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Multiple reports refute claim that J.D. Martinez had no interest in SF Giants

Free agent slugger J.D. Martinez reportedly turned down a one-year deal with the SF Giants, but did make a counter offer.

Steven Rissotto

Multiple reports refute claim that J.D. Martinez had no interest in SF Giants
Multiple reports refute claim that J.D. Martinez had no interest in SF Giants /
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The contradictory details of the recent contract negotiations between the SF Giants and J.D. Martinez slowly continue to leak out. While the Giants ultimately inked designated hitter Jorge Soler to a three-year, $42 million deal instead of the former Dodgers right-handed slugger, a recent report by Jon Heyman that Martinez "didn't want to go" to the Giants sparked some counter reports that undermined that claim.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter J.D. Martinez reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the SF Giants at Oracle Park. (2023)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

"Before the Giants signed Jorge Soler, they made an offer to J.D. Martinez," Heyman wrote. "Word is the ex-Dodger didn’t want to go there. The Rangers are a potential fit for Martinez."

However, new reports have undermind Heyman's claim.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Martinez rejected the Giants’ one-year, $14 million offer in search of a guaranteed second year from another organization. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand confirmed the offer, but also added that Martinez had his sights set on $20 million. Though he might have considered a slightly lower figure, he turned down the Giants' proposal, according to Feinsand.

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area also noted that Martinez submitted a counteroffer that organizational front office members within the Giants’ system “weren’t comfortable with.”

Earlier in the offseason, many insiders believed the Giants were a "strong fit" for Martinez. Despite his age, he showed no signs of slowing down this past season with the Dodgers. He missed a few weeks with a groin and heel issue during the season but still finished with 33 home runs and a .271/.321/.572 line in 113 games. More advanced numbers backed up his excellent production as well. Martinez's batted-ball data ranked in the 90th percentile or better in several key stats, like hard-hit rate, xSLG, and xwOBA.

His 2023 production was far from a surprise. Over the past three seasons, Martinez has maintained a .847 OPS, which is slightly down from his career .287/.350/.524 triple-slash. Nevertheless, he was unable to reach a deal with the SF Giants, so they shifted their attention to Soler, who is now slated to be a staple in the team's lineup for the next three seasons.

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Steven Rissotto
STEVEN RISSOTTO

Steven Rissotto (he/him) is an award-winning journalist who currently covers the San Francisco Giants for SFBay.ca and Giants Baseball Insider. At 19-years-old in 2021, he joined SF Bay Media as the Giants beat writer, covering games a few times a week during the Giants’ record-setting 107-win season. Along with his game story coverage he is also the host of RizzoCast, a baseball podcast he founded in 2020 that features interviews with professional and amateur baseball players, coaches, media, fans, and everyone else around the game. Past guests have included Tyler Glasnow, Bob Kendrick, Shawn Estes, Bill Laskey, Renel Brooks Moon, Dave Dravecky, Ned Colletti, Denard Span, Ron Wotus, Joe Maddon, J.T. Snow and more. He is also a co-host with Tylor Hall on the Shutdown Inning Podcast, a show focused on all the latest happenings around the baseball world. Both podcasts are available on YouTube and everywhere podcasts are found. Currently, he is a student at San Francisco State University where he is majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in print/online and minoring in education. At SF State, he is the managing editor for Golden Gate Xpress, the student-run newspaper. He was formerly a member of the newspaper at Skyline College, where he served as editor-in-chief and news editor while also writing sports and features. He was formerly a student-journalist at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, where he pitched for the baseball team and covered some of the biggest stories in campus history. This includes a new multi-sports facility on campus, the breaking news coverage of Riordan’s coed announcement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Steven is well-respected by his peers and has been honored numerous times by Student Newspapers Online, JEA, ACP, and the California Publishing Association. In 2021, he finished second in the country for Reporter of the Year for ACP among the two-year college schools.

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