ST. LOUIS -- The Mets, who already employ Hall of Famer-elect Carlos Beltrán in their front office, have added yet another accomplished hitting mind in J.D. Martinez.
A cog of the 2024 “OMG” Mets both on the field and in the clubhouse, Martinez stayed in touch with team officials after that season and was in contact with them about a potential role throughout this winter. The sides made it official on Tuesday, naming Martinez a special assistant to baseball operations.
“There’s a perspective there that many of us in the front office don’t have,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “Being able to get the advice of someone who’s lived it, and now who also has access to all the information we have and can think about it with a little bit of distance -- but also the player background and perspective -- is [invaluable].”
Martinez, 38, last played in the Majors with the Mets in 2024. He slashed .235/.320/.406 in 120 regular-season games, while providing key veteran leadership amid New York’s surprise run to the National League Championship Series.
Among the many players still around from that team are Mark Vientos, whom Martinez mentored throughout the 2024 season, as well as Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Francisco Lindor.
“It’s a familiar face,” Lindor said. “I think it’s going to be very helpful for players to get a little more familiarized with the front office. That connection, that bridge, I think that’s what that job is. So I think it’s going to be really good. It’s important.”
Manager Carlos Mendoza stressed multiple times that Martinez can help the team’s pitchers as much as its hitters, given his wealth of knowledge about scouting reports and attack plans.
“In J.D.’s case, he has the benefit of, he knows a lot of our players still, and some of these were teammates,” Stearns said. “So now he gets to rejoin the organization in a different role and in a different place, but with some very different relationships.”
Throughout an accomplished big league career, Martinez developed a reputation as a hitting savant, with former Mets teammate Jake Diekman once calling Martinez “the smartest hitter ever.” Originally selected in the 20th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Astros, Martinez was released five years later by a front office that included a young Stearns. Martinez subsequently overhauled his swing at the vanguard of baseball’s fly-ball revolution, becoming a six-time All-Star and one of the elite power hitters of his era. Stearns eventually re-signed him to become part of the 2024 Mets.
A three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Martinez hit 331 home runs with an .864 OPS over parts of 14 seasons.
He will begin working with the Mets later in April, likely on their next homestand. Martinez’s role figures to mirror that of Beltrán, who is in his fourth season as a special assistant. In that role, Beltrán has spent time in the clubhouse and the batting cage with Mets hitters. He has also worked in the front office, particularly during the offseason months, and with Minor League affiliates.
“I love having Carlos around,” Mendoza said. “When I was talking to David and [assistant general manager] Eduardo [Brizuela] for a potential role for J.D., that’s kind of how we envisioned [it] -- not only being here in the clubhouse, but in the front office for him to get familiar with processes and how we come up with decisions, just kind of get him on board.”