Between his affection for Tom Brady and his tweet from a few years ago about how playing in Fenway was on his "bucket list," I'd be surprised if he's against playing for the Red Sox as a matter of preference.
Story's changing multiple times a day now, the dam should break soon.
Yeah, I think we should remain skeptical of these unattributed JDM tidbits leaked to a national baseball reporter. As you say, look at all the negotiating tactics being thrown at the wall in the story. ("I'll hold out until I get my asking price! ... I'm fed up with the Red Sox! ... But I'm also talking to Arizona!") And all of this is well timed, given that New England is finally turning its attention back to the Red Sox this week.
It's obviously possible that Martinez could sign a short contract elsewhere with a huge AAV, but coming off his career year I seriously doubt that's his first choice.
I still think Martinez ends up with the Red Sox, possibly with a face-saving 6th year team option/buyout.
On one level I agree with this statement.
On another level there is a high potentiality that those Duda/Morrison bats are not game changers. Wouldn't it be more prudent to go with the guy with positional flexibility and rotate Devers/Hanley/Dustin through DH? You could keep Hanley's option from vesting, get a potential defensive upgrade in the field when Devers sits, and hedge against a Pedrioa injury.
I'm all for a JDM signing to give this team the power that it lacks, but the other peripherals of those other two guys and the available options are not as exciting of those of JDM. Maybe they hit 70-80% of the homers he hits, but otherwise they are not nearly as good of offensive players that he is, and they are just as limited defensively.
I definitely agree that single-mindedly focusing on HR is not the best way to evaluate hitters -- that's part of why I was hoping that the Red Sox would swoop in and grab Carlos Santana (instead of Moreland).
But, when it comes to Nunez, unless you buy into his 38 game sample with the Sox last season, he's just not the offensive player that Martinez and Morrison are, and he's pretty close to Duda, too.
2017 full season stats:
JD Martinez: .430 wOBA, 166 wRC+
Logan Morrison: .363 wOBA, 130 wRC+
Carlos Santana: .350 wOBA, 117 wRC+
Eduardo Nunez: .342 wOBA, 112 wRC+
Lucas Duda: .341 wOBA, 113 wRC+
And then consider that in 2015 & 2016, Nunez put up a 105 and 101 wRC+ while even Duda put up a 132 and a 91 (while hurt in 2016 and only playing 47 games).
I'll definitely grant that the positional flexibility is a really nice factor for Nunez, but the advanced stats suggest his defense is pretty poor and Nunez might want a guaranteed starting job, which the Red Sox can't really offer once Pedey returns.
Edit: also, if “high potentiality” was the reference I think it was, I love you. You aren’t just any common m-fer.