Experiences yesterday indicated that veteran slugger J.D. Martinez had turned down a contract provide from the Giants earlier this offseason, earlier than the membership in the end landed Jorge Soler on a three-year deal. There have been conflicting stories relating to the character of the perimeters breaking off negotiations, with the New York Submit’s Jon Heyman suggesting that Martinez merely “didn’t wish to go” to San Francisco whereas Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports activities Bay Space reported that Martinez made a counteroffer to the Giants that membership brass “weren’t snug with.”
This morning, USA At the moment’s Bob Nightengale and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand shed extra mild on the scenario, reporting that the Giants’ preliminary provide to Martinez was a one-year deal price $14MM. The 2 stories diverge from there, nevertheless, with Nightengale indicating that Martinez rejected the contract in pursuit of a two-year deal whereas Feinsand stories that Martinez was looking for $20MM and declined San Francisco’s provide regardless of probably being open to accepting “rather less” than his most popular wage determine.
After all, it’s attainable there’s components of reality to each stories. Speculatively talking, it could possibly be the case that Martinez’s desire could be a two-year deal within the vary of $20MM yearly, although he could also be prepared to simply accept a one-year deal on the increased finish of that vary or a two-year pact for a barely decrease AAV. That may fall in line would fall roughly in step with MLBTR’s prediction for Martinez’s contract, which sat at two years and $40MM. It stays to be seen whether or not or not Martinez will really be capable to earn that sum, after all. The offseason’s high offensive free agent behind Shohei Ohtani, outfielder Cody Bellinger, settled for a three-year, $80MM deal earlier this morning. It’s attainable that Bellinger’s deal clocking in under expectations is a regarding sign for Martinez, although with him off the board Martinez’s largest rival on the positional market is third baseman Matt Chapman, who figures to have a special set of suitors than the veteran slugger.
Martinez figures to be an impression bat for the membership that ultimately lands him, at the same time as he enters his age-36 season. After slashing a wonderful .292/.363/.526 throughout 637 video games in a Crimson Sox uniform from 2018 to 2022 en path to 4 All Star appearances and a top-four end in AL MVP voting, Martinez took a one-year take care of the Dodgers final winter and revamped his method in L.A. to generate extra energy. The adjustments labored as supposed, as he slashed a unbelievable .271/.321/.572 with 33 house runs in simply 479 journeys to the plate after hitting simply 16 homers in 596 plate appearances the earlier season. That unimaginable energy got here on the expense of a big leap in strikeouts, as his 31.1% strikeout fee final yr marked the primary time he was punched out at a clip over 30% in his profession.
With the Giants now assuredly out of the operating for Martinez’s providers after signing Soler, the veteran slugger might nonetheless make sense for a handful of golf equipment. The Angels and Mets have each been linked to the veteran at numerous factors this offseason, although public indications are that neither workforce prefers so as to add a full time DH to its combine. A workforce just like the Cubs or Twins that lacks a full-time DH might at the very least theoretically accommodate Martinez on the place, although every membership sports activities a crowded positional combine and figures to learn significantly from having the DH spot accessible to relaxation gamers or work in additional taking part in time for kids forcing their approach into the lineup. If not one of the aforementioned groups have an interest to committing to Martinez on a high-dollar or multi-year deal, that would go away the veteran slugger compelled to decrease his asking worth. At that time, any of the aforementioned golf equipment or perhaps a low-budget membership with a transparent want for offense such because the Guardians might leap into the combination for Martinez’s providers.