Red Sox: J.D. Martinez signing shows front office is now all in
The minute that Dave Dombrowski signed J.D. Martinez to a five-year deal, the Boston Red Sox signaled they are ready to go all in.
It finally happened. After nearly three months of waiting and negotiating, the Boston Red Sox have their guy.
J.D. Martinez is joining a 93-win, AL East division-winning Red Sox team. If that doesn’t make you excited, I’m not sure what will.
But above all, the signing of Martinez should make Red Sox fans even more excited than you think.
Last offseason, the front office had a predicament on their hands. Boston legend David Ortiz had just retired, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the lineup. They had the chance to sign the biggest power bat on the market last year, Edwin Encarnacion, but they passed. That resulted in the Red Sox finishing at the bottom of the AL in home runs.
This year, Dave Dombrowski knew that things had to change, and change quickly.
He had already poured out much of the Red Sox strong farm system into trades. But what some people don’t realize is that he has also poured a lot of that system into the big leagues.
But Dombrowski, along with Red Sox ownership, realized it was time to put up or shut up. The trades that Dombrowski made left the farm system barren. But it did replenish the big league roster with stars at almost every position. He got Craig Kimbrel, Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz, and yet to be seen, Tyler Thornburg.
His trades gave this franchise a defined championship window. After the Sale trade, Dombrowski gave this team a window of three years.
Now entering year two of the three-year window, Martinez is proof from ownership and management that the Red Sox are now all in.
Dave Dombrowski did it the right way. He named his price, $110 million, and made Martinez and his agent Scott Boras come to him. Boras had dreams of getting Martinez $210 million at the beginning of the offseason. It’s not often that somebody can talk Boras down. Dombrowski did.
The terms of the deal with Martinez further prove how the Red Sox are operating on a two-year window. Martinez can opt out after the second season, or the third season. He can come to Boston, rake for two years, then opt out and leave for more money.
But in those two years, the Red Sox are hoping he is enough to put them over the top, and there is significant reason to believe that. There haven’t been many hitters better than Martinez in the last four years.
But as a Red Sox fan, it is time to be appreciative. Fenway Sports Group has been great for fans. They have opened their checkbook every year for Dave Dombrowski to spend. Just think about the last three off-seasons: They signed David Price to a lucrative deal, traded for Chris Sale, and signed J.D. Martinez.
They have not been cheap owners, and for that, we can be grateful. But now, the expectations are high.
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It’s time to close the deal and bring home yet another championship to Boston.