ESPN's Buster Olney Speculates J.D. Martinez Will Sign With Red Sox 'Soon'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Red Sox are holding their first full-squad workouts in Fort Myers on Monday, and most people have settled on the idea that the team will be bringing back essentially the same exact roster from last year. Certainly, any and all buzz surrounding the potential to sign free-agent outfielder J.D. Martinez has been quiet for some time.
But ESPN's Buster Olney may have just reignited the conversation.
Olney tweeted on Sunday afternoon that he expected J.D. Martinez to be next in line to sign his next deal.
Scott Boras represents a big portion of the unsigned players, and clients Tony Watson and Eric Hosmer reached agreements the last 48 hours. Expectation among some evaluators is that slugger J.D. Martinez, another Boras client, will pick his next home soon.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 18, 2018
On Monday morning, Olney was asked where he expects Martinez to sign.
Red Sox, soon
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 19, 2018
Of course, Olney's tweet is just a tweet. It's not a report, and it doesn't cite any sources. But Olney remains a connected man in baseball, so his speculation carries more weight than most.
The Red Sox reportedly offered Martinez a five-year contract worth roughly $100 million.
Martinez, 30, batted .303 last season with 45 home runs, 26 doubles, and three triples for an OPS of 1.066. Among all MLB players with at least 475 plate appearances in 2017, that 1.066 OPS ranked second, behind only Mike Trout's 1.071.
From 2014-17, Martinez hit 128 home runs in 520 games, averaging 40 home runs and 110 RBIs per 162 games played.