Veteran right-hander Nick Martinez has agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract with the Rays, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal, which is pending a physical.
Martinez, who can pitch as a starter or a reliever, was a dependable arm for the Reds in a swingman role over the last two seasons.
The 35-year-old right-hander first signed in Cincinnati on a two-year, $26 million deal entering the 2024 season. His first season with the Reds, Martinez went 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 42 games (16 starts) with 116 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings.
Martinez opted out of the second year of his contract following the season, but after the Reds extended him a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer for 2025, Martinez accepted the deal and returned to Cincinnati. He was the only player to accept a qualifying offer in the 2024-25 free-agent class. Because Martinez received that qualifying offer last offseason, he was ineligible to receive one this winter, meaning his signing is not tied to Draft-pick compensation.
In 40 games (26 starts) for the Reds in 2025, Martinez went 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA and 116 strikeouts in a career-high 165 2/3 innings as Cincinnati made it to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
Martinez spent four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018-21 with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, where he reinvented himself as a pitcher following four middling seasons in the Major Leagues.
Martinez had a 4.77 ERA in his first four big league seasons with the Rangers from 2014-17 before signing in Japan. His success in NPB earned him a deal with the Padres before the 2022 season.
Since returning to MLB, Martinez has a 3.67 ERA in 192 games (61 starts) across four seasons with San Diego and Cincinnati. He’s averaged 131 1/3 innings pitched and 108 strikeouts per season over that time.
