Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
J.D. Martinez talked about the ‘weird’ Red Sox position ahead of the trade deadline
"Obviously you think about it as a player."
The Red Sox lost to the Rays 3-2 on Tuesday night. Chris Sale pitched five scoreless innings in his first start in 2022 since returning from injury.
Boston will play Tampa again on Wednesday evening at 7:10 p.m.
Also on Wednesday at 12 p.m., NHL free agency gets underway. There is “increasing likelihood” that the Bruins will reach agreements with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.
J.D. Martinez on the upcoming trade deadline: With half a month until Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, the Red Sox are in an interesting position.
Boston is currently perched in wild-card spot, and might therefore be a “buyer” in a potential trade. But Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also has to contend with the looming prospect of several expiring contracts among his core players.
Advertisement:
To help safeguard against the possibility of a large wave of departing talent — with potentially nothing coming back — in free agency this fall, Bloom could try to restock the roster with a deal prior to the deadline. In that sense, Boston could be both “buyer” and “seller.”
Included in the group of players whose contracts expire following the 2022 season is designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who was asked about the dueling possibilities of Red Sox trades.
“Very weird,” Martinez summarized in an interview with WEEI’s Rob Bradford on the “Bradfo Sho” podcast.
“Obviously you think about it as a player. Me, [Xander Bogaerts], Christian [Vazquez], Nate [Eovaldi], some guys …you can keep going,” Martinez said, referencing some of the players with expiring contracts. “Guys that are impact players. At the same time it puts these guys in a tough spot too. They go and they get nothing back for them.”
Advertisement:
“I think either way is a win-win for us,” Martinez added. “That’s how I view it. Xander is a little different because he has a lot of roots here and it’s probably more emotional for him. He came up through this organization. Christian did, too. For me, this is the fourth team I’ve been on and if you get traded that means you’re going to be on a contending team, and if you don’t get traded that means you are on a contending team. It’s a win-win.”
But as Martinez and his teammates get closer to the deadline, they remain focused on day-to-day games even as uncertainty lingers.
“The only way to stay sane through this is to focus on yourself and focus on what I have to do, and who am I facing and not what is going to happen,” he said. “Why are you going to focus on things you can’t control? I think we have veteran guys who can do that. Christian is having a great year and he’s in a free agent year. Bogey is having a good year and he’s in a free agent year. Nate was having a good year until he got hurt. You have a lot of guys here who are professional when it comes to that, so they’re able to put it to the side.”
Advertisement:
More from Boston.com:
- ‘I’m not broken anymore’: Chris Sale pitched well in his return, even though the Red Sox lost in brutal fashion
- The Celtics’ Summer League team has some real talent: 5 takeaways from Celtics vs. Warriors
- Charlie Jacobs was asked why the Bruins kept Cam Neely and Don Sweeney over Bruce Cassidy
- ‘This is everything I’ve wanted’: 5 takeaways as Malcolm Brogdon, Danilo Gallinari are introduced as Celtics
- Report: Patriots trading receiver N’Keal Harry to Bears
- Revolution captain Carles Gil named to MLS All-Star team
An interview with Ime Udoka:
Even if Tom Brady calls, Rob Gronkowski says he’s done with playing football:
Leominster native and former Revolution player Diego Fagundez: Fagundez’s free kick goal helped Austin FC defeat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 on Tuesday.
On this day: In 1999, Pedro Martinez struck out five in two innings to open the All-Star Game held in front of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park. And it wasn’t an ordinary National League All-Star lineup, either.
Martinez struck out Barry Larkin and Larry Walker to start, both of whom are now in the Hall of Fame. He then got Sammy Sosa — then in the middle of another 60-home run season — to end the first inning.
In the second, Martinez got Mark McGwire — the newly crowned home run king — on a 97 miles per hour high fastball. Having failed to put the ball in play through the first five batters, National League fans breathed a sigh of relief when Diamondbacks third baseman Matt Williams actually made contact, and reached on an error.
But just as it appeared the away league might have gained a foothold against Boston’s ace, Martinez came right back and struck out Jeff Bagwell (yet another future Hall of Famer). American League catcher Ivan Rodriguez — not to be outdone as a star player in his prime — immediately fired the ball down to second base where Roberto Alomar made the tag on a Williams (who was attempting to steal second base).
Advertisement:
In the end, Martinez faced a minimum number of batters over two innings, striking out five. It remains as electric a pitching display as the Midsummer Classic has ever seen. The American League won, 4-1.
Daily highlight: German goalkeeper Merle Frohms made a spectacular fingertip save to help preserve the shutout in a 2-0 win over Spain in the Euro 2022 group stages on Tuesday.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com