It seems to be one of the most prevalent questions when it comes to the Red Sox' stars these days: Would they talk contract during the 2022 season?
Xander Bogaerts says yes, although his agent says no. Rafael Devers? Nope. And then there is J.D. Martinez, the one player who just happens to be carrying the best numbers of them all.
"I don’t know. That’s a Scott question. I trust Scott," Martinez said in a sit-down with WEEI.com Thursday afternoon in Chicago, referencing his agent, Scott Boras.
"If Scott came to me and said, ‘Hey, this is a good deal, I think you should do it.’ I would say, ‘Let’s do it.’ If Scott says, ‘No, I think you should wait until free agency,’ then I will wait until free agency."
It is Martinez's situation that may quietly becoming one of the most complicated for the Red Sox. Even before the designated hitter rattled off three more hits in the Sox' win over the White Sox Thursday night - raising his major league-best batting average to .380 - his manager was doing double-takes.
"I’ve never him this way," noted Alex Cora. "This is the best I’ve seen him in four years. The quality of the at-bats. Two-strike hits. Going the other way. He’s been impressive. … It seems like everything he’s hitting right now he’s hitting right on the barrel, using the whole field. Honestly, it’s the best I’ve seen him."
So, why aren't we knocking down Chaim Bloom's door when it comes to keeping Martinez around past 2022?
Perhaps it's because there was an assumption in some corners when Martinez signed his deal that either he wouldn't see the end of his five-year, $110 million, surely taking one of the three opt-outs. Or if he was around, at the age of almost-34 years old the DH would be limping to the finish line.
Well, here he is. Arguably better than ever, and, arguably, more important than ever.
"I’ve always felt like I was different," Martinez said. "I’ve always felt … I have an unorthodox way of doing things in the sense of nobody ever recorded BP swings. No one ever brought toy bags to the cage. I was one of the first people to do that. I used to get destroyed in Detroit by all the veterans. They used to make fun of me about it all the time. But I just knew I had a recipe that was going to bring success. That’s one thing I follow all the time. Just follow my routine. I’m a more process-oriented player than most people are, so I just focus on that.
"I just think the industry doesn’t know how to value the designated hitter rule. They don’t know how to judge it. They don’t know how to read it. … I mean, David Ortiz had one of the best years of his career at 40. So I think the industry needs to re-evaluate. There is more and more evidence coming out that it is different for those (older players)."
The reality is that, much like some other notable designated hitters, Martinez kept up with the times, countering any diminished athletic ability with his time-test unique investment into the craft of hitting the baseball.
Since joining the Red Sox, Martinez has more than held up his end of the bargain. During the five seasons, he has ranked up there with the cream of the crop:
OPS: Sixth (.924).
Slugging: Fourth (.551).
Total bases: Second.
Hits: Fifth.
RBI: Third.
Batting average: Fourth (.302).
"I’ve always had confidence. I’ve always trusted my ability, my process," Martinez said. "I’ve never deviated from that. People call me crazy about it. They laugh at me about it. But that’s me, you know? I have three hits in a game and I study as much as I do if I had no hits in the game. That doesn’t change. That’s why I have confidence, because I trust that process.
"I’ve had to grow, understanding my body. You’re not going to be able to do the things you used to do when you were 25 or 28. I was way more athletic. I think now it’s understanding what you can do. Understanding what a pitcher trying to do."
Now the question comes: Do the Red Sox actually think they can exist without a player like Martinez?
The organization made the mistake of feeling replacing the position of lineup anchor after David Ortiz would be a turn-key proposition. Get some semblance of a bat while expecting the continued emergence of everyone else. Where that led the Red Sox was having to invest in Martinez a year later.
No matter what Martinez's age, this should be a very real concern.
"It’s very important," said Cora regarding having a player with the kind of presence delivered by Ortiz and Martinez. "Not only on the field, but in the meetings. The way he goes about it, if you’re young on this team and you want to follow somebody, that’s the guy you follow. In the weight room. In the training room. Studying. It’s relentless. He’s very similar to Jason when he played. With Jason (Varitek) it was about preparation, how to attack hitters, how to get people out. With J.D., on the plane there is no cards, there is no Netflix. It’s just who we face next and what I’m going to try and do to try and beat them."
And then there is actually valuing the art of serving as a designated hitter. Sure, there are a whole group of National League teams that now need such a players, but the question is how they plan on filling the spot.
As Martinez points out, nailing the best approach to the position might be more complicated than some decision-makers want to realize.
"There are teams that believe it, and other teams that don’t," Martinez said regarding having that big bat to build around. "I obviously believe it. I’m biased toward it. I know what it does, because I knew what it did when I went from Houston to Detroit, to have a guy like Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) in the middle of the lineup. You get those big bats in the middle of the order that are feared, it takes a lot of pressure off the younger guys. It’s not on them. It’s on these guys. If we don’t win (in Detroit) they aren’t going to say J.D. sucked. They are going to say, ‘Miggy, what the hell happened.’
"There’s a reason last year with Tampa they had the best record and they traded for a DH (Nelson Cruz). We’ll see what happens after this year because I think a lot of teams are viewing it as if general managers can mix and max at that position. They aren’t going to just plug it in. They want to show how smart they are. But what’s going to happen is … it’s a real position, and you can ask anybody here. Xander. Devers. Any of these guys, if they enjoy being a DH. Everybody hates it. I haven’t met a player who likes it, because you have to get used to it."
As we are currently witnessing, what the Red Sox have gotten used to is the impact of Martinez. In about five months, we will find out exactly much they have enjoyed it.
"I don’t know if I’m the only person but I never think about any of this crap," Martinez said of his contract situation. "I only think about what I have to do. I hired the best people to advise me in that situation. That’s it. You’ve known me for five years now and it’s the same answers after a good game or a bad game. It never changes. I’m the most boring interview. That’s just how my mind works. I don’t get wrapped up in t. Whenever I get wrapped up in it, nothing worked out. That’s what I did early in my career until I finally gave in. Whatever happens, happens."
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