When the 2022 Red Sox season graciously came to a close earlier this month, the organization’s leaders sat at a podium and explained what they needed to do next.
The answer was obvious: sign Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers to long-term extensions. But it has to be a deal that makes sense for both sides, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said.
Then he pointed to J.D. Martinez, whose five-year, $110-million contract with the Red Sox was one of those rare contracts in baseball that works out perfectly. Martinez won a World Series and was a top-10 hitter in the game during those five years. He was paid handsomely to do it. Win-win.
