Reds Starter Could Answer Yankees' Shortage

The New York Yankees may be short two starting pitchers by the trade deadline, and the Cincinnati Reds' Nick Martinez may be the answer.

According to Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media, Martinez may not be dominant, but he's reliable. He's proven he has the right stuff to keep up at the Great American Ball Park, which makes him a practical pick for the similarly hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.

"He doesn’t possess a power fastball or dominant strikeout stuff, but his command is brilliant, and the damage prevention is otherworldly," Garcia writes. "To possess a sub-1.00 HR/9 while pitching half of your games at the Great American Ball Park is impressive, and it’s thanks to his deep and unpredictable repertoire."

The Reds established Martinez as a starter in August 2024 and he has since demonstrated variability, utilizing six pitches effectively. He uses each one more than 10% of the time, but no more than 22.2% of the time. He has a regular season ERA of 3.43, and an impressive 0.62 HR/9.

The 34-year old signed a $26 million contract for two years with the Reds in 2023, and another one-year contract in 2024. He will enter free agency at the end of this season, and would make for useful depth in the Yankees' postseason lineup.

Despite being riddled with injuries at the moment, the Yankees are hardly limping along, and they currently top the AL East. Still, they would do well to pad their numbers.

Yankees general manager and senior vice president Brian Cashman hasn't made any promises in response to trade questions with two months to go before the deadline, but that is likely to change in the coming weeks.

"It’s hard to make improvements this part of the season,” Cashman said via The New York Post. "We’ve got what we’ve got. We’ll assess it and move forward with opportunities as they start to present themselves at whatever positions they do.”

The 2025 trade deadline is July 31, 6:00 p.m. EST.

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