Hot Stove Lunch: Report of Red Sox offer to J.D. Martinez explains a lot; unrest in Pittsburgh and more

This is a daily BSJ off-season feature that will arrive in time for your lunch, Monday-Friday.

A spin around the leagues with the latest news, notes, and rumors around Major League Baseball

RED SOX

So, now we have a little more clarity.

ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted yesterday that the Red Sox' offer to free agent J.D. Martinez is "in the range of five years, $100 million.''

There's been no confirmation from the club on that report (to be expected) and agent Scott Boras has said the report was "not accurate'' -- also to be expected.

But let's assume that the information is largely correct, give or take a few million. Some thoughts:

1) It's easy to understand why Boras rejected it out of hand. In addition to seeking a seven-year deal for his client, Boras has also said he expected the AAV (average annual value) to be in the neighborhood of $30 million. This offer is two-thirds of that valuation. It's also the same AAV given to Carlos Santana (three years, $60 million) by the Philadelphia Phillies and Santana is two years older and not nearly the hitter Martinez has been. There were at least 26 players last year being paid $21 million or more last season; it's foolhardy to think that Martinez doesn't belong in that group

2) It's important to view this as the Red Sox' initial offer. A baseball source confirmed to me Wednesday that Boras and Dave Dombrowski continue to communicate even as they're at a standstill in negotiations. But having opened the bidding at the low end, the Red Sox would be foolish to bid against themselves. There doesn't seem to be another contact offer bigger than this on the table for now. In fact, as I've written on numerous occasions, there doesn't seem to be much of a market for Martinez. The Cubs, Dodgers and Yankees -- three of the biggest-spending clubs -- are all out, attempting to stay under the luxury tax threshold. The Giants have gone in other directions and Diamondbacks don't have to payroll room. For now, frustrating as it is for a fan base that wishes to see an upgrade to the lineup, the Sox are smart to hold the line.

3) As long as the two sides continue to stay in touch, there's always room for compromise. But it's getting more difficult to envision in this case. Boras doesn't like to concede much, and taking anything less than seven years and a $30 million AAV will go against that principle. Meanwhile, the Sox have little incentive to their offer a whole lot. Maybe they could include a vesting option for a sixth season and up the AAV to, say, $22.5 million. But beyond that, they'd again be bidding against themselves.

4) The longer these talks go on, the less incentive there is for the Red Sox to greatly increase the offer. Martinez has said he's willing to wait until after the start of spring training before signing and that may well be true. But some strange things would have to happen in the marketplace for a team - the Red Sox or anyone else -- to meet his original asking price. The closer we get to February, the worse Martinez's leverage becomes.

AL EAST

Joel Sherman tries to work out the math for a possible Yu Darvish-Yankee deal

The Yanks still have to figure out who's going to play second and third for them.

Are the Orioles doomed to follow in the Pirates' path?

The fate of Toronto manager John Gibbons may well be tied to Josh Donaldson.

AL CENTRAL

Corey Kluber and the rest of the Indians took home some hardware.

Justin Morneau has no regrets now that his career is officially over.

Old friend Jose Iglesias avoided going to arbitration with the Tigers

Some predictions for the 2018 Kansas City Royals season.

AL WEST

A closer look at the Angels' bullpen.

Baseball America released its Top 10 Oakland A's prospects

Cole Hamels intends to rebound from a disappointing 2017 season.

NL

After  the Pirates traded away Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen in the last week, there's a movement underway in Pittsburgh for a change in ownership.

TAKE I MAY REGRET IN A MONTH

It's tough to watch what's happened to the Pirates. Not very long ago, it seemed the franchise had been revitalized with three-straight trips to the playoffs. But each one of those visits ended quickly, and now, it would appear as though the Pirates' window has closed for the time being. Thus, the ongoing fire sale that's taken place in the last week.

The Pirates' struggles are a reminder that, even with increased revenue sharing and a more even economic playing field, it's tough for small market teams to compete. And it's tougher still when management makes some bad calls, since the margin of error for such franchises is so thin.