A rather stagnant MLB free agency during the offseason has persisted despite the midway point of Spring Training nearing, and it’s resulted in the likes of Blake Snell, J.D. Martinez and Jordan Montgomery being among the notable players still available on the open market.
Martinez is fresh off a resurgent season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but didn’t appear likely to re-sign with the team due to their interest in Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers reportedly did view Martinez as their backup option for the designated hitter spot if the planned pursuit of Ohtani fell short.
Martinez has remained a free agent in the time since despite being linked to multiple teams.
According to Craig Mish of the Miami Herlad, the Miami Marlins reportedly held talks with Martinez but may be inclined to keep with their current arrangement of Josh Bell and Jake Burger at the DH spot:
Free Agent J.D. Martinez and the Marlins have had recent discussions. Miami seems to prefer the rotating DH combo of Josh Bell & Jake Burger thus not a fit, at least for now. Martinez is seeking a 2 year deal per source.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 8, 2024
On some level, signing with the Marlins would be a natural fit for Martinez, given he is a Miami native and returns to the city during the offseason.
Martinez was named to the 2023 National League All-Star team as the starting DH. He finished the season batting .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs, 103 RBI, 61 runs scored and a 135 wRC+ while providing a needed right-handed power bat to the Dodgers lineup.
J.D. Martinez interest
At various points during the offseason and early Spring Training, the Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants were reported as having interest in Martinez.
The Giants reportedly made a contract offer but negotiations stalled when Martinez countered at a higher salary.
Bo Bichette publicly lobbied for the Blue Jays to sign Martinez, but that possibility has seemingly fallen through with their signing of Justin Turner.
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