Hanley Ramirez on J.D. Martinez: 'Now We're Going to Step on Everybody's Neck'

Suffice it to say Hanley Ramirez is a fan of new Boston Red Sox teammate J.D. Martinez.

"Now we're going to step on everybody's neck," Ramirez said of the Red Sox's signing of Martinez, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Boston is set to introduce Martinez at a news conference Monday. The 30-year-old recently agreed to a five-year, $110 million contract after a monthslong wait filled with speculation on why he was still on the market.

Martinez hit 45 home runs and drove in 104 runs in 119 games last season split with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. He was one of the most effective per-at bat players in baseball, particularly after the midseason trade to Arizona. His 162-game pace would have put him at 61 home runs in 2017.

The Red Sox ranked last in the American League in home runs and desperately needed to acquire a big bat for the middle of their order. Martinez should provide just that if he manages to stay healthy.

The 2017 season was the fifth time in six campaigns Martinez has played in 123 or fewer games. As noted by Abraham and colleague Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox took "extra measures with the contract to ensure they are protected financially in the event of injury." Their precautions wound up delaying Martinez being officially announced as a member of the team.

"These negotiations are more of a cooperative venture as you're dealing with medical, legal," agent Scott Boras said, per John Tomase of WEEI. "The goal is common, very mutual. We all wanted to execute an agreement that we all thought was in the best interests of both J.D. and the Red Sox."

Despite the concerns, adding Martinez was a necessary risk. The Red Sox watched the rival Yankees add Giancarlo Stanton to a batting order that already included Aaron Judge, creating arguably the best power-hitting duo in recent memory. 

Going into 2018 with a weak middle of the order would have put them at a disadvantage in attempting to win their third straight division crown.