Written by Dayn Perry at CBS Sports.com
This offseason’s crop of free agents isn’t a particularly deep one, but there are some impact names at the top of the list. One of those names is slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez.
Martinez is coming off a 2017 season in which he batted .303/.376/.690 (166 OPS+) with 45 home runs in 119 games for the Tigers and Diamondbacks. That’s obviously elite power production, and it’s fully in keeping with Martinez’s recent history. Since joining the Tigers prior to the 2014 season and reconstructing his swing, Martinez has put up an OPS+ of 149 and averaged 40 homers and 39 doubles per 162 games played. That makes him one of the top power hitters in all of baseball. On the downside, Martinez is going into his age-30 season, has a history of injuries, and is a defensive liability.
That mix of considerations leads us to this …
Teams that have reached out early on J.D. Martinez have gotten the impression Scott Boras is looking for something in the $200 million range.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 8, 2017
Martinez is going to get paid in a big way — comfortably into the nine figures. Also, $200 million is possible given that he’s far and away the best bat on the market this winter. That said, this is in essence an opening figure and perhaps some signaling to the market on the part of Boras, who is perhaps the best in the business.
We saw the market treat bat-first players a bit harshly last winter, and it’s entirely possible that trend will continue. I’ll say Martinez’s age, defensive limitations, and somewhat spotty health history prevent him from reaching that $200 million figure, but I think he tops $150 million. Either way, the slugger who worked hard to make the most of his baseball capabilities is headed for life-changing money.
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