One of the biggest free agents on the market seemingly found himself a home this past Monday. The Boston Red Sox reportedly signed outfielder J.D. Martinez to a five-year, $110 million contract, ending what had been a drawn-out contractual battle between the two sides.
But the deal has not yet been made official and Martinez has not shown up at Red Sox camp in Florida for spring training.
According to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, that’s because a medical issue pertaining to Martinez is holding up the deal being finalized.
“J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox are indeed sorting through a medical matter, but one that a baseball source with knowledge of the situation said would not have any effect on Martinez in the immediate future. It’s unclear what the specific issue is, but a better understanding between the parties could come as early as Saturday,” Drellich reported Saturday.
A source close to the situation then noted that some sort of resolution could come as early as Saturday.
It doesn’t seem like this is a huge deal. But any time a team sifts through medical records, something could ultimately go awry. Martinez, 30, posted a .303 average with 45 homers, 104 RBI and a .376 on-base percentage between the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks last season.