Access the Mets beat like never before

Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.

ST. LOUIS — A key component from the Mets’ surprise 2024 season is returning to the organization in a different capacity.

J.D. Martinez will assume a special assistant’s role with the club, the Mets announced Tuesday, placing him back with at least a few of the same players who were his teammates two years ago, with a chance to become involved on multiple fronts within the organization.

Most notably, Martinez developed a bond with Mark Vientos, who emerged to have a breakout season and help carry the Mets to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Other remaining players from Martinez’s one season in Queens include Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty.

But the 38-year-old Martinez’s fingerprints will be on the entire roster and beyond.

“I think not only us in here as an organization but outside the organization everybody saw what he meant to the team in 2024 when he first got here,” manager Carlos Mendoza said before the Mets’ 3-0 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. “A great guy in the clubhouse, just super consistent, very knowledgeable and very positive. A guy that won the World Series and has been in the playoffs.”

Martinez joins Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran among high-profile former Mets with an advisory role with the club. Martinez hit 331 homers over his 14-year major league career and produced an .863 OPS.

Martinez, in his lone season with the Mets — he also played for the Astros, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Dodgers over his career — was widely credited, along with veteran Jose Iglesias, for helping improve the clubhouse culture.

“I love having [Beltran] around and when we were talking a potential role for J.D., that is how we envision it: not only being here in the clubhouse, but in the front office, for him to get familiar with processes and how we come up with decisions,” Mendoza said.

“Just kind of get him on board, but kind of like the way we use Carlos as well, not only with the position players but the pitchers. There is so much information and the value of having pitchers talking to a Hall of Famer in Carlos Beltran and J.D. Martinez and their minds and everything they bring to the table.”

Martinez, who went unsigned following the 2024 season, took a special interest in Vientos during their time as teammates. Vientos hit 27 homers and posted an .837 OPS that season. But last year, Vientos struggled for much of the season and was relegated to the bench in long stretches.

“If you ask him, he would probably say he didn’t help me at all,” Vientos said. “But I think just being around him and seeing how he went about his business, and I sat with him on the plane and just seeing everything he would do. I learned so much. I soaked all that info up and it’s an honor to be around him.”

Vientos said he remained in touch with Martinez last year, but didn’t want to become a bother as the former six-time All-Star spent his first season away from the game. The two live in South Florida and have trained at the same facility.

“He’s definitely an older brother to me, so I kept in contact with him,” Vientos said.

Mendoza indicated he first became aware of discussions to hire Martinez, which involved president of baseball operations David Stearns and assistant general manager Eduardo Brizuela, at some point during spring training.

“It was just finding the match,” Mendoza said. “J.D. is in a pretty good spot, so I think it was just like the two parties needing to come together and having J.D. be willing to do it. He’s having a pretty good life right now.”