The Rangers recently made an offer to slugger J.D. Martinez in hopes of acquiring a bat to bolster their struggling offense, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. It’s a non-guaranteed pact, which seems unlikely to entice Martinez, who is still working out and staying in game shape in the event that an offer to his liking comes along, per Heyman.
Martinez had a seemingly quiet offseason, as was the case in the 2023-24 offseason until the Mets swooped in with a late major league offer. No such deal came around this time, but he said as recently as Jan. 31 that he was intent on playing in 2025 and apparently is keeping the door open for a second-half return.
Martinez, 37, was the Mets’ primary designated hitter last year and turned in a .235/.320/.406 line (108 wRC+) with 16 home runs, 24 doubles and a triple. It was decent production but a far cry from the 33-homer season Martinez enjoyed in just 113 games with the Dodgers just one season prior, in 2023.
While last year’s overall performance constitutes a “down” season by Martinez’s lofty standards, there are reasons to think his results could have or even should have been better than they were. He upped his walk rate from 7.1% in ’23 to 9.9% last year — his highest mark since 2019 — and cut his strikeout rate from 2023’s 31.1% down to 28.5%. That’s still considerably higher than average but a step in the right direction.
Martinez’s batted-ball metrics remained strong, too. He averaged 91 mph off the bat, barreled nearly 15% of his batted balls and saw 45.5% of his batted balls register an exit velocity of at least 95 mph. All of those numbers are well above league-average. Statcast pegged Martinez’s “expected” batting average at .256 and his “expected” slugging percentage at .472 — vast improvements over his actual marks of .235 and .406.
It’s plenty understandable that Texas would inquire about the possibility of bringing in Martinez. No team in baseball has received less production from the DH spot than the Rangers in 2025. Texas designated hitters are batting just .167/.249/.277 on the season. The bulk of that has come from Joc Pederson, who struggled immensely before suffering a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch in late May. He’s currently on the injured list and will be for at least another few weeks.
Even if nothing winds up coming together with the Rangers, their offer to Martinez is a reminder that one of the game’s most prolific power hitters in recent years remains unsigned and, apparently, is still open to suiting up for the final few months of the 2025 campaign.
Any playoff hopeful without a locked-in designated hitter could contemplate a run at Martinez, although there are roster considerations that must be factored in for any such club. Many (most) teams rotate several players through their DH spot as a means of maximizing matchups, keeping regulars fresh and/or alleviating logjams (e.g. four outfielders for three outfield spots). Bringing Martinez into the fold might not be an easy fit for every club, but the veteran slugger and his .268/.334/.486 slash over the past four seasons make for an intriguing upgrade for teams seeking offense but unwilling or unable to find sufficient help on the trade market.
