Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — The Dodgers continue their odd off-season with yet another signing of a once-great player on the downslope of his career. A couple days after taking flyers on Jason Heyward and Noah Syndergaard, the Dodgers have added former Red Sox (and Diamondback) JD Martinez to their roster, signing the slugger to a one-year, $10-million dollar deal.
Martinez, a 35-year-old right-handed hitter, experienced a 77-point drop-off in OPS with the Bosox last season but was still productive, batting .274/.341/.448 with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs in 139 games. From 2014 to 2019, Martinez was one of the most productive offensive players in the sport, slashing .307/.373/.581 while averaging 34 home runs and 98 RBIs.
If he can get anywhere close to those averages, he’ll be a steal at that price. However, the signing of Martinez is perhaps more significant in what it might mean for other players in the Dodgers’ sights.
The most directly effected, of course, is Justin Turner. With Martinez almost guaranteed to get the lion’s share of starts at DH (he didn’t play a single game in the field in 2022), it looks like JT might be a man without a position. Freddie Freeman is going nowhere at first, which would put Max Muncy and likely Miguel Vargas splitting the time at third. With some combination of Lux and Chris Taylor in the middle of the diamond at the moment, it’s hard to see where Turner fits in. That would be sad, but nothing lasts forever. Just ask Cody Bellinger.
The other intriguing thing is the length of the deal. At only a one-year pact, the Dodgers are free to walk away from Martinez at the end of the year. Which would give them the flexibility (and presumably the salary room) to go hard after Shohei Ohtani in free agency. You could certainly see Ohtani slotting into this Dodgers rotation and being the everyday DH.
But there is a whole lot of baseball to play between here and there. As a step to get a little more punch in the lineup, Martinez helps a good deal. Let’s just hope there’s still a little of All-Star J.D. left in the tank.
