Former San Diego Padres Pitcher Nick Martinez Inks Contract With Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds have signed veteran right-hander Nick Martinez to a two-year contract, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported early Thursday morning.

According to Passan, the deal is worth $26 million over the two years. Martinez has an opt-out after the first year.

The 33-year-old Martinez had two years and $16 million remaining on his contract with the San Diego Padres, but he opted out in favor of hitting free agency earlier this fall.

Martinez served as a long reliever and spot starter for the Padres these past two seasons, tossing 216.2 innings across 110 outings. Martinez went 10-8 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.274 WHIP, 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.6 WAR in his two years in San Diego.

When Martinez joined the Padres in 2021, it marked the end to his four-year hiatus from MLB. He pitched for the Texas Rangers from 2014 to 2017 – going 17-30 with a 4.77 ERA – but then he went to Japan to pitch in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018 to 2021.

After going 21-22 with a 3.02 ERA overseas, Martinez came back to the States and has now cashed in with multiple eight-figure contracts.

Martinez is just the latest reliever to join the Reds, as the team signed Emilio Pagan to a two-year, $16 million deal on Wednesday. Pagan immediately became Cincinnati's highest-paid player, only to be surpassed by Martinez mere hours later.

The Reds were on the cusp of returning to the postseason this fall before falling short in the final few weeks. By bolstering their pitching staff with a couple of veterans, the club appears to be surrounding its young core with some experienced arms that can get them to the finish line in 2024.