J.D. Martinez may have very well played in his final home game with the Boston Red Sox.
Martinez featured for the Red Sox in their home series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. He earned a start as a designated hitter for the AL East club, and he went on to record a pair of hits and an RBI to help clinch a much-needed 7-2 win over the current NL Central leaders.
As of late, Martinez’s future with the Red Sox has been up in the air. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal noted that the New York Mets sent a scout to watch Martinez in Boston’s series opener against the Brewers on Friday. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman added on Saturday that the Red Sox are now open to offers for their veteran players, and Martinez is among the “candidates to go” ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline.
Regardless of whether he will remain on the Red Sox roster by the road matchup against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, Martinez will always appreciate the love that he has received from the Boston faithful.
“I appreciate everything,” Martinez told NESN after the win over Milwaukee 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.”
Martinez further added after the game that he aims to “make this as hard on Chaim [Bloom] as possible,” as he aspires to see the Red Sox chief baseball officer keep the veterans on the roster.
Martinez had an opportunity to become a free agent in the offseason, but in the end, he decided to not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract for the 2022 season. The longtime slugger is set to hit free agency later this year.
Martinez is currently in his fifth season with the Red Sox. He has already made his mark in Boston franchise history, which includes recording an OBP of at least .380 in each of the team’s three series clashes over its World Series-winning run back in 2018.
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