5 former NY Mets players from last year’s roster without a job as Opening Day nears

4) J.D. Martinez

A little bit of history repeated, J.D. Martinez didn’t actually join the Mets until March 23, 2024. We’re not quite at that exact date but circumstances have changed. He had a monster albeit shortened season for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. His lack of a position and concerns over his health had many teams steering clear of the veteran slugger. Not the Mets once he was willing to defer a good chunk of his 2024 salary.

For a brief period, it looked like the Mets benefitted from waiting out the Martinez market. He was an important locker room presence and one of the club’s more prominent offensive weapons. Then came the final weeks of the season when he couldn’t buy a hit. He’d end up batting .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs. It was a disappointing conclusion for a player who seemed to mean so much to his teammates.

The same problems Martinez ran into last offseason exist right now. How many clubs are willing to employ a DH-only right-handed hitter? A lefty could have the case of playing the majority of the team because of how many more right-handed pitchers there are. You can’t make the same case for Martinez who’d be on the shorter half of any DH platoon. What’s more, how many teams have the roster flexibility to carry a part-time DH on their roster? It was a pain for the Mets in 2023 with Daniel Vogelbach.

A new opening for Martinez could have him going to the New York Yankees. A potential lost year for Giancarlo Stanton might give them reason enough to invite Martinez to the Bronx for a year, albeit on a contract that might only be able to pay for the pickleball paddles and not the ball.