Signing J.D. Martinez
This one also comes at the hands of Dave Dombrowski and his front office staff. The signing of J.D. Martinez was the spark that our offense was missing. The Red Sox have been struggling to fill the void left by David Ortiz in the wake of his retirement. With failed attempts to find that powerful bat each season since Big Papi left.
That all changed this season with the addition of Martinez. J.D. had spent the previous year split between Detroit and Arizona only to become a free agent going into 2018. Dombrowski opened the wallet and made a splash for the slugger.
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Right from the beginning of the season, it was clear Boston had finally found the guy to try and fill Ortiz’s shoes. Not only is Martinez a great player, but he brings a great presence to not only the clubhouse but the community. He truly embodies the legacy that was built by David Ortiz and is set to be our DH for the foreseeable future.
The addition of J.D. also allowed our other starts to truly shine. With much of the spotlight on him going into the season, it gave Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr, Andrew Benintendi, and others the opportunity to have great seasons. Opposing pitching was so worried about what to do with J.D. that they would almost forget about the other bats in the lineup and the Sox made them pay for it.