3 Red Sox who would be negatively affected by a delayed 2022 season

Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez

Baseball players are creatures of habit. Disrupting those habits risks negative consequences. Few hitters struggled more from having their routines altered from the pandemic-delayed 2020 season than J.D. Martinez.

We were only a few weeks into training camp when the COVID-19 outbreak brought baseball to a screeching halt. We waited months before players could gather again for a rushed camp to prepare for a shortened season. Those are less than ideal conditions that many players struggled with.

Martinez had a miserable year, hitting .213 with a .680 OPS in 54 games. Counting stats were obviously reduced in a shortened season but his seven home runs and 27 RBI put him on pace for his lowest marks since before he became a full-time player with the Detroit Tigers in 2014.

In fairness, the chaos of the shortened season wasn’t the only reason for his struggles. MLB implemented temporary rules that prohibited players from watching video of their at-bats during games, a habit Martinez has relied on heavily to make adjustments. He was very vocal about how that change drastically hindered his approach. Access to video was restored this year and Martinez predictably bounced back with a strong season.

The interruption to training camp, uncertainty about when the season would begin and a shortened schedule created a mess that must have been a factor in his downfall though, as it was for many players. It’s not a scenario that Martinez would be eager to face again.

Especially this year with Martinez entering the final season of his contract. An opt-out provision in his contract gave him the opportunity to test free agency after the 2020 season but he obviously wasn’t going to do that in the wake of that dismal campaign. Despite coming back strong in 2021, Martinez did not opt-out when given another chance after last season. That was his last option year. He can’t opt-in for 2023 so barring an unlikely extension, Martinez will hit free agency next winter at the age of 35.

The possible introduction of the universal DH could expand his market but another down year anywhere near his disastrous 2020 season would be crippling to his value. Martinez will be looking for a big year so he can cash in with one last payday and a full season that allows him to follow his normal routine would go a long way toward helping him achieve that goal.