J.D. Martinez Confident Red Sox Will Be Cleared in MLB's Cheating Investigation

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez said Saturday he's confident the club will be cleared by MLB's investigation into the alleged illegal use of its video replay room during the 2018 season.

Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported in early January some Red Sox players "visited the video replay room during games to learn the sign sequence opponents were using" in 2018, and the league launched a probe based on the reporting.

NESN provided Martinez's comments on the matter:

Although the investigation is ongoing, the Red Sox and manager Alex Cora mutually parted ways Tuesday.

Cora was the Houston Astros' bench coach in 2017, the season that led to punishments against the organization for a sign-stealing scheme, before he joined Boston for 2018. He could face serious punishments related to the investigations. Both the 2017 Astros and 2018 Red Sox won the World Series.

Martinez threw his support behind bench coach Ron Roenicke as a potential replacement.

"I guess it's up to [Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom] to pick that," he told reporters Saturday. "I could definitely see it coming from within. Ron is a great candidate, and he knows our team, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's him or something. I don't know."

Martinez has been a force since he joined the Red Sox in 2018. He's posted a .985 OPS with 79 home runs across 296 games. His 154 wRC+ ranks fifth among all MLB hitters during that span, per FanGraphs.

MLB hasn't given a timetable for an announcement about the Boston investigation. The club is less than one month away from its first full workout of spring training on Feb. 17.

The Red Sox would likely prefer a resolution before that date so the focus can shift to the new season.