Check one off the list.
Nick Martinez, who pitched effectively in a variety of roles for the Padres the past two seasons, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Reds.
Martinez will make $14 million in 2024 and has a player option for $12 million in ‘25. The Padres declined a two-year, $32 million option on Martinez’s contract earlier this month, after which he declined a two-year, $16 million option.
The nature of Martinez’s deal with the Reds, much like the ones he signed the past two years with the Padres, reflects his ability to be a hybrid pitcher and the uncertainty over his ability to be a full-time starter.
The 33-year-old right-hander prefers to be in the rotation. He made 19 starts for the Padres over the past two seasons, posting a 3.41 ERA over 95 innings. He also appeared in 91 games out of the bullpen, posting a 3.48 ERA over 121⅔ innings.
Martinez was a key part of the Padres team that advanced to the National League Championship Series in 2022. He began the season as a starter before shifting almost exclusively to the bullpen, where he had a 2.67 ERA in 37 games (54 innings) and became the first pitcher in MLB history to start at least 10 games and have at least eight saves and eight holds in a season.
Martinez is expected to join the Reds rotation.
Meanwhile, the Padres need to add at least three starting pitchers this offseason, as three of their four top innings producers (Seth Lugo, Blake Snell and Michael Wacha) are free agents. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are the only certain members of their rotation going into 2024.
