New York Mets J.D. Martinez had a longer off-season than he expected.
After putting together a solid 33-homer, 103-RBI season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, Martinez was still lingering on the free agent market in March, when most teams were nearing the end of spring training.
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In a new interview with the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, Martinez told Rob Bradford how close he was to retiring — to the point of giving his agent, Scott Boras, an ultimatum.
“I was on the boat fishing with my best friend and he was like, ‘Bro I think this is it. I’m staying home. This is dumb. I’m begging for a job and I had a .900 OPS last year. It’s like, what are we talking about? Nobody wants to win,” Martinez said. “And then my buddy was like, ‘you’ve trained this year. You’ve gotten your body ready. You’re ready for the season. So you’re just going to waste all this training you’ve done for nothing? You might as well play.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 13: J.D. Martinez #28 of the New York Mets is doused with Gatorade by teammates Pete Alonso #20 and DJ Stewart #29 of the New York Mets after Martinez hit a walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on June 13, 2024 in Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins 3-2. Martinez was nearly retired in spring training.
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Martinez said he had that conversation with his friend on a Sunday, called his agent (Scott Boras) the following day, then had a contract with the New York Mets on Friday, March 22.
How close was Martinez to retiring?
“I pretty much told (Boras), if I don’t have a job by Friday, I’m done,” he told Bradford.
In hindsight, Martinez’s one-year, $12 million deal could prove instrumental to the Mets’ surprising playoff run.
After signing late in camp, Martinez did not make his regular season debut until April 26. Still, only eight National League designated hitters finished the regular season with more RBIs than Martinez (69) — and all eight played fewer games than Martinez’s 120.
Martinez, 36, batted .235 with 16 home runs. The six-time All-Star will become a free agent after the season. In classic Mets fashion, Martinez will still be on the team’s payroll in a decade. He’s owed $7.5 million in deferred salary, to be paid in five installments of $1.5 million each Jan. 15 from 2034-38.
So far in the National League Division Series against the Phillies, Martinez is 2 for 5 with an RBI and a walk. The teams meet for Game 4 of the series on Wednesday, with the Mets needing one win to advance to the NLCS in the best-of-five series.
The Phillies need one victory to send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 5, then another to reach their third NLCS in the last three years.
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