MLB Roster Rumors: J.D. Martinez Officially Joins The Boston Red Sox
After four months of back-and-forth, outfielder J.D. Martinez has finally been introduced as the newest member of the Boston Red Sox at a press conference on Monday morning.
Martinez had already agreed to terms on a frontloaded five-year, $110 million deal with the Red Sox last week to become their new designated hitter, but it took a while for the slugger to complete his physical, and the delay prompted some observers to report that the club might have uncovered some undisclosed medical issue.
However, it seems that the Red Sox just want to make sure that everything is in line before they hand Martinez a nine-figure contract. "All of our offseason work is done, as far as preparing people for our ballclub," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski noted, via MLB.com.
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"It's been a long process, and I'm happy to put everything behind me and be here today and finally go out and just play baseball," Martinez said. "I'm expecting, hopefully, to do a lot of damage. That's the game plan coming in," he added.
Martinez has had to deal with some health issues in the past, and he missed the first few weeks of the 2017 season due to a sprained ligament in his right foot. However, he said he is fully healthy right now, and he is ready to help the Red Sox win another World Series title.
"I'm healthy. I've been healthy since last -- when was it? -- May that I got back from the disabled list. I've been healthy. I've felt great. I've been ready to go since I've gotten back," Martinez stated.
In 119 games split between the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks last year, Martinez posted a 0.303/0.376/0.690 slash line, and he also had 45 home runs, 104 runs batted in, 26 doubles, four stolen bases, and 53 walks in 489 plate appearances.
