Amid the uncertainty surrounding the Boston Red Sox and the Major League Baseball trade deadline, J.D. Martinez remains appreciative.
On the day he broke an 0-for-25 and helped Boston escape the month of July with a win, Martinez faced the reality that he might have played his final game at Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox. As the Aug. 2 trade deadline looms, NESN’s Jahmai Webster asked Martinez if he had a message for Red Sox fans in the event he gets traded.
“I appreciate everything,” Martinez said. “I appreciate the love. Just the constant energy every time you come in here. It’s something, if I do get traded, it’s something I’m definitely going to miss and I admire. These fans are as hard on me as I am on myself.”
Following the interview, Martinez stayed in the dugout to sign autographs for fans.
Despite the win, Boston still sits one game below .500 on the season and 3.5 games back of the third and final American League Wild Card spot.
“I want to make this as hard on Chaim (Bloom) as possible,” Martinez said after the game, as seen on NESN.
Martinez did make it harder as he went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI — plating Xander Bogaerts with a fifth-inning double.
The Red Sox certainly have a tough decision to make regarding his future, but there’s no doubt Martinez has left an impact on the franchise he signed with in Feb. 2018.
