*Photo from SportsCity*
A little more pop is off to Queens. The New York Mets and DH JD Martinez have agreed to a one year, $12 million contract, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Mets have confirmed the signing.
Martinez is due $4.5 million in base salary and will be paid $1.5 million annually in deferred money from 2034 to 2038, helping lessen the Mets already high luxury tax hit this season. Martinez will reportedly begin the season in the minor leagues to ramp up for the season since he won't be ready for opening day March 28.
Last season, Martinez suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers and made his 5th straight All Star Game appearance in a full season. He posted a .271/.321/.572 slash line with a 134 OPS+, blasting 33 home runs while adding 103 RBI's in 113 games. He had one home run and two hits in 12 plate appearances over 3 playoff games.
From the DH spot in 2023, Mets hitters produced a .700 OPS, good for just 25th in the majors. Martinez ended 2023 strong, slashing .333/.371/.679 with 8 home runs in his final 21 games of the season. His power bat is sure to be a boon to the Mets lineup as they still try to make a playoff push.
One problem the Mets and Martinez could run into is strikeouts. With an average 24.7 strikeout percentage over his 13 seasons in the majors, he jumped to 31 percent last season, a career high for the veteran.
Martinez has played for 5 different teams over his 13 seasons, debuting with the Houston Astros in 2011. He has a .287/.350/.524 slash line with a 133 OPS+ to his name, hitting 366 doubles and 315 home runs with 1,002 RBI's in 1,522 games. He has a .294/.386/.588 slash line with 10 home runs and 31 RBI's in 33 playoff games.
Despite the jump in strikeouts, Martinez also returned to his power hitting form with regularity in 2023. His .893 OPS was his highest since a .939 mark in 2019 and it ranked 8th among NL hitters who had at least 450 plate appearances.
Martinez joins slugger Pete Alonso and star shortstop Francisco Lindor in the heart of the Mets order. He'll look to boost a lineup that ranked 20th in runs scored and 19th in the league in RBI's last season.
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