Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Boston Red Sox have offered a five-year contract to free agent outfielder J.D. Martinez.
This is not very surprising given the fact that Boston has maintained interest in the slugger all off-season and have largely been viewed as the favorites to sign him.
Martinez had a career year in 2017 as he hit .303/.376/.690 with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs between the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. That resulted in an elite 166 wRC+ and 4.1 WAR.
His drawbacks come in the field, though, as he has -32 defensive runs saved for his career.
The 30-year old began the off-season asking for a seven-year deal in the $210 million range. While this offer does not come within striking distance of that, the market for the outfielder has not progressed well so far and he might be forced to settle for a deal in this range.
Jon Heyman of the FanRag Sports Network predicted Martinez would get a six-year, $150 million contract at the beginning of the off-season.
It is not entirely clear yet where Martinez would fit into the lineup. The Red Sox currently have Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Andrew Benintendi in the outfield, Mitch Moreland at first base, and Hanley Ramirez at DH.
The Red Sox have been rumored to be talking to teams about trades involving Jackie Bradley Jr., which could potentially clear the logjam in the outfield.
