(Photo: Joe Nicholson / USA TODAY Sports)
J.D. Martinez’s return to Chase Field brings back memories of one of the greatest tears in Diamondbacks history. It also raises questions about a reunion that never was.
Martinez played 2 1/2 months with the Diamondbacks in 2017, then hit the open market and stayed there until the following spring. Rumors linking the Diamondbacks to Martinez persisted, and the longer he went unsigned, the more possible his return seemed.
Martinez made no secret about his feelings for the Diamondbacks. He liked playing for them — liked his teammates and the ballpark, liked being in Arizona.