Tag Archives: Scott Boras. JD Martinez

Hosmer and JD Still Don’t Have Homes

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Three Weeks ‘Til Pitchers and Catchers Report

Put yourselves in the shoes of JD Martinez. You have been presented with an offer by the Red Sox for a whopping five years, $125 million. Not many teams have shown that much interest in JD, but he was given an offer he and Boras shouldn’t refuse.

Now you’re in the mind of Eric Hosmer. You have two seven year deals awaiting you. The Padres offering seven years for $140 million, and Kansas City is matching their offer but for $147 million.

Life is looking pretty good right? The only issue with these offers is that Hosmer and Martinez have yet to sign.

There are three weeks until pitchers and catchers report, and the top two hitters in the free agent market have yet to sign with a club. For JD’s case, this guy should just sign already. His bat speaks for himself. He’s coming off a season compiling an average of .303, mashing 45 homers, tallying 104 RBI’s and a slugging of .690. Needless to say, this guy can rake. Aside from his lower expected fielding percentage throughout his career (.980 lifetime), JD should definitely be able to believe he’s worth the amount he’s asking. JD willing to hold out until Spring Training may end up causing a team to jump out and give him a deal, but teams may want to really consider what he’s worth.

For Hosmer, it’s only a matter of time he finally decides what $140+ million dollar deal he chooses. If he chooses wisely he’ll go back to KC. Coming off a season hitting .318 with twenty-five homers, and 94 RBI’s, Hosmer is deserving to earn a big contract by KC. By simply “one-upping” the Padres deal, Kansas City do not want to lose Hosmer. His positive impact towards the community and his leadership role also seems to make the most sense on why he would return as their franchise guy. They also won a World Series and a few pennants with him.

So please, Eric and JD just sign already. End this horrifically boring offseason and just find a place to play for like the next five or seven years.

The Red Sox Don’t Need JD Martinez

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It seems that the Red Sox are the only team in the MLB that are staying put during free agency. However there’s no need to rush to meet JD Martinez’s demands to get the slugger the team needs.

We’re still waiting for big free agents to sign this winter. As of today, outfielder JD Martinez will wait out spring training in order to get the deal he wants. I’m not sure about the rest of Red Sox Nation, but I don’t want that sort of selfish player on my team. Unless this standoff comes to a close before truck day, I would consider other options until him and Boras get a reality check.

Before we throw away the idea of signing Martinez, let’s crunch some numbers. We are all aware of his stats last season. In previous years the numbers tell us a completely different story. His former best statistical season was 2015. In 158 games played, he hit a .282 batting average with 38 home runs and 102 RBIs. Sounds like a great season, right? In the three seasons prior he hit for twenty-three, seven, and eleven home runs. His slugging percentage in the previous three seasons were a modest .553, .378, and .375. The league averages for those years were .386, .396, and .405. In a hitter-friendly ballpark such as Fenway, those numbers aren’t going to cut it.

There’s no guarantee that he can’t reproduce the same or close to the same numbers as he did last year. Does that mean a team who hasn’t had the best of luck with long-term deals should dish out a seven-year commitment based on one good season? In all reality, they will most likely agree on a deal in the 3-5 year range. Here is a list of other options just in case:

Mike Moustakas 3B, Kansas City Royals

The third baseman is also struggling to find a long-term deal. There have been rumblings that he might settle for a one or two-year deal to improve his worth. If his value continues to decline, Moustakas would be an easy steal if his bat is willing to be a full-time DH. Potential deal: one year, $18 million.

Jose Bautista OF, Toronto Blue Jays

The longtime outfielder for the division rival Blue Jays has definitely played his last game at the Rogers Centre. While being on the Red Sox’s radar as of last offseason, the 37-year-old should only be offered a one year deal. Potential deal: one year, $8.5 million.

Hanley Ramirez DH/1B, Boston Red Sox

There’s a saying that goes, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. That applies with this situation. Hanley’s success with the Red Sox has grown since his return to the team. The power hitter did well in the home run department but lulled fans with his .242 batting average. If new coaches and staff can help revamp this offense into a dangerous home run hitting team, then there’s no problem keeping the lineup the same.

Yu Darvish P, Los Angeles Dodgers

If the stalemate doesn’t come to a resolution, the team could turn to bolster their starting rotation. If Dave Dombrowski and company have enough faith in their offense, this could be their best route financially to set up for next year’s free agency class. Potential deal: four years, $80 million.

No matter where this saga takes the team, the Red Sox have enough talent to keep them in the playoff hunt. With a new staff that is built to improve home run efficiency, the Red Sox have nothing to worry about for now.

What to Make of the Mitch Moreland Signing

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Mar 21, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Sam Travis (59) is tagged out by New York Yankees third baseman Ronald Torreyes (74) as he tries to steal second base in the third inning of a baseball game during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Sox’s biggest splash of the off-season thus far has been signing Mitch Moreland to a 2 year, $13 million-dollar deal. The former Gold Glover hit .246 with an OPS of .769. “Mitchy 2 Bags” became a fan favorite and seems like a great guy to have in the club house. Fans are up in arms because of Dave Dombrowski’s “failure” to add a bat like Giancarlo Stanton or Eric Hosmer in this offseason. However, there is more than meets the eye with the extension of Mitch Moreland.

Eric Hosmer

Eric Hosmer is a name the Red Sox keep hearing this offseason. Many fans would love to see him added to the roster this season. Unfortunately, Hosmer is a Scott Boras client and will likely demand over $100 million-dollars, and could possibly receive $200 million. Do I believe Hosmer deserves that much money? Yes and no. I believe he deserves around $100 million, but $200 is far too much. Hosmer was the dictionary definition of consistent this season. He hit .318 with an OPS of .882 while playing in every single game. Hosmer capped it all off with a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger.

Hosmer is a better player than Mitch Moreland. There is no debate, but is he head and shoulders above Moreland? I don’t think so. While Hosmer is able to drive in more RBI’s and hit for a higher average, they both hit over 20 homers and play Gold Glove worthy defense. They are both grinders who play through injuries. They are both very similar players with very different price tags. Dave Dombrowski is saving $14 million dollars a year by signing Moreland instead of Hosmer.

Scott Boras

Both Dave Dombrowski and Red Sox fans are familiar with Scott Boras. Boras makes his clients money, most times more than what they deserve. Multiple Red Sox players have Scott Boras as their agent, including Rick Porcello, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Boras got Porcello $20 Million/ 4 years before Porcello even picked his number for the Red Sox. You can bet your bottom dollar that Boras will be getting above top dollar for Bogaerts and Betts. He might have to settle a little bit with Bradley, but that is a story for another time. Boras is already demanding $200 million for free agent target J.D. Martinez, and he will likely do the same for Hosmer.

Boras is no friend to the Red Sox or Dombrowski. Dombrowski inked Prince Fielder to a 9 year, $214 Million deal. Playing less than 90 games in two of the five years he served and being forced to retire makes that contract hard to swallow. Boras brings Boston into bidding wars that only the Yankees can win. He was able to secure big Red Sox contracts, such as Daisuke Matsuzaka (6 year/ $52 Million), J.D. Drew (5 Year/ $70 Million), and Jason Varitek ($ year/ $40 Million). Boras has led clients such as Johnny Damon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mark Teixeria, and Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees.

All of those names, besides Johnny Damon, did more harm for the Yankees than good. As well as those contracts, Scott Boras has also manufactured overpriced contracts for Jayson Werth, Barry Zito, and Shin-Soo Choo. While it will be impossible to not deal with Scott Boras, having one less player to deal with is not such a bad thing.

Sam Travis

This season, Red Sox fans got a glimpse of Sam Travis in the majors. For anyone who frequents McCoy Stadium or Spring Training, like myself, they know how well Sam Travis can hit the ball.  Before tearing his ACL last season, Travis looked like he was the clear-cut future of 1st base for Boston. He certainly came back strong, but the future is a little murky. Just look at him mash this ball.

In the brief 83 plate appearances this season, Travis slashed a line of .263, .325, and .342. Travis’ lack of homeruns was the most notable part of his call up. However, in his minor league career, Travis has only hit 29 long balls. Sam Travis could become a 20 homerun a season type of player if he could play everyday. By passing on Hosmer, the Red Sox are going to look to platoon Moreland and Travis at 1st base together. They are grooming Travis to be the future first basemen. Having a class act like Mitch Moreland as teacher is a great position to be in.

 

Follow Matt McGurn on Twitter: @MickGurn