Fret no longer, Boston Red Sox fans. J.D. Martinez officially is in the house.
The Red Sox sealed the deal with Martinez on Monday morning, officially announcing their five-year contract with the free agent slugger. Martinez is an exciting addition for Boston, as he’ll bring a powerful bat that produced a career-high 45 home runs and 104 RBIs for the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks last season.
Most importantly, Martinez adds another spark to the Red Sox’s rivalry with the New York Yankees, who made their own splash this offseason by landing superstar outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. The Sox’s Twitter account raised some eyebrows at the time with a fitting reaction to Stanton’s acquisition, and the club decided to bring that back Monday.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 26, 2018
Seems like a good time to renew the rivalry.
The Red Sox also had a little fun with folks getting antsy amid a quiet offseason, going way back into the archives to respond to a tweet from December.
Stop tweeting until you sign JD Martinez
— Max (@rustybandit02) December 25, 2017
Permission to resume tweeting? https://t.co/3J8RPqgauE
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 26, 2018
It appears that permission has been granted, as Boston’s “Red Sox Notes” account added some encouraging stats about Martinez’s previous success against American League East opponents.
J.D. Martinez has hit .318 (121-for-381) with 24 HR and a .960 OPS in 104 career games against AL East opponents. In 2017, he batted .409 (18-for-44) with 5 HR against the division. He hit 3 HR at Yankee Stadium on 6/21/2015.
— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) February 26, 2018
Oh, and in case you need video confirmation that Martinez is a Red Sox, the team provided that, too.
It’s really real! pic.twitter.com/cVSpZZJXSV
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 26, 2018
