Report: Red Sox focused on Martinez, will talk at winter meetings

Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knows exactly who he wants hitting in the middle of his order.

Making that happen is the next step.

Dombrowski walked around the winter meetings Tuesday with a list of desired names in his pocket, and slugger J.D. Martinez makes the most sense. It's believed the Red Sox are 90 percent focused on landing Martinez compared to other free agents, a source told Evan Drellich of CSN New England, and it's expected the sides will meet this week in Orlando, Fla.

With the payroll already pressing against the luxury-tax threshold, Dombrowski said the Red Sox will only sign one middle-of-the-order bat this winter. The current construction of the team also wouldn't allow them to add two sluggers without parting ways with someone on the current major-league roster.

Martinez, who would likely slide in as the designated hitter for the Red Sox, is coming off an incredible year in which he hit .303/.376/.690 with 45 home runs, 26 doubles, and 104 RBIs in just 119 games. The 30-year-old has averaged 32 home runs and a .936 OPS over the past four seasons.

Represented by Scott Boras, it's expected Martinez lands one of the largest contracts of any position player this winter.