It was a long offseason for slugger J.D. Martinez. After a remarkable 2023 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Martinez could do little more than twiddle his thumbs as he waited for a new contract for the 2024 season. As part of a disappointing offseason for Scott Boras, Martinez failed to reach an agreement with anyone until the end of Spring Training. He had other offers at various times, including a lucrative offer from the San Francisco Giants, but turned it down because he didn’t want to play at Oracle Park. Finally, the 36-year-old slugger reached an agreement with the New York Mets for $12 million last Thursday, helping solve an offensive dilemma for their designated hitter role.

In Martinez, the Mets are receiving a veteran slugger who is coming off his third straight All-Star season where he hit .271/.321/.572 for the Dodgers with 33 homers in 113 games. The six-time All-Star lost a bit of time due to a groin injury but returned for a blazing month of September to close out the regular season where he hit .333 with eight home runs in 21 games.

Beyond the surface-level stat sheet, Martinez has proven to be elite when it comes to metrics courtesy of Statcast. He featured an excellent 17.1% barrel rate and a 55.1% hard-hit rate, both of which landed him in the 98th percentile among all Major League hitters in 2024. His 2.2 fWAR ranked as the 11th best among all DHs.

Despite a concerning uptick in strikeouts last season, the Mets are depending on Martinez to continue his elite prowess at the plate and be a leader among his teammates as the Mets try to get over the hump and win a World Series.

“J.D. is a veteran Major League player with a proven track record,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a statement. “His valuable bat will provide protection and extend the lineup. His addition to the club continues our commitment to compete in 2024 and beyond.”

The addition of Martinez will now solidify a spot in the lineup that was viewed as one of the weakest in the league. In 2023 the Mets DH spot posted a 25th-best .700 OPS between the four players that saw time there. Outfielder Tommy Pham, who is still a free agent, was the most productive in his 79 games as DH, posting a 1.5 fWAR and 125 wRC+ while slashing .268/.348/.472 with 10 home runs. Martinez presents a clear upgrade of consistency that the Mets will take advantage of this season.

However, with the signing of Martinez, repurcussions will occur for the roster. Most notably, the player effected the most is Mark Vientos. A season ago, Vientos spent 65 games as the DH for the Mets where he struggled to a  .211/.253/.367 line but did club nine home runs. Entering Spring Training he appeared to the favorite to serve as the primary DH in the regular season. He made a decent case in camp, batting .232/.259/.536 with five home runs in 19 games. He did struggle with 19 strikeouts against two walks, but there was a lot to like about his growth. Unfortuantely, with the signing of Martinez, Vientos found himself ousted from the Opening Day roster to Triple-A.

“As we looked at our roster construction, looked at some of the matchups earlier in the season, we just thought this made the right sense, both for him from a playing-time perspective,” Stearns said to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, “and for our team at the Major League level.”

Martinez will likely slot into the third or fourth spot in the lineup, helping provide protection for slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, and help produce more power at the top of the lineup. With Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor hitting in front of him, Martinez will have plenty of opportunities to help drive in runs for the team.

When Martinez will be ready for action remains to be seen. It has been reported that he’s already given his consent to start the  year in the minors as a way to get more reps in and get up to speed for the season. Luckily, as a DH, the process may be quicker for Martinez than others as he works to get his timing back and see as many pitches as possible.

The Mets had been hesitant to add anyone this late in Spring Training, but once the price for Martinez dropped, they pounced on the opportunity and it appears they are delighted to have him. For a team with high expectations for itself, that has tried and failed in the Steve Cohen era, the addition of Martinez is a wise move that solves a crucial offensive role in a tough division.