The Tampa Bay Rays have added veteran starting pitcher Nick Martinez on a multi-year contract, with $13 million guaranteed overall. He’ll slot into a rotation that features Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot as guaranteed starters, a reliever looking to convert to starting in newcomer Steven Matz, and former All-Star Shane McClanahan, who is seeking a return to the mound for the first time since mid-2023.
Martinez shouldered 165 innings for the Reds last season, despite being seen as a swing-man in the industry, and is one year removed from a 3.10 ERA season (142.1 IP), where he was good enough to receive and accept a qualifying offer to stay in Cincinnati. He has a full arsenal and works off multiple fastballs that make his change up the star of the show.
If you’re waiting for the twist, I’m sorry to disappoint, but there isn’t any weird elite thing he does. Martinez’s profile is all about variety and location to get through lineups, but that’s also what you expect for a pitcher in this stage of his career, and there aren’t easy answers for why his ERA rocketed up to below-average last season.
Despite limiting hard contact in both 2024 and 2025, the results fell off a cliff last season. Was that a fluke, or a sign that father time comes for us all? On the peripherals it’s a bit of a mystery, as in both seasons he was sporting one of the lowest walk rates in baseball. The real delta is in the chase rate, but in both years he put up whiff- and K-rates well below expectations.
I’m interested to see what the Rays pitching lab thinks it can sort out with that profile, but he already has several secondary pitches at this disposal, and short of revamping his slider into something new, any adjustments will likely be small.
If you are more inclined to believe 2024 and 2025, this is a solid rotation addition from a team looking to field a respectable roster.
