Could J.D. Martinez be enjoying his closing video games at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox this weekend?
The Red Sox’ designated hitter is among the many almost definitely gamers on the membership to be dealt earlier than Tuesday’s commerce deadline, and he unsurprisingly already has a number of suitors. According to a report from the Boston Sports Journal, the Dodgers and Mets – the highest two groups within the National League – have made their curiosity recognized in Martinez, who’s been named an All-Star in 4 of his 5 seasons with the Red Sox.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Mets had a scout in Boston on Friday to observe the Red Sox’ 4-2 loss to the Brewers with a watch on Martinez and Christian Vazquez.
Mets have scout watching Red Sox tonight, supply tells @TheAthletic. If crew finds Cubs’ value for Contreras/Robertson too steep, might pivot to J.D. Martinez/ Christian Vázquez. Separate transfer or strikes could be wanted to handle bullpen.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2022
The 34-year-old Martinez appears to already really feel like his days are numbered, too. The Globe reported on Friday that there’s a very good chance that the veteran can be dealt, and Martinez understands it might be heading that approach.
“Not if we don’t start winning,” Martinez informed the Globe when requested if he thinks he’ll be with the Red Sox after Tuesday’s commerce deadline. “That’s about as simple as I can put it. I would understand it. I wouldn’t be upset about it. Of course I want to be here, stay here. I’m a lot more comfortable here. I would prefer the club wins today, starts a winning streak, and makes it real hard on them.”
Friday night time’s efficiency didn’t precisely point out that risk. The Red Sox misplaced once more as they fell to 7-18 within the month of July, and Martinez went 0-for-4 as he prolonged his hitless stretch. He’s 0-for-20 since July 15, and 0-for-16 since coming back from again spasms that pressured him to overlook the primary 4 video games after the All-Star break.
“I mean, his timing is off,” Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora mentioned. “You can see it. He’s grinding through it as far as his swing and all that. It’s not easy to miss so many days and just get back to this. It’s not a lack of work, we all know that. It’s just a matter of it’s really good pitching and he’s grinding through his swing.”
Still, Martinez represents a pretty possibility for any playoff contender in search of one other productive hitter and championship-proven bat in the midst of their lineup, even when his energy numbers (9 homers in 85 video games this season) are down.
If these are certainly his closing days with the Red Sox, Martinez will go down as one of many franchise’s finest free-agent signings in current historical past. Martinez signed a five-year, $110 million contract previous to the 2018 season and, other than his dismal 2020 season, it has been price each penny after which some.
Source: www.bostonherald.com