is still looking for a new contract as March begins, as the 37-year-old is coming off a decent but unspectacular season with the Mets. There hadnt been any public buzz about teams connected to Martinez, yet writes that the Yankees have some contact with Martinezs camp, likely in connection to the ongoing uncertainty over s status. There isnt any indication that the Yankees interest is anything more than due diligence at this point, though reaching out to establish some rapport with Martinez could be viewed as a first step in case Stanton ends up mi sing significant time. As Heyman notes, it doesnt seem likely that Martinez would be signed just as a stopgap player if Stanton ultimately isnt out of action for much beyond Opening Day. Martinez has limited roster utility as a virtual DH-only player at this point in his career, and the Yankees could always opt to rotate players through the DH spot if Stanton has only a limited absence. Stanton in both of his elbows, and it has now been five or six weeks since the veteran slugger has even swung a bat. Stanton isnt in camp at all right now, as Yankees manager told reporters (including Heyman and ) that Ben Rortvedt Jersey Stanton is in New York due to reasons unrelated to his elbow injuries, and it isnt known when Stanton might be back in Tampa to take part in Spring Training. Based on the amount of time Stanton has already lost, it seems quite likely hell start the season on the injured list, if for no other reason than to give him extra time to fully get healthy and pick up some at-bats during extended Spring Training. Though hitting is the primary focus since Stanton is also a DH-only player, some overall physical maintenance is nece sary given Stantons long history of lower-body injuries. These elbow problems are a new i sue for Stanton, adding another unwelcome entry to his checkered injury history. With all of this in mind, there might be an opening for Martinez in the Bronx, who could basically slide directly into Stantons role as the primary designated hitter. The right-handed hitting Martinez struggled against same-sided pitching in 2024, which could open the door for New York to use a left-handed bat or switch-hitter to spell Martinez against righty pitching. Martinez hit .235/.320/.406 with 16 home runs over 495 plate appearances for the Mets last season, translating to a 108 wRC+. A .351 xwOBA that was far above his .318 wOBA indicates that Martinez may have been somewhat unlucky at the plate, as Martinez still made a lot of hard contact and his walk rate was well above the league average. His 28.5% strikeout rate was quite poor, though strikeouts have long been an i sue for Martinez for much of his career. As noted, Martinezs chief i sue in 2024 was a lack of production against right-handed pitching he had only a .683 OPS against righties, in comparison to an .836 OPS against southpaws. It is fair to wonder if Martinezs late start contributed to these numbers, as he didnt sign with the Mets until March 23, and he didnt make his season debut until April 26. By this standard, Martinez is at least ahead of last years schedule in terms of finding his next contract, though mi sing over two weeks of spring camp has already made for another adjustment to his usual offseason calendar. In regards to a po sible deal with the Yankees, the club is likely to want to gather as much information as po sible on Stanton before deciding on a next course of action, so it may yet be a while before the Yankees make a pursuit of Martinez or anyone at all if they opt for external help. Martinez made a $12MM salary with the Mets last year, in the form of $4.5MM in actual salary and the rest in deferred payments. The dropoff from his 2023 numbers will mean that Martinez will surely have to settle for le s than $12MM wherever he signs, and the Yankees luxury tax situation is another po sible obstacle to a deal, even if Martinez was available at a relatively inexpensive price. projects New Yorks tax number at roughly $305.1MM, already over the highest penalty tier of $301MM, and thus meaning the team will be taxed at a 110 percent rate on every dollar spent beyond $301MM. Dylan Carlson Jersey