J.D. Martinez News: Angels rekindle contract talks with former Dodgers All-Star slugger, per insider

After Blake Snell's signing earlier this week, the next marquee free agent to score a deal might be J.D. Martinez. One of super agent Scott Boras’ clients, Martinez has garnered interest from several teams during his free agency.

New York Post’s Jon Heyman said that the Los Angeles Angels are trying to work out a deal for the former Dodgers’ All-Star.

"I think they are in on J.D. Martinez. I think they have made an offer. I'm not sure how likely that is though," Heyman said on BR Live. "They are talking about J.D. Martinez but have not offered enough up to this point."

Martinez will turn 37 this year and will be playing his 14th major league season. He signed a $10 million contract with the LA Dodgers for the 2023 season. Last year, he suffered a groin injury in August that limited him to only 113 games.

Despite his injury, Martinez had an impressive regular season, leading the team with 103 RBIs with a batting average of .271 and a .893 OPS. He also played three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS but was unable to take his team beyond that.

J.D. Martinez could be the Angels’ solution for Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Angels suffered a big loss in the offseason as Shohei Ohtani left to join their city rivals, the LA Dodgers.

There was also speculation about the possibility of Mike Trout leaving amid the club's lackluster offseason and postseason drought, but Trout has reassured fans of his loyalty to the Halos.

However, the team is still struggling to fill the gap left by Ohtani and is now searching for a designated hitter. J.D. Martinez seems like a great choice to take over the position that Ohtani held for six seasons.

Martinez has six All-Star nods and three Silver Slugger awards, along with a World Series ring he won in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. His experience in five postseasons will also be a valuable asset to the Angels to end their postseason drought this year. Additionally, Ron Washington’s guidance may help Martinez improve further for a few more seasons.

Either way, after Snell, now J.D. Martinez seems to be Boras’ next focus.