Ex-Red Sox All-Star, World Series Champ Predicted To Land With Padres

Things have been pretty slow across the league recently

Jul 23, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of a San Diego Padres hat and glove in the dugout prior to the game between the Miami Marlins and the San Diego Padres at loanDepot park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Soon enough we will see more movement across Major League Baseball free agency, right?

Things have completely slowed down. There’s roughly a month until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. While this is the case, there are some capable players still looking for their next deals. There’s All-Star-level talent out there who should find new homes soon.

One player who still is out there on the open market is former Boston Red Sox All-Star JD Martinez. He spent the 2024 campaign with the New York Mets and had 16 home runs and 69 RBIs in 120 games played. 

Martinez spent the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and was an All-Star with 33 home runs and 103 RBIs in 113 games played. 

He absolutely can help improve the middle of a team’s order in 2025 and Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer predicted that he will end up landing with the San Diego Padres in an “under-the-radar” move.

“It's J.D. Martinez,” Rymer said. “You know who he is, too. You might also know that his 2024 season with the Mets ended poorly. He was January-cold from August 4 to the end of the year, batting just .166 with four home runs. Come the NLCS, he was out of a job.

Yet despite it all, Martinez still landed in the following percentiles with key batted-ball metrics: 46.1 Hard-Hit Percentage: 77th, 91.0 MPH Exit Velocity: 78th, 14.9 Barrel Percentage: 94th. It's enough to wonder if Martinez underachieved overall and that the only thing he was guilty of with his lousy finish was bad timing. A team with a need at DH should try to find out, provided they can allow the veteran to go ring-chasing. Prediction: Signs with San Diego Padres.”

San Diego surprised some people in 2024. Adding someone like Martinez to help bolster the offense absolutely wouldn’t hurt. The Padres got a good look at him in the division in 2023 with the Dodgers. Maybe they could pair him with fellow former Red Sox All-Star and World Series champion Xander Bogaerts.

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