Boston Red Sox DH JD Martinez Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox are staring regular season failure in the face. A once-unthinkable fate given how they started the year is becoming a reality with every defeat.
Boston had been one of the best stories in all of baseball to most of us outside of the Bronx. Despite trading one of the most talented players in all of baseball just two years ago in Mookie Betts, Alex Cora had led this group to the brink of contention, and a strong AL East lead.
Then, late July and August happened. The Red Sox are 2-8 in their last ten games and their losing ways date back further than that. If the Sox don’t prove they can make the postseason with this core, you can expect significant change this offseason as Chaim Bloom aims to make this team younger, and more cost-efficient.
The Boston Red Sox might let JD Martinez walk
Martinez was an All-Star this season and deserved that honor, by all accounts. He’s hit for tremendous power and despite some recent struggles, still is the centerpiece of the Red Sox lineup at 34 years old.
His age remains a factor, however, and with a player option after this season, Martinez has an intriguing choice to make. Should he opt out now in favor of a long-term deal in Boston or elsewhere? Or should he opt in, making the Red Sox pay him over $19 million next season?
Either way, there’s no guarantee the Red Sox won’t move Martinez on their own accord if they have to. They’d prefer not to have that salary on the books, especially if they’re not a playoff team as currently constructed.