Veteran right-hander Nick Martinez is set to accept the Qualifying Offer from the Reds, as reported by Francys Romero. This means he’ll stay with Cincinnati for the 2025 season on a one-year deal worth $ 21.05 million.
Martinez, 34, was a bit of a surprise pick for the Qualifying Offer after performing well in his first season with the Reds. He joined the team last winter on a two-year, $ 26 million contract after both he and the Padres opted out of their mutual options for the 2024 season, making him a free agent. The deal turned out to be quite the win for the Reds, as Martinez posted an impressive 3.10 ERA and 3.21 FIP over 142.1 innings, splitting his time between starting and relief roles.
While he dominated as a reliever, with a 1.86 ERA over 53.1 innings, his starting outings were more mixed. He had a 3.84 ERA in 16 starts, showing that he could be a solid rotation option. Early in the season, Martinez struggled as a starter, ending April with a 5.46 ERA, but he finished strong after returning to the rotation in early August, boasting a 2.42 ERA across 63.1 innings in his last 11 starts. This late-season performance could boost the team’s confidence in his role as a starter for 2025, although it’s worth noting his strikeout and groundball rates were better in the bullpen compared to starting this year.
Martinez’s value comes not only from his production but also his ability to transition between rotation and bullpen roles as needed. Over the past three seasons, he’s served as a swingman, accumulating 184 innings over 35 starts and 175 innings in 117 relief appearances. Given that Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Andrew Abbott all missed time due to injuries last season, the Reds likely appreciate Martinez’s flexibility as they plan for their young rotation. This flexibility is especially important with top prospect Rhett Lowder, who impressed in a late-season call-up but may not be ready for an entire MLB season in 2025.
The combination of his performance and versatility led the Reds to offer Martinez the Qualifying Offer, even though it represents a significant raise of over $ 7 million from his 2024 salary. The two sides had reportedly discussed a multi-year extension before the QO deadline but couldn’t finalize a deal. Given Martinez’s age, he might have found greater earning potential limited in a multi-year contract, making the QO an appealing option, which was also predicted by MLBTR in their annual Top 50 Free Agents list.
Bringing Martinez back for 2025 is sure to strengthen the pitching staff, but the increase in his salary could strain the team’s budget. Current estimates put the Reds’ payroll for 2025 just under 81million.While they’re committed to a payroll”atorabove”their2024level,theyspent 100 million last year, and Martinez’s 21.05millionsalarywouldpushthemto 102 million. Non-tendering players like Santiago Espinal and Jake Fraley might help save a few dollars, but it seems Cincinnati will need to increase their payroll significantly to make any additional moves this winter.
Even with Martinez off the market, this offseason still features a variety of intriguing mid-to-back rotation options. Players like Yusei Kikuchi, Nathan Eovaldi, and Nick Pivetta are expected to seek multi-year contracts, while bounce-back candidates like Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer may aim for one-year, high-AAV deals similar to Martinez’s.
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