J.D. Martinez has been around the big leagues long enough to know that Major League Baseball teams are businesses first and foremost.
Many thought the Red Sox were going to have to make a tough business decision on Martinez ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. While the veteran slugger is amid an All-Star season, he’s on an expiring contract and could have been a great addition for a playoff-bound team that needed an offensive upgrade.
Understanding his value on the trade market coupled with Boston’s precarious spot in the standings ahead of the deadline, Martinez made it clear to Chaim Bloom that being included in a potential deal wouldn’t result in hard feelings.
“Do whatever you think is going to be best for the franchise,” Martinez told Bloom, per The Boston Globe. “It’s really not going to affect me wanting to come back here next year. Make the franchise better. If you think we have a chance then let’s go for it. I want to go for it. I don’t have so many years left.”
Boston elected to hang onto Martinez, and it certainly seems like Bloom and company haven’t given up on the Red Sox’s postseason chances. Across a series of moves before the deadline, Boston found a backfill for Christian Vázquez, improved its outfield depth and upgraded at first base. The Red Sox might not be a markedly better club than they were Monday morning, but the new-look bunch definitely has enough to make a run at an American League Wild Card spot.
Boston can boost its confidence Wednesday when it tries to complete a three-game sweep of the high-powered Houston Astros. NESN’s full coverage of the finale at Minute Maid Park begins at 1 p.m. ET.
