Martinez declines to opt out of Red Sox contract

Boston Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez decided Monday not to opt out of his contract that has three years and $62.5 million remaining, agent Scott Boras told The Boston Globe. Martinez is slated to make $23.75 million in 2020 and $19.375 million in each of the following two seasons. He has opt-out clauses following each of the next two seasons, as well.

"J.D. has advised me that his decision is about assuring that he plays for a competitive team and wanting to continue to play in a place where he knows that he can be highly productive," Boras told The Boston Globe. Martinez has been an All-Star in each of his two seasons with the Red Sox and has 153 extra-base hits during the span.

The 32-year-old batted .330 with 43 homers and 130 RBIs in 150 games in 2018 while helping Boston win the World Series. He hit .304 with 36 homers and 105 RBIs in 146 games in 2019. Martinez signed a five-year, $110 million deal with the Red Sox during spring training in 2018 -- an offseason in which teams were slow to pursue high-priced free agents.

Martinez has 231 homers and 711 RBIs over nine major league seasons. He hit a career-best 45 home runs in 2017 when he split the season with the Detroit Tigers (16 in 57 games) and Arizona Diamondbacks (29 in 62 games). He has a career batting average of .294 in 1,068 games while playing for the Houston Astros (2011-13), Tigers (2014-17), Diamondbacks and Red Sox.

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