Mets slugger details how close he was to retiring before 2024 season

"Here I am. The team's breaking in five days and I don't even have a team yet," Martinez said.

"You thought about retiring?" podcast host Rob Bradford asked.

"100%," Martinez replied.

"I was on the boat fishing with my best friend, Dale, and I was like 'Bro, I think this is it. (Expletive) it. I'm staying home. This is dumb.'"

The 37-year-old revealed that his friend, Dale, convinced him not to give up, and days later, he was signing with New York.

"My buddy Dale was like, 'Hey, listen, you've trained this year, you've gotten your body ready, you're ready for the season. So you're just gonna waste all this training that you've done for nothing? You might as well play,'" Martinez said.

The three-time Silver Slugger Award winner told Bradford that he called his agent (Scott Boras) on Sunday and signed with the Mets five days later on Friday.

"And so you said on (Sunday) and said if you don't have a job by Friday you're (retired)," Bradford confirmed.

"Yeah," Martinez said.

He came to the Big Apple on a one-year, $12M deal, teaming up with fellow right-handed slugger Pete Alonso in the middle of the Mets' lineup. New York was also buoyed by veteran outfielder Brandon Nimmo, breakout third baseman Mark Vientos and switch-hitting shortstop and NL MVP candidate Francisco Lindor.

After debuting with the Houston Astros in 2011 and being released in 2014, Martinez shined with the Detroit Tigers in his first big season in 2015. Martinez recorded 38 home runs 102 RBI and a .282/.344/.535 slash line that year over a career-high 596 at-bats and 158 games to earn his first All-Star and Silver Slugger honors.

His numbers slipped in 2016 before returning to form in 2017, posting a career-best 45 home runs and .690 slugging percentage, as well as 104 RBI in a split season between the Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Martinez signed with the Boston Red Sox in February 2018 and immediately had the best season of his career.

The former 20th-round draft pick set career highs during his first season in Boston with an MLB-leading 130 RBI and 358 total bases. Martinez also set high marks in runs scored (111), hits (188), batting average (.330) and on-base percentage (.402) to earn his second All-Star team and win his second Silver Slugger award.

He also finished fourth in the AL MVP voting and helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series title.

Martinez stayed in Beantown through the 2022 campaign — making his third, fourth and fifth All-Star squads in 2019, 2021 and 2022 — before the team allowed him to walk two winters ago and sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a relatively down 2022 season — despite the All-Star berth — he powered up again in 2023, registering his most home runs (33) and RBI (103) since 2019.

Martinez finished fifth on the team in 2024 behind Alonso, Lindor, Nimmo and Vientos in hits (102), home runs (16), RBI (69), total bases (176) and OPS (.725).

Now, he's just nine wins away from the second championship of his career.