When the Mets signed J.D. Martinez in late March, he was viewed as the missing piece to the starting lineup. A proven, power-hitting veteran who could start every day as the designated hitter, providing some protection for players like Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo.
After a bit of a ramp-up period, Martinez was a solid hitter in the middle of the order, posting a .777 OPS with 16 homers and 65 RBI through the month of August. But he cooled off in a major way down the stretch and in the playoffs, hitting just .109 with a .368 OPS. In the postseason, which is when Martinez has thrived in the past, he hit just .222 with no homers and three RBI and was in and out of the starting lineup.
Martinez signed with the Mets on a one-year, $12 million contract with a good chunk of that money deferred, but now that he’s a free agent once again, should the Mets bring him back for 2025, let’s dig in…
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO LET MARTINEZ LEAVE
Martinez, who turns 38 next August, is a career .863 OPS player, but over the past four seasons, that OPS has dropped to .807. He’s still an above-average player, but his numbers are in a bit of a decline and it’s fair to wonder how things might continue to trend.
Perhaps the biggest reason to be cautious about retaining Martinez is that at this point in his career, he is strictly a designated hitter option. His days in the outfield are over, and it’s fair to question whether or not the Mets should “clog” their DH spot with one player. Having Martinez in the lineup gives Carlos Mendoza far less flexibility when it comes to the different combinations and alignments he can use.
Martinez’s cold streak in the playoffs was also very alarming, considering the Mets added him with the thought he would be a clutch performer in October. But he had just four hits in the playoffs, all of which were singles, and often found himself out of the lineup, appearing in eight of the club’s 13 postseason games.
WHY IT COULD MAKE SENSE TO KEEP MARTINEZ
There are a lot of variables at play when it comes to the Mets’ approach to the free agency and trade markets, but having a gap-to-gap hitter like Martinez in the lineup could go a long way. Sure, he struggled down the stretch, but Martinez has 162-game career averages of 33 home runs, 106 RBI, and 38 doubles.
Just one year ago, in 2023, Martinez belted 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs for the Dodgers. Water will always find its level, so Martinez could be due for a bit of a bounce-back season in 2025.
Another thing to consider is that Martinez could be brought back on another one-year deal for around $9-10 million, which could be cheaper than a lot of the other high-profile bats on the market. And having Martinez back for one season won’t get in the way of developing younger hitters like Mark Vientos. In fact, having a veteran like Martinez who’s been through it all could only help a hitter like Vientos reach his sky-high potential as a right-handed power hitter.
Verdict
The Mets have money to spend and World Series aspirations, and with both of those factors in mind, it’s hard to see Martinez coming back in 2025.
The veteran had some nice moments as a Met, but his production was never quite what the club thought they were getting when he signed.
The best course of action would be to let Martinez go and spend that money elsewhere to build a contending roster.