New York Mets Talking With Free-Agent All-Star Slugger

The New York Mets may have their eye on some cheap power for their designated hitter spot.

The New York Mets have reportedly had a “dialogue” with a free-agent designated hitter ahead of spring training opening next week in Port St. Lucie.

Per the New York Post, the Mets are talking with J.D. Martinez, who was last with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they look for another potential bat that could add power to their lineup.

Martinez is one of many free-agent sluggers that are still available as the market for veteran sluggers and designated hitters has developed slowly.

Martinez played his 13th season in Major League Baseball in 2023, his first with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In just 113 games he hit 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs as he batted .271. It was the first time he hit at least 30 home runs in a season since 2019, when he hit 36 with Boston.

He has been in a groove of late, even though he’s entering his age 36 season. Martinez has reached the All-Star Game in each of the last five full seasons since 2018. He also claimed his only World Series ring with the Red Sox in 2018 and he has three Silver Slugger awards.

For his career he has 315 home runs and 1,002 RBI with a batting average of .287. At this point in free agency, he has value.

But, since 2018, his value has been primarily at designated hitter. He’s reached the point in his career where he rarely plays in the field. In his last two seasons he’s played just three games in the outfield. He’s played his other 249 games at designated hitter.

This means that if the Mets are intent on signing him, Martinez becomes their everyday designated hitter. The Mets are covered in the outfield. But it would eliminate the DH slot as a space to give players a break from the field and still allow them to hit.