Former Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez reveals why he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers: "I just want to win”

J.D. Martinez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year contract after spending the last five years with the Boston Red Sox. Martinez recently revealed why he wanted to make this transition.

He said via the L.A. Times:

“I’m in a part of my career where I just want to win. I didn’t want to be on a team that was going to be rebuilding. I didn’t want to be on a team that was trying to see where [it was] going, [that] didn’t know where we were gonna be."

He continued:

"I wanted to be on a team that is going to be in the running, that is going to be right there come October. That was my main thing. That was literally my main focus.”

Martinez knows he's not getting any younger, so he wants to go after another World Series ring:

“When I talked to Andrew on the phone. I said, ‘I’m doing this because I believe in you guys and I believe in the team you put on the field every year.' I’m getting to the back end of my career. And I know this is a really good chance … to try to win another World Series.”

Martinez added that his friendship with Mookie Betts, who he called his "genuine friend", helped make his decision for him. The opportunity to play with his friend and go after another World Series title was too much for the slugger to pass up.

Martinez had a down year, but is certainly capable of putting up one of the best offensive seasons across baseball next year. Perhaps a change of scenery and a better lineup around him will help him return to form.

What can the Los Angeles Dodgers expect from J.D. Martinez?

J.D. Martinez was worth just 1.0 fWAR last season and had a 119 wRC+. He should be better this year..

Fangraphs expects him to record 2.2 fWAR (which is decent for an everyday DH that gets penalized for not playing defense) and a 124 wRC+, so he should be closer to the slugger he was in the past.