Advertisement

March 22, 2024 / 7:24 AM

Mets, designated hitter J.D. Martinez agree to one-year deal

Veteran slugger J.D. Martinez hit .271 with 33 home runs and 103 RBIs last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

1 of 5 | Veteran slugger J.D. Martinez hit .271 with 33 home runs and 103 RBIs last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

March 22 (UPI) -- Free agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with the New York Mets.

Sources told ESPN, MLB.com and the New York Post about the agreement Thursday. Martinez will be paid $4.5 million this season and $1.5 million, annually, in deferrals from 2034 to 2038, according to the terms of the pact.

Advertisement

The 36-year-old, who confirmed his decision to join the Mets on Instagram, must pass a physical to complete the transaction.

Martinez spent last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 13-year veteran owns a career .287 average, with 315 home runs over 1,522 appearances.

Martinez smashed 33 home runs with 103 RBIs and hit .271 over 113 games last season with the Dodgers.

He spent his previous five seasons with the Boston Red Sox, winning a World Series with that franchise in 2018. The six-time All-Star hit a career-best .330 that season, with 43 home runs and an MLB-high 130 RBIs. Martinez smacked a career-high 45 home runs in 2017, which he split with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Advertisement

The right-handed slugger also spent time with the Houston Astros. He entered the league as a 20th-round pick by the Astros in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Read More

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits hardest home run of career vs. Nationals

MLB // 2 days ago

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits hardest home run of career vs. Nationals

April 24 (UPI) -- Shohei Ohtani drove his bat through the strike zone, smacking the barrel on a fastball for the hardest home run of his career in a Los Angeles Dodgers win over the Washington Nationals in Washington.

Dodgers' Ohtani 'relieved' after passing Matsui for most homers by Japanese player

MLB // 4 days ago

Dodgers' Ohtani 'relieved' after passing Matsui for most homers by Japanese player

April 22 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani said he felt relief and happiness after hitting a 423-foot bomb to pass Hideki Matsui for the most career homers hit by a Japanese-born player during a win over the New York Mets.

Former Astros prospect Ronny Garcia dead in traffic accident

MLB // 5 days ago

Former Astros prospect Ronny Garcia dead in traffic accident

April 21 (UPI) -- Former baseball pitching prospect Ronny Garcia, 24, and his father, are dead following a traffic accident in the Dominican Republic, the Houston Astros confirmed late Saturday.

Red Sox to call up 31-year-old ex-carpenter Cam Booser

MLB // 1 week ago

Red Sox to call up 31-year-old ex-carpenter Cam Booser

April 19 (UPI) -- Former carpenter Cam Booser, a 31-year-old pitcher who spent four years out of professional baseball, will be promoted from the minor leagues and join the Boston Red Sox big-league roster, his agency announced.

Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson hit with 87-mph line drive, injures pitching arm

MLB // 1 week ago

Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson hit with 87-mph line drive, injures pitching arm

April 19 (UPI) -- Ryne Nelson took an 87-mph liner off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski to his pitching arm, forcing him to leave in the second inning of a 5-0 Arizona Diamondbacks loss to the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco.

NBA play-in tournament: Lakers advance to playoffs, Kings to meet Pelicans

MLB // 1 week ago

NBA play-in tournament: Lakers advance to playoffs, Kings to meet Pelicans

April 17 (UPI) -- LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers overcame a 40-point effort from Zion Williamson to beat the New Orleans Pelicans in the first game of the NBA play-in tournament, advancing to the playoffs.

Whitey Herzog, manager who led Cardinals to World Series, dies at 92

MLB // 1 week ago

Whitey Herzog, manager who led Cardinals to World Series, dies at 92

April 16 (UPI) -- Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog, who led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series in 1982, has died, the Cardinals announced Tuesday. He was 92.

Yankees bid farewell to John Sterling, 'goliath of sports broadcasting'

MLB // 1 week ago

Yankees bid farewell to John Sterling, 'goliath of sports broadcasting'

April 16 (UPI) -- The New York Yankees said goodbye to John Sterling, announcing that their longtime radio broadcaster retired, effective immediately, and will be honored Saturday before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday, baseball's top prospect, gets first MLB hit

MLB // 1 week ago

Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday, baseball's top prospect, gets first MLB hit

April 15 (UPI) -- Jackson Holliday jumped on a 99-mph inside fastball, sending the pitch into right field, for his first MLB hit in a Baltimore Orioles win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Baltimore.

L.A. Dodgers' Ohtani's ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16M to cover gambling debts

MLB // 2 weeks ago

L.A. Dodgers' Ohtani's ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16M to cover gambling debts

April 11 (UPI) -- Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani with bank fraud, alleging he stole more than $16 million to pay off gambling debts.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement