D-backs' Mike Hazen, Justin Martinez Discuss Contract Extension

General manager Mike Hazen and the Diamondbacks' newly-extended reliever discuss Martinez's recent extension.

Alex D'Agostino | Mar 24, 2025

Arizona Diamondbacks Vice President and General Manager Mike Hazen and pitcher Justin Martinez during press conference at Chase Field to announced contract extension March 24, 2025 / Jack Sommers

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Arizona Diamondbacks

On Friday, March 21, the Arizona Diamondbacks and right-handed flamethrower Justin Martinez agreed to a five-year, $18 million contract extension, buying out two years of Martinez's arbitration, and securing his financial future, as well as his future with the club.

On Monday, GM Mike Hazen and Martinez himself met with members of the media, including Diamondbacks On SI's Jack Sommers to discuss the extension, and what it means for both the organization and the person.

Hazen discussed the decision, and explained why he and the D-backs wanted to extend Martinez.

"We wanted to keep this group together, the young group that we have assembled here on our team that has talent and the makeup and the work ethic to want to keep around, and the sense of putting them together and ensuring that they're here on this team, within this community for a long period of time is very important to us," Hazen opened with.

As is well-known, Hazen, manager Torey Lovullo and the Diamondbacks' organization look for the character of the person, rather than the talent alone. Hazen spoke about the positive impact of Martinez's work ethic and personality.

"It's as much about the person as it is the player, and we've gotten to know J-Mart over a long period of time being in this organization and very much believe in who he is as a person. And [that] makes it easier, makes it easy to to bet on somebody like that," Hazen said.

Hazen relayed an amusing story. On Martinez's first day, the reliever confidently walked into Lovullo's office, and told the manager he was going to be his closer.

"We all were like, 'alright,' and I think he went and gave up [the game]... and then he came back and said, 'I'm still going to be your closer.' I love that confidence," Hazen said.

"You see that confidence, who they are as a human being, and then listen to what people say about them when the lights aren't on," said Hazen. "And that gives us a lot of confidence when we talk about who the player is, knowing that you don't have to guarantee this money for another five years, but you want to... to be able to extend the relationship, but also to know that the commitment you're making, they're going to make as well."

Martinez is still developing as a player, that much is certain. But his electric triple-digit arsenal, and 2.48 ERA in the 2024 season lends one to believe that any upward development could turn Martinez into one of the most terrifying arms in MLB.

Hazen acknowledged the impressive season from the right-hander, and said there's "no ceiling" to what Martinez can become. But as a person, Hazen said change is not needed for the 23-year-old.

"I want him to be the exact same person he is right now. We don't need him to do any more. We don't need him to be any more... We know [development] comes with good and bad days. That's okay.

"Where does he ultimately get to? That's up to him. From a talent standpoint, there's no ceiling on it," said Hazen. "My short-term expectation, what he and I talked about on the phone after this was done was, just promise me you're going to go out and work as hard and in the exact same way that you always have. He said, 'I promise you I will.' That's all I ask. That's all we ask."

It might seem like a bit of a risk, offering a long extension to a player who has yet to even reach arbitration. There is uncertainty in doing so, but Hazen explained his mindset in getting a deal like this done early in a player's career.

"I think there was a lot of mutual shared risk in this in terms of time to free agency, volume of what he's going to be asked to do versus what the ultimate financial upside could be if he didn't sign this deal. And so I think both of us sort of tried to balance those things out. ... But look, there's a lot of volatility in everything that we do.

"For us to not be in the position where at 28 years old he becomes a free agent, and if he shoots the moon from a performance standpoint and we get taken out of that deal, that's what we're hedging against in some ways. And we'll continue to do that, to operate that way, knowing that we have to give something up front to maybe get some benefit down the road.I think it's smart long-term roster building," Hazen said.

"And it takes some of the pressure off what role Justin has to pitch in so his financial future is sort of set now."

For Martinez, the complications and nuances of the deal might not be as prominently in his mind. The young reliever remains grateful for the opportunity. While signing a deal of this nature might seem to be less than massive, it's still a financial windfall that provides security to he and his family.

"It means a lot," Martinez said. "It means a lot to me. It says a lot. This is the organization that gave me an opportunity from the Dominican Republic. Just appreciative of the organization and Mike as well.

"It's our future. I reached out to my parents. Dad, mom, they live together. And the first thing my mom did was uncork a bottle of champagne."

And while Martinez still has yet to be named the official closer, he gave a team-first outlook on his role going forward.

"I don't have control of that. Torey's the manager. He makes the decisions. The only thing I can control is going out there and helping the team win. That's all I can control," Martinez said amicably.

For Martinez, it's financial security, and a commitment from the Diamondbacks that he will have a prominent role in their future. For the Diamondbacks, it's a team-friendly way to keep a young core intact, and bet on the immense potential of a special young reliever.

Hazen said a deal like this also allows players to perform with their teammates and coaches in mind, rather than dwelling on how an arbitrator might use their perfomance to leverage higher monetary gain.

But Hazen said that mentality isn't particularly present on Arizona's roster, and praised the overall mindset of the roster.

"I want to be able to keep this group together," said Hazen. "I like this group of players. They mesh very well. They are very workmanlike in their approach. They are very disciplined in how they approach their job. ... We think long term it's the smart way for us to build an organization, not just a team."