The arrival of the divisional series in the American and National Leagues not only means we are one step closer to determining a World Series champion but…
The MLB free agency period figures to be as active as any in reason memory this offseason, with megastars such as Juan Soto and Pete Alonso available to teams…
Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani may be rewriting history books with their performances at the plate but baseball will always be won at the mound. Quality…
The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes was the story of the 2023-24 MLB offseason, while a slow-moving market overall left many of the top free agents scrambling to…
Predicting who will be most active during Major League Baseball's free agency window is a bit like predicting which college football teams will sign multiple…
For some Major League Baseball players, a contract year can be just the motivation necessary for an incredible campaign. We've identified nine guys who have…
After one of the slowest-moving MLB offseasons in recent memory headlined by Shohei Ohtani's free agency, there is a certain level of uncertainty surrounding…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 09: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a solo home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning in Game Two of the Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 09, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Free-agent slugger J.D. Martinez reportedly turned down a contract offer from the San Francisco Giants this offseason.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Giants made Martinez an offer, but he "didn't want to go there."
NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic provided more context to the report:
From what I've heard, Giants made an offer while they were also chasing Soler and Martinez made a counteroffer they weren't comfortable with. So "didn't want to go there" feels a bit strong ... https://t.co/UGIQjcUkHo
The 36-year-old Martinez, who is still a free agent, spent 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the Giants' main rival. Heyman noted that the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers are a "potential fit" for Martinez.
While Martinez is perhaps in the twilight of his career, he is still a highly productive hitter, which is why it is so surprising that he remains unsigned despite spring training having started.
Martinez has been named an All-Star in each of the past five seasons when an All-Star Game has been held, and he put up monster numbers last season despite only appearing in 113 games.
Serving almost exclusively as a designated hitter, Martinez slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI for a Dodgers team that won the National League West with a 100-62 record.
Martinez had plenty of lineup protection, particularly from a pair of NL MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
There was some thought that Martinez would return to the Dodgers in 2024 after being such a pivotal part of their offensive attack, but any chance of that was ended when L.A. signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking contract this offseason.
Since Ohtani typically only serves as a DH, it left the Dodgers without a spot for Martinez to play and contribute consistently.
Martinez is a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and one-time World Series winner who has bounced around quite a bit during his career despite his success, playing for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and Dodgers.
In 1,522 career regular-season games, Martinez owns a batting average of .287 with 315 homers and 1,002 RBI.
The Giants' interest in Martinez reportedly came before they filled their DH spot by signing Jorge Soler to a three-year, $42 million deal.
Soler, who will turn 32 on Sunday, is a one-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and one-time World Series MVP who clubbed 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins last season.
Martinez is far from alone in being a high-profile hitter who hasn't yet been signed. The market was slow for hitters this offseason, and he is joined by Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Tommy Pham as position players who remain free agents.
The Rangers already have a stacked lineup led by Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis García, Josh Jung and Co., but with no clear-cut DH on their roster, they stand out as a team that could ink Martinez in the coming days.
It has officially gotten weird that four of the top 10 players in this year's Major League Baseball free agency cycle still have not signed with anyone.…
As we continue to wait on the final few big pieces of MLB's 2023-24 free agency puzzle to find where they fit, let's look back at every franchise's best…
