The Los Angeles Dodgers gambled during the previous offseason that J.D. Martinez, who was coming off a disappointing season with the Boston Red Sox, would benefit from being reunited with Mookie Betts and hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc.

After joining the Dodgers, Martinez found new life and served as inspiration for Betts during a season that was worthy of MVP honors.

Martinez was the Dodgers’ backup option at the beginning of free agency this year, despite his success, because they were pursuing Shohei Ohtani. That came to an end over the weekend when Ohtani declared he was committing to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Martinez is now thought to be unlikely to re-sign with the Dodgers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are hoping for a reunion in addition to showing interest in Justin Turner.

Now that the Dodgers are done with J.D. Martinez, a free agent, the Arizona Diamondbacks hope to sign him. Justin Turner is also a possibility.

If the Dodgers’ pursuit of Ohtani was unsuccessful, Martinez was reportedly interested in signing with them again. That carried the possibility that Martinez would sign with another team while the Dodgers were waiting on Ohtani to make a decision, but that didn’t happen.

Martinez might have been content to wait until Ohtani signed free agency in order to enjoy what might turn out to be his final season with the Dodgers.

In the 2023 All-Star Game, Martinez was selected as the National League’s starting designated hitter. He hit.271/.321/.572, with 33 home runs, 103 RBI, 61 runs scored, and a 135 wRC+.

Martinez spent the 2017 season as a player for the Diamondbacks. In the opening game of the NL Division Series that year, he launched three home runs into Dodger Stadium.

Is J.D. Martinez re-signable by the Dodgers?The Dodgers may still try to re-sign Martinez if they think he can play left field, though this is not a likely scenario.

Martinez hasn’t played left field extensively since his 299.1 innings in 2021, and he only put in 12 innings over three games (one start) this past season.