There will be a universal DH in baseball for the first time in 2020. J.D. Martinez can only hope it's not the last.
The Red Sox slugger would benefit more than any other player in baseball by the full-time adoption of the position in the National League, and he makes no secret of his wish to see it happen. Because the players and owners could not agree on a proposal to play the 2020 season, the universal DH will only be used this year out of safety concerns, before reverting back to an AL-only position in 2021.
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"You're kind of asking a biased person here," Martinez said. "I'm all for it. I'm a DH. I think you could speak to a lot of pitchers who are for it, too. A lot of pitchers like it and a lot of pitchers in the AL like it because they feel the pitchers in the NL have an advantage. It's one less hitter they have to face and one less elite hitter they have to face, really, because of it."
Martinez can opt out of his contract after this season, which is an iffy proposition in the midst of a pandemic. But the only way it happens is if the NL market suddenly opens up, creating 15 potential new landing spots for the best DH in the game.
Martinez will otherwise make $19.75 million in each of the next two seasons as part of a five-year, $110 million contract. When he addressed the DH issue via a Zoom call on Sunday, he focused on the competitive implications.
"I like it to even the playing field across the board," he said. "I understand the history of it and stuff like that, so I see the other side of it, too, but I'm in favor of it. I think it keeps everybody safe. It keeps our pitchers safe, it keeps the game fun, it's more offense, which is what fans like to see. And I think you don't have the whole, 'Oh he had 2.00 ERA in the NL so in the AL that's really going to be a 3.00.' Now it makes it easy and makes it even across the board for everybody."
