DD won't renegotiate JDM's deal this winter

nattysez

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Asked today if the Sox would consider renegotiating/extending JDM's deal this off-season, DD said no.

It's fortunate the Sox have another guaranteed year of JDM. I'll be curious to see what happens after 2019 if he maintains his productivity and health. It's not like he had a lot of suitors banging down his door this off-season, and his playability in the OF is not going to improve as he ages, so it'll likely (hopefully) be safest for him to maintain his current deal rather than rolling the dice on the opt-out.

The Red Sox are not likely to negotiate a long-term deal with J.D. Martinez this off-season, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Martinez can opt out of his contract after next season and hit free agency.

"I don't think it will change," Dombrowski said. "Again, you're open-minded to anything, but I would say unlikely."

Martinez will earn $23.75 million in 2019 before deciding whether or not to return to Boston. If he stays, his deal gets significantly more complicated, with his opt-outs after the 2020 and 2021 seasons potentially being converted to mutual options if Martinez suffers a recurrence of a Lisfranc foot injury that he suffered in 2017.

"There was a reason why we put those opt-outs in, and they're all medical," Dombrowski said. "The medical hasn't changed. So I don't think (we'll look at changing the deal) at this point."

Martinez will be able to decide whether or not to opt out, as long as he stays healthy. In the complicated re-working of the deal during spring training, the sides agreed that the Red Sox would be able to opt out of the deal after either 2020 or 2021 if Martinez had spent 60 days in the previous season (or 120 combined over the two previous seasons) due to the Lisfranc injury.
 

koufax32

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Is DD saying that the team benefits from giving a player opt-outs?


There really is no reason to try something here as it would no doubt cost a lot more money. I’m fully on board with the cross that bridge when we get to it approach to both he and Sale.
 

DadOfFenway

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Tough to gage the right move at this point... coming off WS tittle - JD had an amazing year... Red Sox Nation on a high and that gives DD time to make these decisions - we can keep a team together for another run.. but he needs to be smart about long term $$ as things are about to get expensive for the B's and others - sad to say but in four years this team will look totally different again.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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If JD wanted to do a Kershaw and just tack on another guaranteed year, at a lower AAV which would help a bit with the team’s handling of the LT, then sure. Let’s talk. Otherwise, might as well wait. Lots can and will happen.
 

Harry Hooper

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Given that he injured the same foot that had the Lisfranc injury history from before he signed with the Sox, I can't fault DD for not doing anything to alter the contract until (at a minimum) the team gets a good look at him in ST.
 

moondog80

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If JD wanted to do a Kershaw and just tack on another guaranteed year, at a lower AAV which would help a bit with the team’s handling of the LT, then sure. Let’s talk. Otherwise, might as well wait. Lots can and will happen.

Right. From JDM's (and Boras') standppoint, "renegotiate" would mean a long term, big money deal. And there's no reason for the Sox to do that, not when they can just wait until next year and sign him anyway if he still warrants it.
 

ToeKneeArmAss

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Whenever I see "Lisfranc" I think "Allen Craig". Then I shudder uncontrollably.

I love JDM and hate to think we might lose him to an opt-out at a point when he's still highly productive. But I think we have to trust the FO to figure out how to keep the core together for the long run.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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If JD wanted to do a Kershaw and just tack on another guaranteed year, at a lower AAV which would help a bit with the team’s handling of the LT, then sure. Let’s talk. Otherwise, might as well wait. Lots can and will happen.
Thing is, Martinez can't "do a Kershaw" for another year. Kershaw got that extra year from the Dodgers because he was going to opt-out immediately if they didn't. Martinez can't do that until next winter. Neither side has any real incentive to re-negotiate right now.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
I don't see why this year would make DD want to renegotiate--it was the year I assume he expected. The reason not to go for something like 7/150+ in the first place was never that JDM wasn't a good bet to rock the house in his first year.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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Thing is, Martinez can't "do a Kershaw" for another year. Kershaw got that extra year from the Dodgers because he was going to opt-out immediately if they didn't. Martinez can't do that until next winter. Neither side has any real incentive to re-negotiate right now.
Well, you're right, he can't force the Sox to the table, because he's not currently in a position to opt out. But of course he can go to them and say, "I LOVE Boston and am never going to leave, and I love my teammates, and I want to help you create the space you need to start extending them, so … let's do like Kershaw...." Chances that he does that now? Pretty close to 0. End of next year? Maybe a little higher, but likely not with Boras' blessing! Especially after Harper and Machado push the top end of the market further upward...

We essentially agree: Despite the post-championship glow, no need or real incentive for either side to do anything right now.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Well, you're right, he can't force the Sox to the table, because he's not currently in a position to opt out. But of course he can go to them and say, "I LOVE Boston and am never going to leave, and I love my teammates, and I want to help you create the space you need to start extending them, so … let's do like Kershaw...." Chances that he does that now? Pretty close to 0. End of next year? Maybe a little higher, but likely not with Boras' blessing! Especially after Harper and Machado push the top end of the market further upward...

We essentially agree: Despite the post-championship glow, no need or real incentive for either side to do anything right now.
IF (big if) Martinez wanted to go to Dombrowski and the Red Sox and profess a desire to stay forever and help create space, all he has to do is sit tight and not opt-out. By opting out, it increases his 2018 and 2019 "cap hits" from $22M to $23.75M since the years at the end for lesser salary would be eliminated from the average. Unless you're suggesting he work a deal to reduce his cap number by adding years at even less dollars. Doubt that will happen.

BTW, Kershaw didn't do the Dodgers any favors in terms of creating space to extend others. His old deal was for an AAV of $30.7M. His new deal is for $31M AAV. Basically all he did was squeeze another $32M out of them.
 

JimD

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I hope JDM *does* opt out, because it will mean that he just put up another great season for the Red Sox in the year before the championship window may start to close.
 

BusRaker

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I wonder if it's the first outfield to pick up two gold glove winners and two silver slugger winners in the same year.
 

BusRaker

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I wonder if it's the first outfield to pick up two gold glove winners and two silver slugger winners in the same year.
Nope, the 1990,1991,1992 Pirates did it with Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke / Bobby Bonilla
 

Plympton91

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Whenever I see "Lisfranc" I think "Allen Craig". Then I shudder uncontrollably.

I love JDM and hate to think we might lose him to an opt-out at a point when he's still highly productive. But I think we have to trust the FO to figure out how to keep the core together for the long run.
The “long run” for this core is 2019. They need to treat it as a GFIN year and worry about 2020 later.

I don’t expect a full Astros’ multi-year rebuild after that, but they will lose a lot of reasonably cost-effective talent or market value talent after next year (Sale, Porcelo, Bradley, Moreland, JDM), will need to be paying Betts, Bogaerts, Edro, close to market value / 3rd arb year deals, and they don’t have much hope of filling any of those holes with the farm system unless somebody is having a fire sale. Pedroia having a late career resurgence would help a whole lot.