As the old saying goes, better late than never.
The Red Sox got their man in free agency this past winter, as J.D. Martinez inked a five-year deal with Boston in late February after months of speculation throughout the offseason.
But if Dave Dombrowski had it his way, Martinez would have donned a Red Sox uniform much earlier than he did.
In an interview with WEEI, the Red Sox president of baseball operations revealed that the team made a run at Martinez leading up to last season’s non-waiver trade deadline.
“We had interest in him. We tried,” Dombrowski told Rob Bradford. “But (the Detroit Tigers) felt comfortable in the deal they got and moved quickly.”
In the end, everything worked out for Boston. While Martinez would have been a great asset to have in the 2017 playoffs, the Sox managed to acquire the veteran slugger without having to part with any prospects. Martinez has been worth every penny thus far, as he currently boasts a .325 batting average to go along with 23 home runs and 60 RBIs.
Although hindsight is 20/20, sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make.
