Why Boston did NOT need J.D. Martinez
Again, Martinez loves playing for the home crowd. The same cannot be said for when he’s away. Yes, there are some isolated incidents of excellence but overall, Martinez, wants to play at home and he wants to play where it’s warm. Boston is nice in May, June, and July but, those other months? Not so much. August is on it’s way to becoming cold and September can be brutal. Forget about October. Let’s also not forget that as far as Martinez goes, the only years that have mattered were 2015-2017.
To take it a step further, Martinez has always had a sluggish start to the season and hasn’t truly warmed up until the month of June. By that point, he is comfortable and good until the end of September. October’s numbers were ugly, over the last three seasons he’s hitting .105 with just one RBI and 11 strikeouts in 19 at-bats. Warmer weather months have again made a huge difference in his performance.
Next: Boston Red Sox spring training worry list of players to watch
For the amount of money he just got, fans will expect to see him perform the way he did in September of 2017. Results matter when you’re getting paid over $20 million annually. In the end, I think everyone can agree that as a fan of baseball and the Red Sox, we have to be relieved that Dombrowski didn’t open up the pocketbook in the amount that he wanted. With a market so saturated, the team came out on top. On to Spring Training and a great 2018 season!