It seems that there is always a good time to add a strong hitter.
When questioned on March 17 about whether his New York Mets might make any major roster moves before the end of spring training, owner Steve Cohen remarked, “it’s getting a little late to add.”
But, the Mets came to an agreement on a one-year, $12-million contract with free agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez on March 21, as reported by the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. This happened just one week before the Mets are set to start the season by hosting the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field.
Martinez adds a proven asset to a team that, in the words of new president of baseball operations David Stearns, is attempting to “thread a needle.” Stearns means that the Mets are striving to compete this season while also giving younger players an opportunity to show they can be long-term contributors.
J.D. Martinez Ends Up Receiving Less Money
Martinez missed out on the chance to make more money by signing with the Mets. The San Franciso Giants offered him a one-year, $14-million deal earlier in February. Martinez declined the offer because he was worried that his right-handed bat would not perform well at Oracle Park.
The Mets and Martinez agreed to a uniquely structured contract that will probably help New York with luxury tax accounting. The Mets are already on track to pay a tax this season, but the contract would keep them from exceeding another tax level.
Martinez will get a $2.5 million signing bonus and have a salary of only $2 million this season. The deal also includes $7.5 million in deferred money that will be paid in five yearly installments of $1.5 million from 2034-38.
Even though he is 36 years old, Martinez is still a productive player.
He achieved .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBIs last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 113 games despite struggling with back and groin injuries. Martinez was also chosen for the All-Star Game for the third consecutive season and the sixth time in his 13-year career that includes stints with the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox.
Mark Vientos Pushed Out of Mets’ Lineup
Mark Vientos, 24, was seemingly set to be the Mets’ main designated hitter this year. He now seems to be a right-handed hitter available as a substitute who can play both corner infield positions and occasionally fill in for Martinez.
The Mets also have two experienced players in camp on minor-league contracts who were hoping to get DH at-bats. However, it now seems unlikely that Ji-Man Choi or Luke Voit will make the team.
The Mets are hoping to recover from a very disappointing season in which they had a 75-87 record despite their $355 million payroll being the largest in MLB history.
The poor finish led to the departures of manager Buck Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler. While Stearns has taken over running the front office, former New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza begins his first season as manager.
Martinez should help an offense that ranked 20thth in the major leagues in scoring last season with an average of 4.43 runs a game. The Mets’ .238 batting average ranked 25th.
