Red Sox add J.D. Martinez
After signing one of the biggest bats in the market on Monday, are the Boston Red Sox emerging as a favorite to win the World Series in 2018?
The Sox made the big news on Monday, agreeing to a 5-year, $110 million deal with Martinez that includes an opt-out after two years. This deal not only gives the Sox a big bat, but gives it to them at a pretty reasonable price. Rumors had Martinez looking for a 7-year, $200 million deal on the market, but with not biters this close to spring training, Martinez looks like he had to come down in price.
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Red Sox are currently listed with 14/1 odds to win the World Series. The Astros, Dodgers and Yankees are all co-favorites with 6/1 odds while the Cubs have 7/1 odds.
Martinez is coming off a 2017 season where he had a career-high 45 home runs and 104 RBI. He had 16 with the Tigers before racking up 29 with the Diamondbacks over just 62 games. His average was .303 and he had hit over .300 in three of his last four seasons. While his fielding is somewhat suspect, his ability to get on base while still hitting for power makes his a valuable addition for Boston.
The Red Sox were lacking in power last season, ranking just 27th in home runs (168). The retirement of David Ortiz took something away form the lineup that Boston is hoping to get back with Martinez joining the roster. Boston was also 13th in team batting average at .258.