A veteran right-hander Nick Martinez accepted a Qualifying Offer from the Reds, according to a report from Franchys Romero. Martinez will remain with Cincinnati through the 2025 season on a one-year, $21.05MM deal.
Martinez, 34, has been a surprise QO recipient after a strong first season with the Reds. The right-hander joined the club on a two-year, $26MM deal last winter after he and the Padres opted out of their simultaneous opt-outs for the 2024 campaign, making him a free agent. A deal with Cincinnati appeared to be a challenge for the Reds, as Martinez turned in a 3.10 ERA and 3.21 FIP over 142 1/3 innings of work in a season that saw him split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen. .
While the righty posted outstanding numbers in the win, sporting a 1.86 ERA in 53 1/3 frames out of the bullpen, his 3.84 ERA in 16 starts sees him flash the potential to be a quality rotation piece. A closer look at Martinez’s career this season reveals that he struggled in the rotation early in the year, with a 5.46 ERA at the end of April. He ended the year on a high note after returning to the rotation in early August, however, with a 2.42 ERA in 63 1/3 innings in 11 starts. That stellar performance last season may inspire more confidence in Martinez’s abilities as part of the rotation heading into 2025, though it’s important to note that his strikeout rate (22.5% vs 19.1%) and groundball rate (42.8% vs 33.7%) were both better. . out of the barn there is an exchange this year.
Of course, part of Martinez’s value since returning to MLB following a four-year stint in Japan (where he posted a 3.02 ERA in 378 1/3 NPB innings) is his ability to move from the rotation to the bullpen based on team needs. his. The right-hander has served as a swingman over the past three seasons, logging 184 innings in 35 rotation starts and 175 innings in addition to 117 relief appearances. On the heels of the season we saw Hunter Greene, Nick Lodoloagain Andrew Abbott With all the time he’s missed due to injury, it’s easy to imagine the Reds putting more value on Martinez’s versatility as they try to plan for their young-arms rotation. That is especially important given the presence of high hopes Rhett Lowderwho looked dominant in late-season polls but may not be ready to jump straight into the big league season in 2025.
That combination of production and versatility convinced the Reds to extend Martinez the QO, or $21.05MM making more than a $7MM raise on his 2024 salary. The parties reportedly discussed a multi-year extension in the days leading up to the QO deadline earlier this month, but failed to reach an agreement. Given Martinez’s age, it’s likely that his earning potential on the open market will be reduced in any multi-year deal. That fact certainly made accepting a QO an attractive option for Martinez, and that’s exactly what MLBTR predicted he would do in our annual list of the Top 50 MLB Free Agents.
While adding Martinez to the club’s staff for 2025 is sure to improve the team, such a big raise could cause some problems for the club’s budget. RosterResource estimates the club’s current cap hit for 2025 at just under $81MM. While the Reds have committed to paying “at or above” their 2024 level, the club spent just $100MM on payroll last year and the addition of Martinez’s $21.05MM salary will push the Reds to $102MM, well over that mark. Candidates who may not be tenders are interested Santiago Espinal again Jake Fraley could help the club save a few million dollars here and there, but it appears that Cincinnati will need to exceed their 2024 salary by a significant amount to make other additions this winter.
As for the free agent market as a whole, this winter’s market remains deep in middle and back rotation options even without Martinez on the board. Yusei Kikuchi, Nathan Eovaldiagain Nick Pivetta are among the rotation arms expected to pursue multi-year deals in free agency this winter, while running backs like Walker Buehler again Max Scherzer they could provide a significant upgrade as they seek to re-establish themselves in one-year, high-profile AAV deals like Martinez’s.
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