This offseason didn’t quite go as planned for veteran slugger J.D. Martinez.
Like many other top-tier free agents, Martinez was forced to wait until late in spring training before he ultimately landed a deal with the Mets for one-year and $12 million earlier this week.
Speaking with reporters in Port St. Lucie for the first time since coming to that agreement, he discussed what a whirlwind this offseason was for him and how excited he is to land in the Big Apple.
“It was kind of a roller coaster,” Martinez said. “Here we are the team is leaving Sunday and I’m just getting to camp and trying to get ready for the season and there are a lot of good players in a similar situation.
“Fortunately enough I found a place here in New York in one of those late-second things and it worked out. The guys are excited to have me and I’m just excited to be here and ready for the journey ahead of us.”
After taking a bit of a step back in the power department during his final year in Boston, Martinez was able to rebound nicely with 27 doubles, 33 homers, 103 RBI, and a .893 OPS across 113 games.
The slugger credits the early spring tweaks that the Dodgers were able to find which led to his rebound at the plate.
“They showed me some things with my body that I wasn’t aware of,” he said. “The biggest thing as I’m getting older is my mobility and staying loose, and they addressed that right away.
“They saw some things wrong with the way I was moving and I started addressing it and all of a sudden the ball started flying again. I changed the way I trained and the way I looked at how I was getting ready for a season, and I think they did a good job of making me aware of that.”
Martinez will have to take some time to build up at-bats in the minor leagues, but when he does ultimately join his new club, he’s hoping to be able to carry over that strong campaign to the Big Apple where he’ll hit behind one of the games top power bats in Pete Alonso.
While expectations are a bit lower than previous years for this Mets team, the 36-year-old says he has one goal in mind heading into his 14th year in the majors.
“I want to win,” Martinez said. “I want to be on a team that wants to win. Being 36, I know I don’t have too many years left in this game, so I want to give myself the best possible chance to win. I’m addicted to the playoffs. I’ve been there multiple times and to the World Series, once you get a taste it gets addicting.
“I know this team has a lot of tools. I played against them last year, I know they have a really good bullpen and lineup, the Senga injury hurts but I’m excited he’s going to be back soon. With Stearns and some additions he might add, this is going to be a tough team and I’m excited to be here.”
