J.D. Martinez (FINALLY) Signs With Boston Red Sox

ESPNJ.D. Martinez isn’t such a large human that he grabs your attention simply by standing up. He also isn’t a former first-round draft pick who, at age 18, was hyped as the next Alex Rodriguez. But here’s something else Martinez is not: a consolation prize. Go ahead and rip the Boston Red Sox for being so desperate to fill a key position they had to pay nine figures for a free agent. It happened two years ago when they signed David Price for seven years and $217 million and again Monday evening when they finally — at long last — agreed with Martinez on a five-year, $110 million contract that includes an opt-out after two years.

In a deal that has been rumored for seemingly months (and months), the Boston Red Sox (finally) agreed to terms with outfielder J.D. Martinez, who hit 45 home runs and drove in 103 RBI last season. As a New York Yankees fan, I was hoping that this deal would fall through, because I am a huge J.D. Martinez fan as he won me a ton of money on Draft Kings last season. It’s an interesting contract, because while J.D. Martinez was hoping to break the bank with a massive contract, he signed a nice five year $110 million contract with an opt out after two years. It’s a nice contract, he’s getting paid $22 million bucks per year, but when Eric Hosmer gets an eight year deal from the Padres the day before while Martinez is a superior offensive player it might be viewed as a disappointment from the Martinez camp. Hence the opt out after two years.