On December 9th, the Yankees and Marlins officially agreed on a deal to send slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the Bronx. There were mixed opinions from Red Sox fans on whether or not they wanted Stanton because of the idea of trading pieces and his huge contract.
One thing for sure is whether or not Red Sox nation wanted him, they certainly did not want him to join Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez who slugged their way to one game from the World Series.
The Pressure
Dave Dombrowski had to immediately feel the pressure as soon as he found out that the Yankees had acquired Stanton. Not only because of the fact that the Marlins got a weak haul that the Red Sox could have matched, but also because their arch-rivals now have two giants in their lineup.
The attention immediately focused to what “Dealin Dave” would do to counter the Yankees’ move. Many believed he was going to try and sign both Eric Hosmer and JD Martinez. Not only did fans want this to happen, they wanted it to happen as soon as possible.
However, Dave has stayed calm under pressure, which is surprising because he is usually a gunslinger.
Financial Situation
One thing to take into consideration is the financial situation of the Red Sox. They currently have some huge contracts on the table, including Hanley Ramirez, Rick Porcello, and Rusney Castillo. The Average Annual Value (AAV) of those contracts alone is a colossal chunk of the payroll.
Splurging just to splurge is not the answer here, and going after just JD Martinez instead of both him and Hosmer is also the right idea. One big contract added to the payroll will already be a burden, never mind two. Fans who also want to see the massive extensions of Mookie Betts and Chris Sale whe nthey hit the market should also take this into consideration.
Scott Boras
A lot of people know who Scott Boras is at this point. Boras is an infamous sports agent whose notorious for getting giant contracts for his clients. JD Martinez is a Boras client, and was originally seeing a 7 year deal worth $200 million+ going into the offseason. Obviously he will not end up getting that deal, but he will be making a lot of money.
What is happening right now is a stare down between Scott Boras and Dave Dombrowski. This is a staredown that is actually benefiting Boston though. Right now, the only real market for Martinez currently is the Red Sox. They have already been linked to him and are desperately seeking a middle of the order bat.
Fans who are begging for DD to make a move and sign Martinez are not using their brains properly. It is common sense that the longer Dave milks this out, Boras and Martinez will eventually get desperate and take a deal for less.
The offseason can be a very long and painful process, but Dave Dombrowski is a smart man. It may be boring right now, but the waiting game will be worth it in the long run.