The New York Mets have had a busy offseason. They’ve made several moves in free agency, and they also were able to lure Juan Soto over from the New York Yankees.
However, there are certain players that may not be back with the Mets in 2025. Slugger Pete Alonso is a free agent and is increasingly likely to sign elsewhere while J.D. Martinez also remains unsigned.
When projecting each Major League team’s Opening Day lineup for 2025, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter had Martinez in the mix with the Detroit Tigers.
“If the Tigers are willing to make Colt Keith, Jace Jung and Spencer Torkelson compete for one spot in the starting lineup, a reunion with J.D. Martinez would give them the proven veteran run producers their lineup is lacking,” Reuter wrote.
Martinez struggled with the Mets in 2024, slashing .235/.320/.406 with an underwhelming .725 OPS. He also hit 16 home runs and drove in 69 runs.
Losing Martinez shouldn’t hurt too significantly for the Mets after they signed Soto. But he is one of a few key pieces to the Mets’ run to the National League Championship Series that may not be back.
He isn’t too far removed from a 37-homer season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, so he could still bounce back if given the opportunity, whether that is with the Mets or another team.
The Mets did also bring back Jesse Winker and have plenty of young players ready to emerge, so they do have an insurance policy in place in case Martinez walks.
Their biggest concern at the moment is more than likely the potential outcome of the Alonso sweepstakes.
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