Can a 37-year-old J.D. Martinez fix one of Padres biggest issues?
Credit: AP Photo
Could J.D. Martinez be an option for the San Diego Padres as they search for more offense?
The Padres enter Friday’s series against Colorado with a 23-13 record, good enough for the third-best record in baseball (second in the National League).
A lot has gone right for the Padres. Between elite pitching and a steady diet of contact hitting, the Padres appear to be a well-oiled machine. They are not without faults, though.
The Padres’ offense has been inconsistent, particularly against lefties. As a team, they are slashing .241/.313/.373 against southpaws. One position they could focus on improving in this area is designated hitter. Gavin Sheets has shown the ability to hit right-handers very well, so adding a platoon to mesh with him could be fruitful. Finding one in the middle of May could be tricky, though.
Enter J.D. Martinez, a six-time All-Star (5x AS appearances since 2018). Martinez is a .301 lifetime hitter against lefties with an elite .945 OPS. Martinez, who is coming off a down year by his standards (.725 OPS, 16 HR, 69 RBI), is still a free agent and still open to playing baseball.
J.D. MARTINEZ HITS A TWO-RUN WALK-OFF HOMER!
METS WIN! pic.twitter.com/uq2EN7dkm1
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 14, 2024
Against lefties, the Padres lineup could look like this:
1B Luis Arraez
DH J.D. Martinez
LF Brandon Lockridge or Tyler Wade
If the Padres want to keep Sheets in the lineup, they could get creative and sacrifice some defense by putting Him out in left field as well. His days of playing in the field are likely over, but Martinez is still a very useful bat, either off the bench or as a designated hitter.
He’s just a year removed from a successful 2023 campaign in which he slugged 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs as a member of the Padres’ NL West foe, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fast forward to 2025, and Martinez is currently spending his free time playing pickleball.
There’s no guarantee the signing will pan out, but a minor league contract with incentives, while offering Martinez another opportunity to play baseball, could benefit both him and the Padres as they look to add a spark to the offense.
Al was born in Fresno, California with a passion for talking and writing about sports. The lifelong Padres fan covers sports for Fresno State for Fresno Sports Magazine. In addition to writing, he is a public address announcer at both the high school and collegiate levels.