Scott Boras’ rough offseason continues with J.D. Martinez’s Mets deal

Scott Boras was already having a tough offseason. On Thursday night, it got even worse.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that J.D. Martinez signed with the Mets on a one-year deal worth $12 million.

Martinez, like Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, is a Boras client. Snell and Chapman, who also had extended free agency periods, both signed with the San Francisco Giants on deals that seemed to be below their market value, particularly in terms of length. Martinez, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, also had a chance to sign with the Giants, but turned down a one-year, $14 million offer. Nightengale reported at the time that Martinez was “seeking a two-year deal.”

While the lengthy free agency periods and lower-than-expected deals of Snell and Chapman, as well as Jordan Montgomery (another Boras client who remains a free agent) aren’t a great reflection on Boras, they’re not necessarily a sign that he didn’t do his job well — at least not on their own. Martinez, though? That’s a different story.

This wasn’t simply a matter of a player overestimating his value and asking for more than any team would realistically give. This was a player turning down a deal, then taking another contract for the same length of time and $2 million less.

With that in mind, Boras, who’s already been subjected to a lot of criticism in the offseason, got even more after Martinez’s deal became known.

Andy Martino of SNY also reported that the deal will have the Mets pay Martinez $4.5 million in 2024 and $1.5 million annually from 2034-2038. As he detailed, that arrangement “significantly reduces the luxury tax penalty for this year.”

This significantly reduces the luxury tax penalty for this year.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) March 22, 2024

Martinez is a six-time All-Star (including 2023) and coming off of a season in which he slashed at .271/.321/.572 and belted 33 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers. From New York’s perspective, it’s hard to find much wrong with the Martinez contract.

[Jon Heyman on Twitter/X, USA Today, Andy Martino on Twitter/X]