FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The waiting room includes the entirety of Red Sox Nation.
Another day has passed without J.D. Martinez being introduced in a Red Sox uniform. He is in Florida, awaiting a press conference like everyone else. But the Sox haven’t completed their medical process.
Don’t freak out yet.
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Martinez and the Sox agreed to terms on Tuesday. Two days in between an agreement and completion of all the medical work is not a long time by any stretch. There were three days in between David Price reportedly agreeing to terms and his introduction, for just one example.
“I have no information from them other than the review is not yet complete,” Scott Boras said Thursday.
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Martinez, then, would seem to be in the dark. On one hand, why not keep the player and the agent in loop? On the other hand, if the team is investigating something that could prove to be nothing, why raise alarm unnecessarily?
The fact the Sox are in Florida and their doctors are Boston-based has worked against them logistically. Could there be a matter the Sox want reviewed with great care, an extra set of eyes? Sure. Wouldn’t you almost hope, in the case of a nine-figure investment, that the Sox would take this process slowly and carefully? Speculatively, Martinez well might have a "red flag." But that doesn't mean he's truly damaged goods, or that his contract would need to be reworked.
Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski wrote in an email that he was unsure whether Martinez could work out with the team on Friday. For you optimists out there, he appeared to be leaving the door open.
Perhaps the Sox are flying a specialist down to see Martinez. One baseball source said Thursday it was possible Martinez would meet with another doctor after going through exams on Wednesday, but it was unclear if that became a firm plan. Either way -- an in-person examination or a further review of records from afar -- what's happening now is all part of the same process of due diligence as best anyone can tell.
At this point, there’s no reason to think the Sox have graduated from due diligence to great alarm, from investigation to finding, as they finalize this deal.
Another speculative point: teams sometimes take out insurance on big-dollar players, and that's not an instantaneous process. Martinez could make up to $110 million with the Sox.