Jose Martinez signing adds righthanded bat to Mets bench
Jose Martinez looks on at PNC Park on September 2, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Credit: Getty Images/Joe Sargent
The Mets added some depth on Thursday, signing first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez to a one-year contract.
The contract will be worth $1 million with $500,000 in added incentives if Martinez makes the club, according to USA Today, which first reported the signing.
Martinez, 32, hit just .182 in a miserable 2020 season with the Rays and the Cubs. But in previous years he was a reliable righthanded bat and a formidable pinch hitter, which should be helpful to the Mets with their lefthanded-heavy current lineup.
Martinez’s best seasons came with St. Louis. In 2018, he hit .305 with 17 HRs, 83 RBIs and an .821 OPS. He is a career .306 hitter in 110 plate appearances as a pinch hitter with three home runs and an .851 OPS. He has a .915 career OPS vs. lefthanded pitchers, .765 against righties.
Martinez was traded from Tampa Bay to Chicago last Aug. 30 and went 0-for-21 with the Cubs.
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
