J.D. Martinez Turned Down San Francisco Giants Because Of Their Stadium

J.D. Martinez, like most of his fellow Scott Boras clients, had a rough offseason.

READ: What Is Scott Boras Thinking Letting Four Premier MLB Clients Go Unsigned In Free Agency?

Martinez, 36, is coming off a fantastic season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, during which he hit 33 home runs, hit .271 and had a .572 slugging percentage. A mediocre .321 on base percentage weighed down his value a bit, but he still contributed a 135 wRC+ and 2.2 WAR, a vast improvement from a disappointing 2023. 

Martinez hoped to parlay that success into a longer-term deal, perhaps taking him through the end of his career with the same team. But it apparently never materialized, as teams, reasonably, have an extremely high offensive bar for DH-only players.

But one offer he did get was from the San Francisco Giants, who after missing out on Shohei Ohtani, were desperately looking for more hitting. Martinez though, turned it down, waiting teams out before agreeing to a one-year, $12 million deal with the New York Mets. After signing, he told reporters why he took less money to join the Mets instead: the Giants' stadium. 

"If I'm being quite honest, it's not the best hitter-friendly park for me," Martinez explained. "If I go there and I hit .260 with 20, people are going to say I'm old and washed up and I'm kind of done, and [I'll] find myself out of the game."

"I wanted to give myself the best opportunity," he continued. "It's nothing against the Giants organization at all. I just wanted to give myself the best opportunity to continue my career in baseball and keep playing. San Fran is a tough ballpark to hit in, especially when you go the other way there. Citi Field is not like that. Most fields aren't. That's one of the big ones," he concluded.

Los Angeles - Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter J.D. Martinez reacts after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks  during the fourth inning of game two of the NLDS of the 2023 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

J.D. Martinez Gives Refreshingly Honest Take On Free Agency Process

It's rare for players to open up this much about what went into their decision-making process. The Giants reportedly offered Martinez an extra $2 million to sign in San Francisco, but Martinez clearly realized that the ability to play more seasons in MLB would pay off more than the difference in salary.

And he may be right.

Oracle Park has consistently ranked as one of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the sport, and for right-handed hitters is tied for the third-toughest park to hit home runs.  For players like Martinez, whose value is tied up in homers, it's about as bad as it gets. 

Citi Field is no picnic either, though. According to Baseball Savant, Citi Field has a 95 park factor for right-handed home runs, where the league average is 100. Though Oracle Park is just a lowly 84. 

Similarly to the way pitchers view Coors Field, it makes sense for offense-first players like Martinez to consider playing in a tough hitter's environment carefully. You'd think front offices would know enough to realize that parks matter, but it's hard to take that bet. And luckily for Martinez, he had enough offers to know he didn't have to.