Should the Red Sox extend a Qualifying Offer to J.D. Martinez?
On Friday it was announced that the Qualifying Offer will be set at $19.65 million this offseason. The Red Sox have a few impending free agents they could hand the QO to including designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
The veteran is coming off of a five-year, $110 million deal. Martinez will test free agency again looking for a new home unless the Red Sox extend him a Qualifying Offer.
This past season, Martinez’s numbers were down, he slashed .274/.341/.488. The 35-year-old slugger saw his power numbers dip dramatically, he only hit 16 home runs and drove in 62 RBIs.
In addition, Martinez posted a 1.1 WAR, 119 wRC+ and a .343 wOBA.
Manager Alex Cora felt that Martinez was worth every penny of his contract. It’s hard to argue against that, especially when he was healthy and hitting for above average power.
“He has been a horse. A caballo, like we call it in Latin America,” Cora said. “Since Day 1, he showed up and decided to change the culture in a sense. The way we go about it offensively. He changed this in ‘18. As soon as we signed him in ‘18, I knew that the organization took the next step. I think he earned every penny of that contract. He was always here. He worked so hard on his craft. I’m glad he had a great day today. We’ll see what the future holds.”
The problem is, Martinez is five years older but based off his production this past season, he would not be worth the QO.
According to Spotrac, Martinez’ value is currently set at two-years, $15.2 million AAV. To give you context, that figure is roughly inline with Braves Marcel Ozuna ($16.3 million), Nelson Cruz ($16 million) and the Rockies Charlie Blackmon ($15.3 million).
Boston would be better off pursuing other free agent hitters this winter like Trey Mancini, José Abreu or Mitch Haniger. Bloom would be better served spending less on a designated hitter, instead finding a productive hitter who gives the Red Sox some flexibility in the field as well. Thank you, Martinez, but it’s time to move on.
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The problem with quite a few DH players is their age and giving out a multiple year deals on their current performance
The problem with quite a few DH players is their age and giving out a multiple year deals on their current performance