Red Sox CEO says ‘there’s a chance’ the team keeps Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez – Boston.com

With the Red Sox finishing a disappointing 2019 season on Sunday, the team heads into the offseason with more questions than answers. The question at the forefront of many discussions is what the team will do with Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez.

The Red Sox held their end-of-the-year press conference Monday morning, and team president and CEO Sam Kennedy fielded questions about the state of the team. When asked if theres a possibility of keeping both Martinez and Betts, Kennedy said, yes, there is a way, but obviously it will be difficult given the nature of their agreements.

The Red Sox have made it clear that their intention this offseason is to get the teams payroll under the $208 million Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) for the 2020 season. This is a difficult task with the teams payroll currently sitting at nearly $230 million.

Martinez has a player option for the 2020 season and may opt-out of his remaining three years of his contract, making him a free agent. Betts has one year left on his deal before becoming a free agent in 2021 and will go to arbitration this offseason unless a contract extension is agreed upon.

There is a possibility that one or both of Bett and Martinez are no longer with the club at the start of the 2020 season, but Kennedy insists that both players are wanted long-term.

You want J.D. Martinez in the middle of your lineup, Kennedy said. Hes a world champion and was a key part of last years success, so we will see where it goes in the future, but we havent engaged in any specific discussions.

Kennedy also discussed his admiration for Betts.

We absolutely love Mookie Betts as a player, as a person, weve gotten to know his family, you hope that hes a guy that is here for the long term, Kennedy said.

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said that team is hopeful Betts will accept an extension this offseason to avoid arbitration, where he is likely to receive around $30 million for the season. If Betts is unwilling to sign an extension, Werner said that the team will look into, what is Plan B or Plan C.

The Red Sox still have yet to fill the vacant general manager position let empty when the team chose to part ways with Dave Dombrowski. Free agency begins following the end of the MLB postseason.

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Red Sox CEO says 'there's a chance' the team keeps Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez - Boston.com

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