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        <title><![CDATA[J.D. Martinez not opting out of rest of $110 million Red Sox deal]]></title>
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            <media:title type="html">J.D. Martinez not opting out of rest of $110 million Red Sox deal</media:title>
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						<p>In this COVID-19 economy, J.D. Martinez isn&#8217;t taking any chances.</p>
<p>The Boston Red Sox slugger will not opt out of the final two years of his five-year, $110 million contract, <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1322911089378676736?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to MLB Network&#8217;s Jon Heyman</a>. Martinez, 33, is set to make $19.35 million each of the next two seasons, and though he has another opt-out after next season, he at least for now will forgo MLB free agency in <strong>what&#8217;s shaping up to be an uncertain market</strong>.</p>
<p>Martinez struggled during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season in which the Red Sox went 24-36, finishing last in the AL East and fourth-worst in MLB. Martinez hit .213 with a .680 OPS, seven homers and 27 RBIs in 54 games.</p>
<p>That marked a huge drop-off for Martinez, who was an All-Star in each of his first two seasons with Boston. In 2018, he hit .330 with a 1.031 OPS, 43 homers and 130 RBIs, finishing fourth in the AL MVP voting. He followed that up last year with a .304 average, .939 OPS, 36 homers and 105 RBIs.</p>
<p>The Red Sox&#8217;s 2020 struggles came amid efforts to get under the luxury-tax threshold, which included trading 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, who signed Betts to a 12-year, $365 million contract. Betts and the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series on Tuesday.</p>
			
					
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                <dc:creator><![CDATA[GAGmen]]></dc:creator>
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