Free agent DH J.D. Martinez is in agreement on a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jon Heyman of The New York Post also reported the deal.
Per Passan, the deal is for one year and $10 million.
The Dodgers have been relatively quiet in free agency, despite losing shortstop Trea Turner who signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but they have now added a tried and tested designated hitter to the heart of their lineup in Martinez.
For a team that already has Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, Martinez will provide another big bat given his ability to absolutely destroy baseballs. He can also get on base and put the ball in play, making him a dangerous player in the middle of any lineup, let alone one as talented as the Dodgers’. Plus, at just one year and for $10 million, Martinez is certainly a low-risk, high-reward type of player.
It is also worth noting that, per Passan, Martinez will reunite with hitting coach Robert Von Scoyoc, who is largely credited with being influential in Martinez’s ascent. Also, Martinez will team up again with Betts with the two largely successful together in Boston with the Red Sox. Von Scoyoc and Betts may well have been big factors behind Martinez’s decision to sign in LA.
Martinez spent the last five years with the Boston Red Sox where he was an All-Star every year apart from 2020, when there was no Midsummer Classic. He hit 171 doubles, 130 home runs and 423 RBI in 647 games for the Red Sox, helping them to win the World Series in 2018. He’s a career .288/.352/.520/.872 hitter with 282 homers and 899 RBI across a 12-year career in the majors.
The veteran slugger absolutely mashes against lefties with a career slash line of .306/.377/.579/.957 against LHP, to go along with 87 home runs, 95 doubles and 270 RBI. He made the All-Star Game in 2022 after hitting .302/.368/.481/.849 with 30 doubles, nine homers and 38 RBI during the first-half of the season. However, Martinez’s game dipped after the All-Star break as he slashed just .233/.301/.400/.701 with seven home runs and 24 RBI.
While Martinez struggled with power in 2022 with a total of 16 home runs, he still finished as one of the best designated hitters in all of baseball in 2022 having ranked 10th in wRC+ (119) among DH’s with a minimum of 400 PA in 2022. Plus, the 35-year-old hit 28 home runs as recently as 2021 and he sneakily ripped a career-high 43 doubles in 2022, underlining his ability to make things happen by putting the ball in play.
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Martinez was a player the Mets were interested in as they continue to try and add another big bat to their lineup. We looked at why the masher would help solve the Mets’ power problem here, but the veteran will now add to what is already a talented core in LA with the Dodgers. According to Bob Nightengale, MLB teams have now spent a staggering total of $1.193 billion this offseason following the signing of Martinez by the Dodgers.
