JD Martinez is addicted to talking about his opt-out. I swear Martinez took less money each year just so that he could add in an opt-out. In Martinez’s contract, he had the ability to opt-out after 2019, which did not happen, and can still opt-out after the ’20 and ’21 seasons. So it’s another year, another opt-out story.
2020 is a weird year. The free-agent market will likely see less money thrown around given the fact that Major League Baseball (MLB) will be coming off a 60 game season with no fans. Giving up more than $20 million a year to test the market seems like a crazy move. Martinez is no dummy. He said himself he’s unlikely to test the market this offseason.
“I don’t know how [player evaluation] is going to happen,” Martinez said. “I honestly feel like I would not want to be a free agent during this time for that reason. You just don’t know. Everything is up in the air for guys like that. It’s weird.”
Martinez did not wholly rule out free agency. When asked if he’s made up his mind, he responded with “negative.” However, that doesn’t mean he is a lock to return to Boston. The addition of the DH in the National League makes it much easier to find a potential trade partner.
It’s been a rough year for the Red Sox. They have the third worse record in baseball. One would understand Martinez if he thought about opting out to join a contender. The problem is, he hasn’t had a good year. Given his performance this season, a batting line of 218/.305/.387 with three homers in 124 at-bats, the 33-year-old would be unwise to opt-out.
Before he was done interviewing, Martinez did make sure to let Red Sox fans know that he still loves Boston.
“Yeah, I mean I love Boston. I love playing here,” he said. “I’ve always said it from the beginning that this fan-base suits my passion for the game. I always say, when you get booed, I’m probably booing myself more than they’re booing me. So I really don’t hear them. That really doesn’t bother me. I really don’t read into the media. So I don’t really get caught up in all that either, which is an easy (thing) to get caught up in in this city. So I just love the passion this year and obviously I’d love to stay here.”
