J.D. Martinez leaves options open on future with Red Sox

J.D. Martinez’ future is uncertain, and even the designated hitter doesn’t know what’s next. Or at least he’s not telling.

Martinez’ status with the Red Sox will be one of the biggest storylines to watch as the team enters a critical offseason. The 32-year-old Martinez, who signed a five-year contract before the 2018 season, has an opt-out clause in his contract if he decides he wants to leave Boston in his free agency. If not, he can stay and make $23.75 million next season and $19.35 million the year after before another opt-out clause kicks in.

Martinez said he will eventually talk with his agent Scott Boras about what will come.

“I’m just going to be sitting at home just kind of hanging out and talking to Scott, and coming up with a decision,” Martinez said after the Red Sox’ 5-4 victory in Sunday’s season finale. “That’s really how it will go down, I would imagine. …

“I can’t spill my beans just yet. We’ll see what happens.”

Whatever happens, the Martinez signing has been a home run of a deal for the Red Sox. He hit 43 homers with 130 RBI and a .330 average as he helped key a World Series title in his first season with Boston, and followed it up this year with 36 homers and 105 RBI.

He said he’d be open to coming back.

“I’d love it. I had good memories here and good times here, but that’s the business side of it, and something that I always let Scott handle it,” Martinez said. “Obviously it would be nice to be back.”

Another milestone

Next up for Rafael Devers: count those MVP votes.

Surely, Devers won’t finish in the top two, with Alex Bregman and Mike Trout battling it out for the title. But he should get plenty of votes after finishing the season with a .311 average, .916 OPS and 201 hits.

“I think it was a great season for me,” he said. “I just want to thank God for being healthy this year, which is huge for me. Like I said before, as long as I can stay healthy, I know I can produce at this level.”

Devers collected his 200th hit in a 3-for-5 finale to become the 17th player with 200 hits before turning 23. He’s the first American Leaguer under 23 to get 200 hits since Alex Rodriguez in 1996.

“It feels good,” he said. “It was a great accomplishment for me. But overall, I wish we’d just had a better season. But that just motivates me more.”

He led MLB with 359 total bases and 90 extra-base hits.

“He was one of the best third basemen in the big leagues, not only offensively but defensively,” manager Alex Cora said. “He turned the corner… The way he’s been talking about what he’s going to do this offseason, I’m looking forward to seeing him and when he comes home to visit me and I can see the strides.”

What a catch

One of the best catches Fenway has ever seen came in the eighth inning Sunday. Jackie Bradley Jr. nearly hit a go-ahead homer, but his deep drive to right was robbed by Stevie Wilkerson, who made one of the best catches of the year with a leaping grab as he nearly flipped over the wall into the right-field grandstands.

“He hit it and I thought it was gone so I turned around,” Cora said. “All of a sudden I didn’t hear the fans and I turned around and the ball just hung up there. I have to see it but from my angle it was one of the best plays I’ve seen.”

Staying home

The day after the Red Sox were officially eliminated from playoff contention last weekend, Cora said he was asked by ESPN, where he served as a baseball analyst from 2013 to 2016, about being part of their postseason coverage.

But the manager declined. He’s intent on taking advantage of the extra time off as much as he can. Between a World Series with the Astros in 2017, then almost immediately being hired by the Red Sox before winning another World Series, Cora hasn’t had much time for himself in the offseason the last few years.

“I need time for the family,” Cora said. “That’s something they deserve. The WBC, the Astros, the Red Sox and they deserve time. Camilla is in 11th grade, she’s taking the SAT and all that stuff and now we have to make decisions about where we’re going. Yeah. Go to Miami, come on!” …

Cora doesn’t have a prediction on who will win the World Series this season, and didn’t seem to have a rooting interest, either.

“I don’t have a horse in the race,” Cora said. “I’ve got a lot of people that I appreciate and they had successful seasons and you go around the league and the managers, I respect some of them, we have close relationships. It’s going to be fun to watch, but I don’t really have any idea.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2nNxKGh