Big Papi eager to help
FORT MYERS — David Ortiz kept telling anybody who asked this offseason that the Red Sox were going to sign a big bat. He thought they had to.
So when the Sox finally signed J.D. Martinez to a five-year contract on Monday, Ortiz was pleased.
“I’m in Miami now and everybody was like, ‘When are we getting the big guy? When are we getting the big guy? When are we getting the big guy?’ ” Ortiz said yesterday upon arriving at JetBlue Park. “And I’m just like, ‘Relax man, it’s going to happen.’
“It’s a process. There are a lot of things involved, especially when you give away that type of contract, so there’s a lot of physical things and this and that. But I basically said we were going to end up getting him, and it happened. So it didn’t make me look bad.”
Two days after Martinez signed, Ortiz showed up to Red Sox camp ready to jump in a uniform and start working with Martinez, among others.
“I’m going to be here for a few days just to see how things work,” Ortiz said. “I’ve got a lot of my homies right here, and we stay in touch, and we need to watch them doing their thing, and they always have questions. I try to have an answer.”
Martinez should have the most questions. He’s never made more than 10 starts at designated hitter in a single season but will transition to a full-time DH role with some outfield sprinkled in.
But Ortiz isn’t worried about Martinez.
Ortiz was 27 when he was released by the Minnesota Twins in 2002 after hitting .266 with an .809 OPS to start his career. And Martinez was 27 when he was released by the Houston Astros in 2014 after hitting .251 with a .687 OPS to start his career.
In Martinez, Ortiz sees a little bit of himself.
“When I first heard we were going to get J.D., I was happy because J.D.’s a good guy, man. He’s a guy who’s a team player,” Ortiz said. “He’s a guy, his career has basically been like mine. You go from underdog to superstar, and you don’t forget where you come from, and I believe in those types of players. And I know those players come in and don’t take things for granted and give their best. So I like having J.D.”
Ortiz never made more than $13 million in a season as DH, but Martinez will be the highest-paid DH ever, making $25 million annually for the first two years of his five-year, $110 million deal.
“That was great, man,” Ortiz said of the signing. “We needed some thunder. You guys know how I feel about putting thunder in the middle of the lineup. I always say if you want to compete in this division, you have to do that.”
After the Yankees traded for Giancarlo Stanton, the Red Sox said they weren’t going to make any reactive moves just to keep up. But Ortiz was hoping otherwise.
“You guys saw how the Yankees loaded up,” he said. “These guys ain’t playing games, man. We need to try to keep up with that offense, and I know we’re going to be capable of it. We have big hitters that have a lot of experience already. We have an older Mookie (Betts), an older (Xander) Bogaerts and now the addition of J.D., and now you have a healthy Hanley (Ramirez). We’re going to be fine.”
Ortiz said he’s been spending a lot of time with his son D’Angelo, who is now in eighth grade and playing baseball every day, but Big Papi hopes to stay in Fort Myers until Sunday. He also intends to visit the Red Sox in Boston this year.
“I told him, ‘Whenever you want to talk to (Martinez), don’t feel like you’re stepping on anybody’s toes. You’re a big part of what we want to accomplish,’ ” manager Alex Cora said. “We know how big he is in the history of this franchise. So whenever you want to come, come.”
Ortiz was in the dugout for a bit before the Red Sox’ 4-3 win against the Pirates yesterday and said it felt weird to be there again, but he’ll do whatever he can to help.
“I played here for a long time, and the experience is something that goes a long way in this game,” he said. “It’s basically sharing your experiences with the guys.
“I don’t like to be in anybody’s way, but the guys always have questions. I’m always (ready to answer) whatever questions they have. I’ll be there for them.”