Boston Red Sox

Red Sox owner Henry calls collusion talk ‘ridiculous’

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:28 p.m. ET

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) Hours after Red Sox owner John Henry said talk of collusion in free-agent negotiations was ''ridiculous,'' his team made a splash by reaching agreement with slugger J.D. Martinez on a $110 million, five-year contract.

About half the 166 players who exercised free-agency rights in November remain unsigned.

''There are a lot of factors, I think, driving it, and I think they've all been identified,'' Henry said Monday as Boston began full-squad workouts. ''There's a lot of factors that have driven this offseason, and you just can't expect every season to be a feeding frenzy, so to speak.''

Jake Arrieta and Mike Moustakas were among the free agents still looking for a place to play.

''This one, it's surprised me,'' he said of the slow pace of agreements. ''I think it's surprised all of us in baseball.'' ''But, I think probably next year will be quite different.''

By late afternoon, word had spread that Martinez was headed to the Red Sox.

Next year's free-agent class includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson, plus possible Clayton Kershaw.

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