Chicago Cubs: J.D. Martinez may have just forced a Mookie Betts trade

By opting in to the final years of his deal with Boston, J.D. Martinez may have all but guaranteed a trade of Mookie Betts. Don’t expect the Chicago Cubs to be in on either of the team’s star outfielders.

A mere 12 months ago, J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts were celebrating bringing the Boston Red Sox their fourth World Series title of the century. But after finishing this year at just 84-78, coincidentally the same record as the Chicago Cubs, and missing the postseason, it’s shaping up to be a very different offseason this time around.

On Monday, Martinez officially opted into the final three years and $62.5 million of his deal with the Red Sox – setting up a potential payroll crunch in Boston. The club seems ready to shed some payroll in the coming months after trotting out a franchise record $229 million figure this season.

They’ve certainly got plenty of ways to do so – but a lot of those options will be uncomfortable for fans, namely trading the reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts. Recently, I talked about how a Betts trade would be an unexpected move for the Cubs – especially given recent comments from ownership. 

But aside from a potential deal, Chicago and Boston seem to share a lot of similarities this winter. They, by all indications, plan on contending in 2020 – but have an eye on payroll and not spending lavishly, despite being in the midst of competitive windows. What does that mean for each team as the offseason begins?

Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox each playing a balancing act

Last season, Chicago and Boston ranked third and first, respectively, in terms of payroll. Of course, neither team made the postseason and it’s prompted change within both organizations.

The Cubs moved on from future Hall of Fame manager Joe Maddon and have embarked on a drastic overhaul of their baseball operations team and many of the processes and systems in place. Meanwhile, the Red Sox fired Dave Dombrowski and lured Chaim Bloom from Tampa Bay to head up their baseball ops team.

Both organizations seem intent on focusing their efforts in building a winner – not buying one. But Boston’s reckoning may come a bit sooner than Chicago. Betts will hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2020 season – and his trade value likely won’t be higher than it is right now, with aa full year of control to offer.

While he didn’t replicate his MVP performance of 2018, the Gold Glove outfielder put together another impressive campaign. Betts appeared in 150 games, putting up a .391 on-base percentage and leading the league with 135 runs.

Any team would undoubtedly love to add a player of this caliber to the mix – but it will come at a steep cost. Not only are you adding an estimated $27.7 million in payroll, but you have to come up with a package that is enticing enough for Boston to come off their star outfielder.

Chicago Cubs: Martinez knew his list of suitors could be weak

It makes a lot of sense that J.D. Martinez opted into the final three years of his deal. Don’t get me wrong – the guy is an offensive powerhouse. But that’s part of the problem. He is largely viewed as a one-dimensional player given he hasn’t played in the outfield regularly for year.

New York has plenty of internal options to fill the DH void – as do the likes of Houston, Los Angeles and Minnesota. Several other teams aren’t going to be in the market for a designated hitter looking for $20 million-plus annually, thus limiting his list of suitors.

Martinez made the most sense for someone like the crosstown Chicago White Sox, who feature a bevy of young up-and-coming talent and need a central figure to build around offensively. The slugger never made much sense for the Cubs – but his return to Boston could still have far-reaching implications across the league.

We already knew Boston could be a prominent player this offseason. But with Martinez returning and only exacerbating the team’s ballooning payroll concerns, this may prove to be even more of a storyline than any of us anticipated.