Arizona Diamondbacks: Will J.D. Martinez stay in the desert?

By Mark Brown |

Will the Arizona Diamondbacks be able to keep J.D. Martinez? (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Outfielder J.D. Martinez is likely to be the most coveted free agent this winter among non-pitchers. Could he return to the Arizona Diamondbacks?

For teams which qualified for postseason play, the biggest fear is retention of key players.

Perhaps no team is faced with this dilemma more than the Arizona Diamondbacks, and status of outfielder J.D. Martinez. After the trade from Detroit to Arizona just after the All-Star game, Martinez appeared in 62 games for Arizona, and produced 65 RBI. That included 29 home runs in 257 times at the plate.

While movement among teams can be traumatic, Martinez made the transition from the American League Tigers to the National League Diamondbacks seamlessly. Quiet and taciturn, Martinez arrived in the desert with a willingness to adapt and, at the same time, recognized the Diamondbacks greater opportunity to qualify for postseason play than the Tigers. The culture of open communication and “family” instituted by manager Torey Lovullo helped to make Martinez’s transition to his new team smooth.

Over the course of the final two months of the season, Martinez’s value to the Diamondbacks was significant.

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Not only did he provide a lethal bat in the middle of the lineup and afford protection for Paul Goldschmidt, he also provided an adequate glove in right field.

At the start of the season, the Arizona outfield consisted of David Peralta in right, A.J. Pollock center, and Yasmany Tomas in left. When Tomas went down with both back and groin injuries in June, general manager Mike Hazen began an immediate search to fill the gap.

At the start, Hazen’s plan addressed two important issues. First, there was a search to replace Tomas’ 31 homers and 83 RBI from last season. More important, Tomas’ defensive liabilities were well documented, and Hazen sought to procure a stable glove. Eventually, he found both in Martinez.

For the stretch run, Martinez was an ideal addition. He patrolled right field with a solid defensive presence, and his contributions at the plate were well documented. A strong work ethic was one reason for success, and Martinez told Call to the Pen near the end of the season about his approach.

“I worked really hard to put myself in the best position to succeed,” he said. “It’s been fun, and a bounce-back year for me. I don’t like to look into things, and just worry about today. I’m a better hitter and have a better sense of myself and the game than three years, four years ago. The older you get, the better you get, and I just want continue to grow.”

While the Diamondbacks would clearly like to have Martinez back for the 2018 season, he is an unrestricted free agent, and will command great attention. For the 2017 season, Martinez earned $17,750,000 and could gather a yearly salary of greater than $20 million per year for 2018 and beyond.

For the Diamondbacks to come anywhere close to his numbers, there would have to be a rather profound restructure of their economics.

For starters, pitcher Zack Greinke is due to make $34 million for each of the next two seasons, and $35 million for each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Tomas’ numbers also enter into the economic stratosphere.

For 2018, Tomas is due $13.5 million. That’s for a player who underwent season-ending surgery in late August and hit .241 (eight homers, 32 RBI) in 47 games this past season. The Diamondbacks remain on the hook for Tomas in future years, including $15.5 million for 2019 and $17 million for 2020.

Next: Marlins season review, offseason preview

After the Diamondbacks were eliminated from postseason play by the Dodgers, Hazen told Call to the Pen that any comments regarding personnel was too early for discussion. It’s clear the Diamondbacks want Martinez back, but his decision will likely be influenced by economics.

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