good one in Verdugo. Alex was my favorite player on the 2109 team and might have made a post-season difference had he not gotten hurt, The kind of guy whose enthusiasm is tailor-made for the passionate fans in the Northeast. My Dodger forecast on him was that he’d regularly contend for batting titles and the league lead in doubles. His 2020 showing supports that. Downs also has a chance to be a solid starting player. Best of all for the Sox is that they hired Bloom, who shares some philosophical beliefs with Friedman. He will build a team that gets great value for the dollars spent. Let’s also not forget about the expanded playoffs. if that format returns, they can wreak havoc in October with Sale and E-Rod.
Easily get $20m? How many teams will be spending big this off season? Players with good money options should think twice.
I doubt he could “easily” get $20 million on the open market this winter. Age and a terrible season are not on his side.
We were losing Mookie Betts this winter regardless and we at least got Verdugo, who has looked solid back in return. Workman and Hembree were not big losses and maybe Pivetta turns into a usable piece either in the back of the rotation or as a swing man in the bullpen. I don’t really see much gutting after that…
You’re not well informed
Cey Hey – Will the balls ever crawl out of your mangina, or will you always be this way. Just let us know in advance thanks.
Far Below Intelligence, Why the anger? Your jealousy of pro athletes seems off the charts.
Yeah, totally. Pointing things out = anger and jealousy. And knowing the difference between a mom and a dad = gender prejudice. Thanks for a good laugh. Have a nice weekend.
I mean he already won in ‘18.
Imagine if Jordan had that mentality. “One and done!” Then NBA continues its fade into darkness from before he arrived.
Why does everyone always defer to the “get money” mindset in sports? That’s not what these leagues were founded on or built on. Just cause they get paid doesn’t mean that money is more important than winning a WS. That mentality has been spreading like cancer so forgive my ranting, but it’s just so damn annoyinggg. And surprising as hell how few can see this trend as the cancer it is.
You are such an idiot this is not the NBA.
Far beyond driven – If you said he should play somewhere close to his family to spend more time with his kids, I would agree, but presume that one of the 14 AL teams that has the DH will want a 34 years old DH hitting .217 and an OPS of .682 is dumb. JD is saving the embarrassment of receiving no offers near the $19.35 he will make next year, because no GM will offer that !!!
The only person that needs a kick is you for the lack of common sense.
You don’t just extrapolate 200 ABs and these GMs know that because they’re actually smart. He’d get paid pretty well on a pillow deal. Yelich and Alonso are both batting just a hair above the Mendoza line this year. Your assumption of him being severely penalized by the FA market is incorrect. So by your own logic that’s probably a kick straight to the toosh heading right back to ya on the grounds of lacking common sense.
Remember Stephen Drew a few years back .. didnt get signed until after midseason and for less than the QO because he could get big money. I think even prorated he made less than the qualifying offer.
How about more recently Yasiel Puig.. Got one offer for a minor league deal basically and was still a productive player or even Ozuna who had to sign a pillow contract to prove himself.
How about the HR league leader a few years ago Chris Carter couldnt get a decent deal and then signed almost a pittance deal and the GM was right to because he fell off a cliff the next year and i dont think ever played again after that season.
Ryan Howard after his big contract and even during the end of his contract. The list goes on and on.
Matt Harvey got 10M from the Angels and was atrocious and got nothing but a minor league deal during the back half of a shortened season.
GMs have a lot of statistics and facts to back things up nowadays so there are a lot of reasons that this could very well go sideways for him. Especially when you consider Covid going to cut big into salaries as owners will be hesitant to send out big money for not sure things. If next season they are not sure about having fans in the seats you will see salaries be tempered. Outside of the big big names you have already seen lesser contract for middle of the road guys as teams go younger to save.
I agree with JD 100% this is not the time to rock the boat because you could end up like Matt Harvey with probably getting a pillow contract and nothing after that. Remember these guys usually do not get regular jobs after baseball and what they earn now is the rest of their lives. Hopefully he has banked a bunch but even then you can end up like lenny dykstra or curt shilling with their businesses/investments flopping majorly.
The pandemic is the wildcard. Outside of young superstars like Betts how many are getting big money this off season on any length deals? It’s only been two months and I expect a rebound but teams just don’t have the same $$ this year. Regardless of their ownership value, most teams will be looking to recoup for 2020 losses vs preseason expectations. Money will be spent on younger talent and perhaps pitching.
Far below intelligence- He did not opt-out when making $23,500,000 after two very good years. There is no way he opts out this year or next.
JD and Scott Boros are just smarter than you…
Roll – you make some great points. Seems that others cant handle my straightforward tone and just got triggered, so I appreciate your response.
I totally forgot about Puig and that definitely does shift my thinking on this topic. That’s definitely a sign of a cold market. But then again, I think the Marlins wanted to sign Puig but he wasn’t about it. Still surprising that no other team picked him up.
I think JD can still play a serviceable/tolerable outfield at his age so that also factored into my 1 yr / $20MM contract estimate. And it’s also the fact that it’s barely more than what a QO pays. But I could be wrong and you make a solid devil’s advocate argument without allowing emotion and fee-fee’s to dictate the conversation as others here have done. Respect.
Far Beyond Driven Money is almost always a big factor in teams and owners decisions, why expect players to mostly forget about it and just chase team success? There’s no actual salary cap in MLB, why not expect owners to forget the business aspect too and spend as much as possible to build a winning team every year?
It would be nice but it’s just unrealistic. It’s also a business for everyone involved. Money will always be a key factor in most cases. It’s not a fun side to sports as a fan but it’s the reality.
Rocket32 – Thanks for your response. I agree money is a key factor, as it should be, but my gripe is when it gets treated as the most important thing. Baseball is a game, and the most important thing in any game is to win.
There are times when a winning attitude almost gets looked at as an Option in today’s game, whereas maxing out contracts or profits gets treated as a mandatory requirement. It should be the other way around! And maybe, just maybe this wouldn’t be the norm if us fans stop accepting it. So this is me speaking out against it. Thanks again and have a good weekend.
Hahaha, yes, I am sure JD Martinez will feel super sad about this forever.
Honestly I feel like Far Beyond Driven and those Pantera albums were the last true days of legit heavy metal. It was an awesom album.
IvanDuque – best lifting music, hands down
I said in 2018 when JD signed the contract that he would finish the whole five years in Boston! It is way more than most teams will spend on DHs, and the Yankees already have one and four more waiting… I still say he will stay in Boston even if the NL gets the DH (never thought I would see it…..NL getting the DH, only took 40+ years and still is no permanent…..)LOL
Lol shocker too, old news. WEEI behind the news since they only noticed the RS the last 3 days of the season.
Doesn’t “expect”. Funny like he’d get anything close on the FA market. He’s not opting out.
Martinez sucks. He has roids written all over him. He is off the roids now and breaking down. I heard rumors that when Eric Chavez was on the A´s way back in the day, he and Giambi were at the forefront of the league distrubution.
Here’s our libelous doofus of the day!
Not just any libelous doofus, but a libelous doofus with sources.
Hat tip to their ownership for going all in when their window was enterable.
But.
red sox are clearly a tier behind the Yankees, Blue Jays, & Rays. And, faster than you can yell, “I hate Bill Buckner!” the Orioles are moving in the right direction.
Lotta bad contracts too (Sale, Evo, JD, Bogarts, etc). Savor your World Series win. Going to be a rough 4-5 years for the sox.
Bogarts is is far from a bad contract lol. Every team would take his kind of production even if it mean’t meh fielding at shortstop for the price he’s getting paid. But the others are not great.
Lol
Ya got me, bro!
I got carried away.
:)
@mlb1225 Bogaerts’ contract is guaranteed to be underwater after 2022 because of the opt out
Why would someone yell they hate Bill Buckner? Immaturity? Jealousy? Insecurity? Which is it?
@hey
Are you new to baseball, sir? I had the impression you were an older fan.
I’m referring to an event from the 1986 Series. Google it.
Led to those happy go lucky red sox fans sending him death threats.
Well color me shocked.
How much money does a player need after they retire? JD probably has enough. With free agency, a mediocre or better MLB player can achieve financial success with one decent season and the promise of having another. Winning a World Series ring becomes the ultimate goal for most players after achieving the money. JD has that, too. He put up suck numbers this year and likely cannot match his salary elsewhere if he opts out. He’s got Boston by the balls, no matter how well or poorly he does from now on. So, why should he opt out?
Didn’t he vocalize his frustration with the free agency process last time? And unfortunately, if he opts out, they will look entirely at this past season which probably isn’t fair given the current state of both covid and Boston. He’s smart to not opt out. I think this next FA process will be worse than normal given covid. I think overall $ will be down, years, etc etc.