Mets Still Could Sign Ex-Dodgers Star Before Opening Day According To Insider
Opening Day is less than two weeks away for the New York Mets.
New York will look to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season and at least seem to be in a better spot on paper right now even with an injury to ace Kodai Senga.
The designated hitter spot still is in question for New York. It seems like the club is looking to give Mark Vientos a larger role, but that hasn't stopped speculation from swirling.
New York has been linked to a handful of players including six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez. It's unclear if a deal actually will happen, but it's still a possibility, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.
"It is why Martinez is probably more of a possibility," Sherman said. "The Mets recently pursued another J.D. in Davis to have depth and a hedge at third base in case Brett Baty and Mark Vientos failed there. But surer playing time swayed him to the (Oakland Athletics). The Mets would not commit to substantially lowering the playing time for Baty/Vientos when their priority is to learn about young players to set them up better for the future.
"Signing Martinez would mean cutting significantly into Vientos’ at-bats, perhaps even putting him back at Triple-A. The only reason to sign Martinez would be to make him the DH and primary protection for Pete Alonso. The Mets have worried internally that in his age-35 season, Martinez’s chase, swing and miss rate, and strikeout percentage rose and his walk rate fell and is that a sign that he is about to fall off a cliff? Conversely, he was swinging and missing a lot in his prime and, like in his prime, he continued to hit the ball hard and productively for the 2023 Dodgers (33 homers and 103 RBIs in 113 games)."
New York could use another slugger in the middle of the lineup and Martinez makes a lot of sense.
