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With the season in full swing, with all 30 teams playing game No. 10 or more in some cases, there are still big-name free agents sitting at home waiting to reach a deal with a team.
One of those free agents is designated hitter JD Martinez. A similar situation happened to Martinez last season, as he was not picked up by a team until the New York Mets signed him on March 23, 2024, just one week before the beginning of the season.
He put together a decent season with the Mets, as he batted .235 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs in 120 games played with New York. That would seem like a good enough season to quickly find a home during the offseason, but that was not the case.
Bleacher Reports' Kerry Miller has listed the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins as potential teams to sign Martinez at any points during the season.
Seattle and Minnesota would be the most in need of Martinez, as the two offenses rank 23rd and 28th in team batting average so far this season. The Padres, on the other hand, rank second and would more than likely not mess up their extremely good start to the season by adding Martinez to the lineup.
Back to the Mariners and Twins, adding a career .283 hitter to a lineup that is in desperate need of offense almost feels like a no-brainer. Minnesota could brush it off by saying it is awaiting the return of Royce Lewis from the injured list, but there isn't really an excuse for the Mariners, especially after the injury to outfielder Victor Robles on Sunday.
Martinez would ultimately need time to see live pitching and get back up to speed, but an imminent signing by the Mariners or Twins would certainly be a nice addition to either lineup when Martinez is ready to begin facing big-league pitching.
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About the writer
Andrew Wright is a Newsweek contributor based in Lancaster, South Carolina. His focus is MLB content. Andrew has been with ... Read more