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Red Sox' Henry Dismisses Collusion Talks, Team Lands J.D. Martinez

Henry said he is more concerned about wins and losses than the team's popularityGETTY IMAGES

Red Sox Owner John Henry said that talk of "collusion in free-agent negotiations was 'ridiculous'" just hours before his team signed RF J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110M contract, according to Ken Powtak of the AP. Henry said of teams being slow to sign free agents, "There are a lot of factors, I think, driving it, and I think they’ve all been identified. ... You just can’t expect every season to be a feeding frenzy, so to speak." He said of the slow offseason, "It’s surprised me. I think it’s surprised all of us in baseball. But, I think probably next year will be quite different" (AP, 2/19). ESPN.com's Scott Lauber noted questions have been "raised about the Red Sox's likability," but Henry yesterday "maintained that he's more concerned about W's and L's than the team's Q rating." Henry said the club does not "need to be popular. We need to win." Although attendance at Fenway Park "remained almost unchanged, regional television ratings were down" 15% on NESN last season. Red Sox Chair Tom Werner said that David Ortiz' absence "likely contributed to the diminished TV ratings or other anecdotal signs that the Red Sox's popularity might be waning." But Werner "doesn't expect the Ortiz hangover to drag into this year, too, especially if the Red Sox win the division again" (ESPN.com, 2/19).

MAKING A MOVE: In Boston, Peter Abraham notes Martinez' contract would pay him $50M "over the first two seasons with an opt-out" after the '19 season, or $72M "over three years with an opt-out" after '20. The final two seasons would be worth $19M annually. His contract should allow the Red Sox to "remain below the top luxury-tax threshold" of $237M. That will keep the team from paying a 62.5% tax on the "overage and having their top draft pick drop 10 spots." Still, their payroll "will be the highest in team history and seems sure to be the highest in the majors this season" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/20). ESPN's Tim Kurkjian said the Red Sox "got creative" with the contract language." Kurkjian: "(Martinez) looked at things and didn't see another team out there that was going to come along and beat $110 million" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/19). MLB Network's Jon Heyman said the Red Sox "did make some concessions here ... both sides came out well" ("MLB Tonight," MLBN, 2/19). THE RINGER's Zach Kram noted before yesterday, the Red Sox "hadn't made ripples this winter, let alone division race-shifting waves." The Red Sox' entire offseason transaction log to date -- re-signing 1B Mitch Moreland and 2B Eduardo Núñez -- had "underwhelmed" (THERINGER.com, 2/19).

Red Sox fans were eager for the team to add a hitter of Martinez' caliber over the slow offseasonGETTY IMAGES

KEEPING UP IN BOSTON: ESPN.com's Lauber wrote not to "presume the Red Sox are settling for Martinez because they were unable to get" Yankees RF Giancarlo Stanton to "waive his no-trade clause or produce the upper-level pitching prospects" the Orioles want in exchange for SS Manny Machado. Given time, Martinez might even "emerge as a Stanton-sized draw for a franchise that needs an infusion of star power to increase its market share after falling behind the Patriots and, lately, the Celtics in sports-obsessed Boston" (ESPN.com, 2/19). In Boston, Steve Buckley writes the Red Sox needed Martinez' bat and they "needed his name if they are going to win over a worried fan base that might have been ready to double-jump from the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to whatever the Bruins and/or Celtics are doing come April" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/20).

PRICE TO PAY: In Boston, Nick Cafardo writes the Red Sox before Martinez were a "boring team with no home run bopper, and there’s no way they were on a par with the Yankees lineup." Cafardo: "Did the Red Sox overpay for Martinez? Probably, but he was definitely a missing piece" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/20). In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes Martinez’ contract will be "heavily front-loaded." The structure is "similar to another deal negotiated in recent days" by Martinez’ agent, Scott Boras, who matched 1B Eric Hosmer with the Padres. That kind of arrangement could "start to catch on, as a way for players to earn high salaries for the years in which they are likely to perform best." If they continue to play well, they could "opt out and hit the open market again." If they stay for the full term, their teams would "lower salaries for their declining seasons" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20).

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