Making One Final Plea For The Mets To Sign J.D. Martinez
Plus, quick notes on the other J.D., and José Quintana's Opening Day start...
Okay, I am about to scream out one final rallying call for the New York Mets to go all out and sign free agent DH J.D. Martinez.
I’ve been singing the same old (at this point, very tired) song all winter, and I’m more convinced than ever that the Mets need Martinez after watching the first couple of weeks of spring training.
It was reported by the New York Post on Tuesday that the Mets are among the teams currently talking to Martinez’s camp about a potential deal. And, per Jon Heyman, the interest is very mutual.
Heyman also notes that owner Steve Cohen has given his front office the green light to go and pitch their best offer to the free agent slugger, despite the fact the Mets would have to pay a 110 percent tax on any new deals.
In other words, Cohen, who is a lifelong Mets fan himself, has seen what everybody else has and that the Amazins’ really do need another big bat in the middle of the lineup. Period.
I’ve written ad nauseam about Martinez and his dream fit with this Mets team, but it feels apt to attempt to hammer home the point one more time in the light of these recent reports emerging.
For as long as I can remember now, there has been a real lack of production from the DH spot and that only continued in 2023. To be more precise, or blunt, the Mets have got absolutely nothing from the DH spot over the past couple of years - it has been a massive black hole. To really illustrate that point, the DH produced a -0.5 fWAR in 2023. That just isn’t going to get the job done.
There is also no clear protection in the lineup for slugging cleanup hitter Pete Alonso. That has been a long-standing issue, and one that needs to be solved if this team wants to challenge for a Wild Card spot in 2024. Now, you could argue that phenom catcher Francisco Álvarez could be a solution to that headache, especially considering he’s been on a heater so far in spring training, hitting .263/.391/.789/.1.181 with three home runs and five RBIs.
However, you know what you are getting from Martinez and Alonso deserves the kind of legit and consistent protection he would have in the lineup thanks to Martinez’s presence. In what could be Alonso’s final year in Queens before he hits Free Agency, the front office should be doing everything within their considerable powers to convince Alonso that remaining a Met is his best option, and giving him some more lineup help in the form of a monster bat would certainly go some way towards achieving that goal.
Search this site and you will find a plethora of references to Martinez’s impressive resume. I’m going to repeat myself here (again), but it is worth it, I promise. The six-time All-Star hit 33 home runs for the Dodgers in 2023, while slashing .271/.321/.572/.893 with 103 RBIs and an 134 OPS+. Martinez hasn’t exactly slowed down, making the All-Star Game in each of the past five full seasons, and he’s also won three Silver Sluggers.
What sometimes goes under the radar with Martinez, however, is the fact that he’s an on-base machine and can put the ball in play for fun. He hit 27 doubles and drew 34 walks last year with a .321 on-base percentage. The righty bat owns a career .350 OBP. To that point, Martinez would be the perfect candidate to come in and offer Alonso a whole lot of lineup protection while lengthening the lineup.
It also has to be taken into account that there are some serious question marks hovering over that lineup. Jeff McNeil had a down year in 2023 and you certainly hope he has a bounce-back year, but that is no guarantee. Starling Marte is coming off an injury-hit year where he just couldn’t stay healthy, and he’s currently hitting a lowly .100/143/.100/.243 in spring training. Now, it is foolish to put a lot of stock into a hitter’s stats in spring, but that isn’t exactly what you want to see from a player who has to be productive in 2024. And, as for Brett Baty and Mark Vientos, the jury is still very much out on whether or not they can offer consistent production from the hot corner.
Furthermore, Martinez also solves another fatal flaw the Mets had in 2023: hitting against left-handed pitching. The Mets had the worst record in baseball against lefties last year (18-35), to go along with a lowly 91 OPS+. Martinez, meanwhile, hit .274/.343/.581/.925 with nine homers, nine doubles and 27 RBIs in 136 plate appearances. So, yeah Martinez can absolutely mash against lefties, in addition to excelling against righties. When you consider that Álvarez owned a .611 OPS in 148 plate appearances against lefties in 2023, then adding Martinez into the mix too should ensure that the Mets don’t absolutely stink against left-handed pitching in 2024.
One sneaky, under-the-radar component to all this is the optics. It is a well-known fact that deals a GM makes - or doesn’t make - can send a clear message to the room. President of baseball operations David Stearns has been adamant that this team as currently constituted is one that can compete for the playoffs, so why not back up your words with meaningful actions by going out and signing a proven big leaguer and elite slugger in Martinez? That would tell the clubhouse you have real faith in them to have a successful season and that you are giving them all the tools they need to go out and battle for a Wild Card spot.
Signing Martinez would act as a real morale booster for the entire team. And that can’t be overstated.
Oh, and one more thing; Martinez is also incredibly durable. Last year was the only time he hasn’t played 140 or more games since the 2017 season (not including the COVID-shortened 2020 season). At this point, you know you are going to be able to lean on Martinez as your designated hitter on a daily basis.
Overall, if the Mets really do believe that they have what it takes to be a playoff team in 2024, then they should be making a real hard push at Martinez. If they want to keep fans engaged throughout the season, then having an All-Star level masher on the team would certainly help that.
Please, Steve Cohen, David Stearns and the Mets front office, just go out and do the right and only logical thing by signing J.D. Martinez and put us all out of our misery.
Get it done. Now.
Please.
The Other J.D.
Jon Heyman also reported that the Mets have kicked the tires on J.D. Davis, the former Met who was released by the Giants earlier this week. Reportedly, Davis wasn’t happy with his playing time when he was traded for Darin Ruf at the 2022 Trade Deadline (yes, that move actually did happen, you did not imagine that). To that end, and while there is a brand new front office in place, I can’t see Davis getting a lot of plate appearances if he were to return. After all, you want to keep third base open for Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. You don’t want to bring in a veteran that would limit their playing time. Now, there are those who would argue that would be the case if the Mets signed J.D. Martinez, but the difference there is that Vientos would still get plenty of reps at third base in a platoon with Baty, while being able to fill in at DH when Martinez has an off day. I just don’t think Davis offers you a whole lot offensively either - he owns a career .261/.343/.432/.775 slash line with 68 homers and 215 RBIs. He is also far from a sure thing defensively, too. If I’m the Mets, I’m using any money available on Martinez and I’d only consider the other J.D. if he’s happy to be a bench player / insurance policy if Baty and / or Vientos don’t work out at third base.
Quintana Named Opening Day Starter
I don’t get the surprise over José Quintana being named the 2024 Opening Day starter for the Mets. He was pencilled in as the No. 2 starter before Kodai Senga got hurt, not to mention the fact that he was always going to be a top of the rotation starter given the lack of pitching depth and the slew of question marks surrounding that group. Plus, given the fact he’s been in the big leagues for a long time and pitched very well down the stretch in 2023, I’m not surprised the Mets wanted to give Quintana the honor of pitching on Opening Day. I’d hardly file it under groundbreaking news.