As 2024 Spring Training is in full swing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, there is an air of excitement surrounding the team in anticipation for the start of the regular season, especially after their well-documented splashy offseason.
That put pressure on the National League West to find a way to keep up with the roster being built in Los Angeles. The San Francisco Giants were somewhat active during MLB free agency, with their biggest move being the six-year, $113 million contract they gave to former Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) sensation Jung Hoo Lee.
However, the way free agency progressed during the offseason and now the start of Spring Training, has left many impactful players still without a team. That gave the Giants an opportunity to explore improving their roster with an impact bat, and they accomplished that by signing Jorge Soler to a three-year, $42 million contract.
While Soler represents a boost to the Giants lineup, they reportedly sought to first sign Los Angeles Dodgers free agent J.D. Martinez, but the interest was not mutual, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
It has been rumored that before the Giants signed Jorge Soler, they made an offer to J.D. Martinez. Word is the ex-Dodger didn’t want to go there.
Martinez enjoyed a bounce-back season with the Dodgers last year but wasn’t viewed as likely to return as their designated hitter unless Shohei Ohtani signed elsewhere.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels have been among the teams connected to the veteran slugger in free agency.
Dodgers impacting free agency for the Giants?
Martinez purportedly not wanting to sign with the Giants lends credence to a previous report that some free agents have started to question whether the team is going to be capable of competing with the Dodgers in the near future.
The Giants were involved in the Ohtani sweepstakes and made the same contract offer he received from the Dodgers, and also were in the running for Yoshinobu Yamamoto before he joined L.A. as well.
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