“The man is living the dream of us all”; “Someone should interview this dude” - Fans react as JD Martinez plans pro pickleball career after MLB

The competitive fire within J.D. Martinez is burning strong entering his 15th season as a professional baseball player. Although he remains a free agent following a season with the New York Mets in 2024, the power hitter announced on Monday that he plans to become a professional pickleball player once he hangs up his baseball cleats after signing an exclusive deal with JOOLA and that he had already started training with a pickleball pro.

“I see pickleball as a sport I’ll be involved in for the long run and JOOLA’s commitment to the sport and my personal growth in the game makes this partnership even more special,” Martinez said in a statement, via JOOLA.

News of the surprising transition following Martinez's baseball career piqued the interest of many of his fans and critics on social media. After JomBoy Media tweeted about it, they quickly shared their thoughts in the comments section.

The man is living the dream of us all. Pro pickleball player," a fan wrote.

"That is so dope," another fan said.

"Someone should interview this dude," one fan commented.

However, others did not take the news positively.

"He started the transition last year. Prior to the Mets striking a deal with him, he was playing Pickle Ball non-stop!" a fan commented.

"One of the best hitters in baseball turning to pickleball?" another fan said.

"Pickleball? Seems a pretty big step down for one of the best hitters in baseball," one fan wrote.

Will the bat of J.D. Martinez be called upon in 2025?

Although his age-36 season wasn't one to write home about playing for the New York Mets, J.D. Martinez still believes he has enough tread on his tires to continue his playing career. While he was in the news on Tuesday about a looming pickleball career, it's been quiet about potentially signing with an MLB team for the 2025 campaign.

Martinez saw a big drop in his counting stats across the board last season. His batting average plummeted to .235, slugging percentage to .406 and OPS to .725. The output came a year removed from recording a .271/.572/.893 line for the LA Dodgers over 479 plate appearances.

The veteran outfielder was selected to three straight all-star games before last year's dud, so it's still likely that Martinez will find his way onto an MLB roster looking for a power bat or veteran voice in the clubhouse.