Alex Cora Has Big-Money Praise For J.D. Martinez After Red Sox Finale

J.D. Martinez played out the entire five-year contract he signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, and manager Alex Cora is among those who believe it was a wildly-successful tenure.

“He has been a horse. A caballo, like we call it in Latin America,” Cora told reporters after Boston’s 6-3 victory in the season finale Wednesday, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “Since Day 1, he showed up and decided to change the culture in a sense. The way we go about it offensively. He changed this in ’18. As soon as we signed him in ’18, I knew that the organization took the next step.

“I think he earned every penny of that contract,” Cora said, referencing the $110 million deal. “He was always here. He worked so hard on his craft. I’m glad he had a great day today. We’ll see what the future holds.”

An impending free agent, Martinez proved to be a constant presence in the middle of Boston’s lineup. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2018, a campaign he also finished fourth in American League MVP voting. Martinez also was an AL All-Star in four of those five seasons and earned two Silver Slugger honors with 130 home runs and 423 RBIs in 637 games with the Red Sox.

Martinez, 35, still is keeping the door open on a possible return to Boston.