Red Sox submit offer for star slugger

Brian Hines
Contributing Writer

Photo Courtesy of Joe Mahoney/Getty Images
The Red Sox, along with a majority of MLB teams, have been awfully quiet this offseason. Boston's only move was resigning first baseman Mitch Moreland to a two-year, $13 million contract. As for the rest of the MLB, only two contracts have been signed (Carlos Santana and Wade Davis) that are worth more than $50 million.

But on Tuesday, it was reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale that the Red Sox are ready to make their move. The club submitted a five-year offer to slugger J.D. Martinez, the dollar amount was not made public.

Adding Martinez would be a big addition, as the team struggled hitting for power in 2017. Martinez hit a career best 45 home runs last season, along with 104 RBIs. He did all this while slashing .303/.376/.690/1.066 in 119 games for Detroit and Arizona. And he has stayed consistent over the last four years, bashing a total of 128 home runs.

Martinez also made it clear that he would be willing to DH for the Red Sox, allowing them to keep their current outfield in tact.

The five-year deal that Boston submitted will help them avoid some of the tricky situations they've been put in in the past. Contracts like Carl Crawford and Pablo Sandoval come to mind as some of the long term deals that failed.

With the offer now submitted, its best the Red Sox now just sit back and not outbid themselves. Martinez's agent, Scott Boras, has made it clear he wants his client to reach a seven-year deal worth over $200 million, but it doesn't appear he'll get it with the way the market has unfolded. Boston currently is the only real serious contender to land Martinez, and their offer might be the best one Boras receives.