Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez seems to have made up his mind on whether he will opt out of his contract after the 2020 season.
Martinez said Friday that he does not intend to opt out, but did not shut the door completely on doing so.
J.D. Martinez on his impending opt-out: ‘Given the situation, I’m probably not leaning that way’ (opting out). But also said that's a question for Scott Boras, his agent.
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) September 25, 2020
Martinez’s stance makes sense, even though he hasn’t had a lot of fun playing for Boston this season. He has two years and just under $40 million remaining on his current deal after this season. It doesn’t make sense for him to opt out if he’s not confident he can at least match that in free agency. Given the economic uncertainties in baseball right now, he can’t safely assume he would.
Martinez will also be coming off a poor season for Boston. He’s hitting only .217 with six home runs during the abbreviated campaign. He’ll once again have the option to opt out after the 2021 season.
