JD Martinez makes a huge difference for the Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox got their man--JD Martinez--and the Red Sox front office deserves a lot of credit.

They stuck to their guns. They did the old business stalemate, never raising their initial offer. But hey, they worked the free market perfectly. It was their offer or possibly no job at all, so Martinez took that 5-year $110 million deal, and he will like it.

If you forgot how good this guy is, then let me remind you. This guy hit 45 bombs in 119 games last year and had a .690 slugging percentage. That’s what Babe Ruth had for a slugging percentage in his MLB career, and that’s the highest ever. Coincidence? I think not.

If you don’t believe me, just watch this:

Pretty much, Martinez was at a 60 home run pace last year if he was healthy for an entire season (because then he would’ve played like 160 games). Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in a season before. They also both played for the Red Sox. So yeah, interesting stuff.

If you’re asking how it impacts the roster, it goes a little like this: Bryce Brentz got traded to the Pirates to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Jackie Bradley Jr. won’t be traded and Martinez will be the team’s DH. There could legitimately be a position battle at first base, but it seems like Hanley Ramirez will probably start the year with the job with Mitch Moreland on the bench because Alex Cora said he liked him as a No. 3 hitter. You don’t just bench a guy you like as a No. 3 hitter.

So yeah, the Red Sox lineup looks good right now. They’ll get Dustin Pedroia back pretty early in the season and Eduardo Nunez as a bench player. Then, their bench could be Nunez, Moreland, Sandy Leon and one other (Blake Swihart, Brock Holt, Deven Marrero, etc). Solid.