When Martinez concluded a five-year, $110 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in 2022, he seemed washed.
Though he played in 139 games that year, he hit only 16 home runs with a modest .790 OPS. His contact quality, formerly a trademark of his, suffered as he landed in the 51st percentile for exit velocity and in the 60th percentile for hard-hit rate.
Yet the chance the Dodgers took on him via a one-year, $10 million deal was a worthwhile risk, if for no other reason than it would reunite Martinez with hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. And it worked, as Martinez's results were underscored by exit velocity and a hard-hit rate that both took a leap into the 98th percentile.
FOX Sports: MLB @MLBONFOXJ.D. Martinez joins the 300 home run club with his 2nd of the night! 🔥👏<br><br>(via <a href="">@Dodgers</a>) <a href="">
One red flag is that Martinez struck out a career-high 31.1 percent of the time in 2023. Another is that he basically lost two months to a bothersome groin injury. Even if he's strictly a DH, he's at an age when further injury trouble is likely a feature, not a bug.
Still, it's not as if he's in for a megadeal. MLB Trade Rumors originally projected Martinez for a two-year, $40 million pact. Especially after fellow DH Mitch Garver signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, that seems fair.
Plenty of teams can hypothetically do a deal like that. After first touching on some honorable mentions, let's count down the top 10 best bets to do so.
