According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, J.D. Martinez is being pursued by the Mets and Angels. Heyman had previously said that Martinez may fit with either team, but this rumor seemed to have a little more substance.
The 36-year-old Martinez was a free agent again the previous winter. After all, he signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Dodgers, though he later claimed he could have raised his salary had he waited a little longer. “This was an offer that came up seeing if it was something I was interested in doing,” Martinez said in March to Rob Bradford of WEEI. “Obviously, it was a little bit of a pay cut, but if I held up maybe I could have gotten more. We were confident about that. But at the same time I wanted a team that was going to be in October, be in the swing of things all year and give me a chance to win.”
It also gave him the chance to rejoin Dodgers hitting instructor Robert Van Scoyoc, who turned Martinez into a top major league hitter years earlier. Martinez ended up having a great season, and his reunion with Van Scoyoc and move to the Dodgers went quite well. His 33 home runs and wRC+ of 135 are both personal bests since 2019. He also slashed.271/.321/.572 for a wRC+ of 135.
That being said, a reunion with the Dodgers is not likely. The team decided to retain their designated hitter spot available in order to pursue Shohei Ohtani, which is why they did not extend a qualifying offer to him. Martinez can’t really fit into their plans now that they’ve successfully added Ohtani to the team. Though he only played in the outfield for 12 innings this year and none at all in 2022, he can play the outfield occasionally.
Martinez will consequently search for a team that has room for a designated hitter on a full-time basis. Although there have been speculations linking the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks to Martinez, the Angels and Mets are other potential destinations for Martinez.
In recent years, the Halos have started utilizing Ohtani for their DH spot. That place is now available for someone fresh as he is going to the Dodgers. Without Ohtani, they will have to overcome the difficulty of attempting to assemble a competitive team—something they were unable to accomplish with him. One of the few free agents still available who can nearly compensate for Ohtani’s diminished offensive output is Martinez.
However, there are a few reasons why he might not be the ideal match. The club hasn’t been able to use Ohtani’s lockdown at the DH position in recent years to give other players a break. A few players on their roster, including Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, and Anthony Rendon, may benefit from additional half-days off due to injuries. The Angels would have to consider the trade-off between that flexibility lost and the utility of having Martinez in the lineup. The current team also has a large right-handed bias. While Mickey Moniak and Nolan Schanuel are lefties and switch-hitter Luis Rengifo is a lefty, the other anticipated regulars are all righties.
They should have plenty of room in the budget if they did choose to go after him. According to Roster Resource, their competitive balance tax amount for the upcoming year is presently $168 million. They are therefore nearly $70 million below the $237 million lowest tax level. Martinez was projected by MLBTR to sign a $40 million, two-year contract with an average yearly value of $20 million. Although the Angels still need to make some adjustments to their pitching staff, they have room to sign Martinez if they so choose.
Daniel Vogelbach was the Mets’ regular designated hitter this season, however he was non-tendered following a mediocre performance. DJ Stewart is their best internal choice for the DH position and shouldn’t get in the way of Martinez. With his contract selected in July, he went on a tear in 2023, hitting 11 home runs in 58 games. He has had an uneven career, though; before 2023, he hit.213/.327/.400 with a wRC+ of 99. Despite his ability to play outfield, he is viewed as a subpar defender. Last winter, he had to make do with a minor league contract; nevertheless, the Mets gave him a $1.38 million contract for 2024 as a result of his stellar 2023 season. Should Martinez join the team, Stewart might be forced into a platoon/pinch-hitter role on the side.
Martinez’s age will prevent him from signing long-term contracts, but that might work with the Mets’ current philosophy. They intend to use 2024 as a kind of transition year in order to increase their chances of competing in 2025 and beyond. That does not imply, however, that they are unduly worried about the budget. According to Roster Resource, their CBT amount is currently $298 million, which is more than the $297 million fourth tax line. They took a financial risk on the Adrian Houser/Tyrone Taylor agreement, and they have provided Michael Tonkin, Joey Wendle, Austin Adams, Jorge López, Luis Severino, and Joey Wendle minor guarantees on one-year contracts.
Any further money that the Mets spend would be subject to a hefty 110% tax because they are a third-time payer that exceeds the final CBT tier. However, the year-end tax bill is not determined until the season is over. They might have to sell off parts before the 2024 deadline if they are eliminated from the running again. Martinez might be included in the group of upcoming free agents who will make eight figures in 2019 along with José Quintana, Pete Alonso, and Severino.
In order to increase the potential return, the Mets have also demonstrated a willingness to absorb financial costs in deadline deals; this was demonstrated in the trades of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer a few months ago. The team would probably pay Martinez’s signing fee if they determine that he fits well on the team and has the potential to be a valuable trade chip by the summer.
It’s another story entirely whether Martinez would find that interesting. He choose the Dodgers, as previously mentioned, in part because he could play in October. Compared to the Dodgers a year ago, the Mets and Angels are both less certain contenders at this point. However, the Diamondbacks have just returned from a World Series participation, and the Jays have advanced to the postseason three of the previous four years; both teams have more reasons to present Martinez with offers for competitive opportunities. He will definitely take it into consideration while making his selection, even though it is unknown what kind of financial arrangements each club is willing to take into account.