The middle of June is almost here, and the Detroit Tigers are still the team to beat in the Majors. A.J. Hinch's club is entering Wednesday's action with an MLB-leading 44-24 record, putting the Tigers on pace for 104 wins, which is the same regular-season total they had before winning the 1984 World Series.
Detroit fans certainly wouldn't mind if history repeats itself.
As Hinch & Co. continue working to improve their odds of bringing a World Series title back to the Motor City, several former Tigers players are still struggling to find work this season — including one former slugger in the unemployment line.
Former Tigers DH J.D. Martinez Still Can't Find a Job in June
The 2025 MLB season is near its halfway point, and former Tigers slugger J.D. Martinez still hasn't found an opportunity to play. There hasn't been much buzz surrounding the three-time Silver Slugger ever since MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that Martinez was "hitting and staying ready while waiting for a job" back in April.
Without any significant updates since then, it's becoming more likely that Martinez might not play in the Majors this season.
A 14-year MLB veteran, Martinez has played games with six different clubs throughout his career. He played four seasons and 458 of his 1,642 regular-season outings in a Tigers jersey, which happened to represent some best time in the big leagues. During his time in the Motor City, Martinez racked up 99 home runs, 285 RBIs, 161 walks, and a .300/.361/.551 slash line, as well as his first-ever All-Star appearance.
Martinez was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a four-player trade in July 2017 and has since made appearances with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and, most recently, the New York Mets in 2024. Unfortunately, he looked like he lost a step during his Mets tenure, tallying only 16 HRs and 69 RBIs while slashing .235/.320/.406 in 120 games.
The longer he goes without a contract or even surface-level interest, the harder it will be for Martinez to play in 2025. Even if he's miraculously signed by an offensively starved team, the reality is he's a soon-to-be-38-year-old veteran who hasn't played in nearly eight months. He probably won't move the needle anywhere he could go.
If this is the end of his MLB career, Martinez will head into retirement with 331 HRs, 1,071 RBIs, 601 walks, and a 30.8 WAR. He's also made six MLB All-Star appearances and finished inside the top 20 of the American League MVP race twice. His top achievement, though, came when he won the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox.
As Martinez figures out where his career will take him, Tigers fans will turn their attention back to this season's championship outlook. Who knows? Perhaps Martinez will be invited to take in a Detroit playoff game as an honorary guest if he remains unsigned.