NEW YORK — Friday afternoon was a busy one for J.D. Martinez. There were places to be, people to meet, hands to shake. Upon arriving at Citi Field for the first time as a Met and changing into his new uniform, Martinez spoke to a staffer about his initial media briefing. He immediately hustled from there into a hitter’s meeting, then to the batting cage and finally to the field, where he hit one line drive so ferociously it caused a gaggle of stretching Cardinals players to scatter out of the way.
Martinez didn’t linger. More folks to meet after that. More handshakes. A little over a month after signing with the Mets, Martinez finally debuted for them in a 4-2 loss to the Cardinals.
From the time Spring Training ended, Martinez had toiled in Port St. Lucie, Fla., hoping to get his body and swing right. Now 36 years old, one of the more accomplished hitters of his generation didn’t want to rush. But as five early losses piled up for the Mets, Martinez began thinking to himself: “Try to hurry up. I want to be part of it. If they’re struggling, I want to struggle with them. If they’re doing good, I want to do good with them. It’s part of being a team.”
A back injury made that all but impossible for Martinez, who received a cortisone injection and sat for close to a week before continuing his ramp-up process. Finally, on Friday, Martinez made it back to the Majors. As he dug in for his first at-bat against his old college teammate Miles Mikolas, the center-field scoreboard listed his accolades.
Free agent outfielder/slugger J.D. Martinez is reportedly seeking an outfield gig, says Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. According to Silverman’s sources, Martinez’s suitors have been informed that the veteran slugger would give preference to teams that can offer a corner outfield spot, rather than a DH-only role.
That could spell trouble for the Red Sox, who appear to be Martinez’s biggest suitors so far this offseason. Outfielders Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi are firmly established at the corners, and prior reports from club president Dave Dombrowski suggest that center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. is not going anywhere anytime soon (thereby eliminating the possibility of reshuffling the outfield). The DH spot is still wide open for Martinez, who doesn’t seem to be totally closed off to the idea, but any full-time or part-time role on the field is likely off the table at this point.
Of course, the Red Sox aren’t the only ones pursuing Martinez’s services this winter. The 30-year-old slugger has been linked to both the Diamondbacks and Giants in weeks past, and while they have the roster flexibility to accommodate his preferences, they’ll need to clear another massive hurdle: the seven-year, $250 million contract he’s said to be seeking. Both clubs will need to get creative to make such a deal work. The Diamondbacks are rumored to be shopping right-hander Zack Greinke in an attempt to free up some room on their payroll for Martinez, while the Giants appear more inclined to scour the trade market for outfield help than shell out cash for another hefty contract in free agency.
Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo drop an all-new episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, as the Mets continue to play .500 baseball.
Connor and Joe recap another week that was for the Mets on the field, and react to Joey Wendle‘s shoddy defense in their loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The guys also discuss the debut of J.D. Martinez, Mark Vientos finally getting a chance to contribute, and Carlos Mendoza‘s early approval rating.
Later, they go Down on the Farm to react to the success of pitcher Jonah Tong, and look at a poor performance on The Scoreboard.
The show then wraps up with a Mailbag question about the state of the catcher position and why Edwin Diaz keeps getting brought in in non-save situations.
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