Mets Make Late Splash, Signing Slugger J.D. Martinez to a One-Year Deal Worth $12 Million
At long last, less than a week until Opening Day arrives stateside, designated hitter J.D. Martinez has found a home in Queens.
After remaining unsigned throughout the off-season and into the spring, the 36-year-old slugger took himself off the open market Thursday night, agreeing to a one-year, $12-million contract with the New York Mets.
The deal, first reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, pays Martinez a $2.5 million signing bonus and $2 million base salary in 2024, with the remaining $7.5 million deferred to 2034-38. He’ll receive $1.5 million each year during that span.
For luxury tax purposes, Martinez’s contract includes an AAV just south of $9 million this season, raising New York’s Competitive Balance Tax Payroll (CBT) to roughly $336.5 million – the highest in the majors.
With spring training nearly complete, he’ll likely begin the year in the minors to continue building up his stamina at the plate before returning to the major leagues.
Following last season’s historic payroll, the Mets brass took a more conservative approach this past winter, landing mid-tier free agents such as Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Harrison Bader, among others. But they also appeared interested in adding a middle-of-the-order bat. For the right price, of course.
Several outlets previously linked the Mets to Martinez, who reportedly turned down a $14-million offer from the San Francisco Giants last month, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported. He later added the veteran DH was seeking a contract worth at least $20 million.
Now, after waiting for the six-time All-Star’s price point to drop, New York’s front office has acquired one of this era’s most lethal power hitters to pair alongside first baseman Pete Alonso.
Martinez, a 20th-round selection in 2009, began his professional career with the Houston Astros and struggled across his first three big-league seasons before being released ahead of the 2014 campaign. He signed with the Detroit Tigers just two days later, a decision that proved mutually beneficial.
The Miami, FL, native revitalized his career that season before breaking out with 38 home runs and 102 RBIs in 2015, earning his first of three Silver Slugger Awards. His tenure in Motown lasted two additional seasons before the franchise sent him to Arizona in a blockbuster with the D-backs midway through the 2017 campaign.
That move helped lead the organization to the NLDS before being eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Afterwards, Martinez entered free agency coming off an impressive year where he blasted 45 home runs and parlayed it into a five-year, $110-million contract with the Boston Red Sox.
While he didn’t surpass his previous home run total, which remains a career-high to this day, the potent right-handed hitter set new marks in many other categories, including games played (150), RBIs (130), AVG (.330), OBP (.402), wRC+ (170) and fWAR (5.8).
Doing so put him fourth in American League MVP voting that season, trailing only José Ramírez, Mike Trout and teammate Mookie Betts, who won the award.
The 6-foot-3 DH spent five seasons in Boston, recording 717 hits, 130 home runs, 423 RBIs and a .292/.363/.526 slash line across 637 career games. He played a pivotal role in the franchise’s run to the 2018 World Series, where they secured their second championship in five years.
Despite a slip in production during the 2022 season, his final year with the Red Sox, Martinez bet on himself with a one-year deal out West and looked reborn in the Dodgers lineup last season. In 113 games, he hit 33 home runs, 103 RBIs and .271/.321/.572 with a 135 wRC+ – his highest since 2019.
Not only were Martinez’s traditional metrics impressive, but so were his underlying results, as he ranked in the 96th percentile or higher in hard-hit rate (55.1%), barrel rate (17.1%), average exit velocity (93.4 m.p.h.) and xSLG (.553).
It’s clear he still has some gas left in the tank. But after settling for another one-year deal, the decorated batsman must prove himself again on a Mets squad seeking to recover from last season’s failures that cost them a playoff berth.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: John P. Darcy. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
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