Mets six-time All-Star urged to consider retirement after down season

The New York Mets have surged to a winning season thanks in large part to some savvy free agent additions.

The team has seen remarkable bounce-back seasons from winter additions Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, putting them in pole position for the final National League Wild Card spot down the final stretch of the season.

But another veteran signing, a $12 million single-season deal for slugger J.D. Martinez, has not worked out so well. Martinez is slashing just .241/.323/.418 with 16 homers so far this season, down from a career slash line of .284/.348/.517 and 33 homers last year. And that decline should push Martinez to consider ending his career, according to Tim Boyle of FanSided’s Rising Apple.

“He could conceivably return to the Mets although they should have a preference to leave the DH spot more open for players to take a half-day,” per Boyle. “Already 37 years old and now a father, maybe Martinez decides to enjoy some time with his newborn daughter instead of chasing down another year of baseball.”

Martinez was signed by the Mets in late March and didn’t join the big-league club until late April, and he’s been unable to put together the kind of season that earned him six All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger Awards ( two in the 2018 season alone ) across his 14-year career.

As Martinez faces free agency again at the end of the year, the elbow and ankle injuries he’s suffered this season might indeed push him to call it a career. Ultimately, if he can’t continue to hit the ball out the park, it might be hard for him to find a major-league home next year.

“Martinez remains a good run producer but the power is definitely fading more,” Boyle added. “His slugging percentage will finish more than 100 points lower than it did last season. He’s settling for far more singles than his role suggests he should.”

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