At some point in this offseason, J.D. Martinez and the Detroit Tigers will hit the negotiations table and try to find a long term deal formula that works, but it’s still a few weeks away.
The Tigers right now are trying to figure out how they can add an outfielder without paying luxury tax, being quite close to the ceiling as is. Maybe trading someone could help them enter the race for some of the remaining big names, but despite the fans looking forward to a big name landing there, it’s more likely they’ll simply give up on that attempt, either counting on what they already have or go with someone cheaper.
Martinez is next on the list of things to do. The 28-year old right fielder had another excellent season, hitting 38 home runs to win the Silver Slugger award and make his first All-Star game. He also batted .282 and finished with an .879 OPS. Over the last two seasons, he has 61 home runs with 178 RBIS, hitting .296 and has an OPS that’s just under the .900.
So how is that going to translate when it comes to the contract? He’s probably going to make $7 million in 2015, so the Tigers would like to take away one year of his free agency and sign him to a $60 million, four-year deal or something around that, backloading the contract. It should give Martinez the contract he has always dreamed of, while letting him become a free agent again before his 33rd birthday, enabling him to sign another big payday kind of deal before things start to go south for him.