Six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez joins Mets as a special assistant to baseball operations

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez is joining the New York Mets as a special assistant to baseball operations.

The 38-year-old Martinez last played in 2024 for the Mets, the final season of his 14-year career with six teams.

“Everybody saw what he meant to the team in 2024 when he first came out, not only on the field, but off the field,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Great guy in the clubhouse. He’s just super consistent, very knowledgeable and a very positive guy that’s won a World Series, being in the playoffs. I think overall, huge, huge addition. I was super excited when I found out.”

Mendoza envisions Martinez’s role as being similar to that of Carlos Beltran, another former Mets player who was hired as a special assistant to the general manager in 2023.

“Not only with the position players, but with the pitchers,” Mendoza said. “You know, there’s so much information. The value of having pitchers talking to a hall of famer in Carlos Beltran and now a guy like J.D. Martinez, in the mind and everything that they bring to the table. So that’s how we see it moving forward.”

Mendoza said talks with Martinez about the position started in spring training.

“I think it’s just like the two parties needing to come together, you know, and having J.D. to be willing to do it,” Mendoza said. “I mean, he’s having a pretty good life right now.”

Martinez batted .283 and had 331 home runs in 6,512 at-bats over 1,642 career games for Houston, Detroit, Arizona, Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb