Dodgers Free Agent JD Martinez To Sign With NL Squad

Dodgers free agent J.D. Martinez has finally found his next home.

On Thursday, Martinez agreed to a one-year, $12 million deal with the New York Mets, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The deal is pending a physical, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Martinez spent the 2023 season with the Dodgers, and will now remain in the National League, but head back East.

Martinez was an All-Star in 2023 with the Dodgers after joining them on a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason.

In 113 games, the 36-year-old slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 runs batted in.

It was the most home runs he’d hit in a season since he had 36 in 2019.

Martinez was everything the Dodgers needed and more as a stopgap DH, and if it wasn’t for Shohei Ohtani, they would have loved to bring him back.

However, with Ohtani at DH, there was no spot for Martinez to contribute on this roster.

So, Martinez held out for a deal — including reportedly rejecting a $15 million deal from the San Francisco Giants — and finally agreed to a contract with a week to go before Opening Day.

The Mets come to Dodger Stadium April 19-21 in what will be a nice reunion for Martinez.