J. D. Martinez - OF/DH
J.D. Martinez would be welcomed back to Boston. He is beloved by fans and is a well-spoken professional. He has previously won a ring here in Boston and was a key part of the team that defeated the Yankees in a winner-take-all Wild Card game at home. Those are two of the biggest stages in Boston sports, and each time he rose to the occasion.
For the Red Sox, he hit .317 with a 1.005 OPS in 23 postseason games, significantly impacting the team's chances of winning a World Series by 16%, according to cWPA, which calculates the importance of an at-bat and its result concerning the team's chances of winning a World Series.
October 24, 2018
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) October 24, 2022
J.D. Martinez
Lashes a 2-out, 2 RBI single to right field to give the Red Sox a (4-2) lead and the Red Sox win Game 2 of the World Series (4-2)
Mookie Betts - 3 hits
David Price - (6.0 IP - 2 ER - 5 K)
Red Sox lead series (2–0)pic.twitter.com/ps7GpRTGHy
With the team's top prospects all playing the field, Martinez would be a quality addition to the team. Players will be able to feed off his offense and understand what it takes to win in Boston. Fenway Park offers a much different playing environment than anywhere else in baseball, and the expectation is to contend for championships, year in and year out. Martinez has proven that he's consistently ready to meet that supposition.
Believe it or not, the Red Sox were three games out of a Wild Card spot on August 20th of last season with a record of 66-58 and 38 games remaining in the season. What followed was nothing short of a collapse, as the team went 12-26. The 2023 Red Sox had the potential to play October baseball with less than a quarter of the season remaining but simply shrank under the pressure.
While there were certainly multiple factors that contributed to the collapse, another veteran voice next to Turner's could've helped to produce a different result. Martinez is that guy and he's proven it before.