Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Nick Martinez

The career path of Nick Martinez has been filled with ups and downs. After struggling earlier in his career as a Ranger, Martinez was a somewhat early adopter of the overseas reset route. In 2018, he left America for Japan’s NPB, where he spent the next three seasons.

After finding success, Martinez came back to the States in 2022 as a swingman for the San Diego Padres. He spent two successful seasons in San Diego before inking a deal with the Cincinnati Reds. A 3.10 ERA and 3.21 FIP in 2024 earned him a $21 million qualifying offer, which he accepted.

His 2025 season was not as successful. Martinez once again bounced from the rotation to the bullpen, finishing with a 4.45 ERA and 4.33 FIP across 165.2 innings pitched. He might not be a high-end option, but his versatility and solid track record should land him a major league deal with an opportunity to fill a bullpen role, at the very least.

Martinez is now entering his age-35 season, coming off a down year. While a multi-year deal is still possible, I would imagine a one-year contract in the $8-$12 million range is more likely.

Free Agent Landing Spots for Nick Martinez

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers will once again be competing for the AL Central title. While their offseason has been mostly focused on bringing back their own players, there is still room for improvement and depth.

Currently, Detroit’s top four starters are Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Reese Olson. That’s a strong foursome, but the fifth spot is up in the air.

Drew Anderson was signed (from Japan himself) to help fill that fifth spot. However, I’m not convinced that he is a staple for the rotation; he could wind up in the bullpen.

Troy Melton showed a ton of promise in a small sample last season, but with questions around the Tigers’ minor league depth and inning restrictions, another arm in the mix couldn’t hurt.

Detroit needs a fifth starter and could also use another bullpen arm. Adding Martinez would be a similar move to adding Anderson, but it would allow the front office to choose one of them to land in the bullpen, instead of forcing Anderson to stay in the rotation, no matter what. This also gives them another option if a Skubal trade does, in fact, happen.

Athletics

The Athletics have started to make some investments in their team for the first time in a number of years, locking up their own players long-term and adding on the fringes. While their lineup is one of the more intriguing and exciting young groups in baseball, the pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired.

Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs are both locks for the rotation. Luis Morales is a top prospect who showed a ton of promise and should get priority starts. After that, the A’s have a collection of older fringe major leaguers who have all had moments but aren’t exactly established. Jacob Lopez is the best of the bunch, and even if he is awarded a spot, the rotation could use another vet.

Martinez would help give the Athletics innings early in the season while the younger options are still developing in the minors. If five other arms prove worthy of a spot in spring training, Martinez would slide to a bullpen that is far from set.

To put it simply, the Athletics need a proven veteran, and it doesn’t matter if he lands in the rotation or bullpen – the need is still there.

Washington Nationals

Washington is in year one of a new operation, with many changes to the front office and coaching staff. The step forward many expected in 2025 was just about non-existent, and all indications point to this team still being years away from playoff contention.

I think MacKenzie Gore is going to be traded before the start of the season, which would only make a miserable rotation that much weaker. Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker make for not only a limited group but a thin one. Other young arms will miss the start of the season due to injury, putting the Nationals in a position where innings need to be filled.

If Martinez’s market does not quite materialize the way he and his agent hope, Washington would be a great fallback option. He would certainly be guaranteed a rotation spot with plenty of innings while also having an opportunity to join a contender, if all goes well, at the deadline. We see this type of veteran signing by rebuilding teams every season.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians, once again, enjoyed some late-season magic in 2025, stealing the division from the Tigers before Detroit turned around and eliminated them from the playoffs. This is a solid team that always finds a way to overachieve, and Cleveland’s pitching development track record is one of the best in baseball.

That being said, another arm in the rotation mix certainly wouldn’t hurt. The Guardians have brought in similar-level veterans in the past, most recently with Ben Lively and John Means (who was injured). A rotation consisting of Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo and/or Parker Messick is talented, but inexperienced.

The conversation here is similar to that with the Tigers. The Guardians could benefit from adding another veteran to push for the fifth spot while being content with putting Martinez in the bullpen if needed.

The current Guardians rotation only includes one player with over three years of service time. Considering they have gone with a one-year veteran numerous times before, I think Martinez makes sense.

Final Thoughts

Nick Martinez is one of those veterans who you could talk yourself into fitting on just about any team. Finding arms that can bounce between a rotation and bullpen while still being successful is no easy task.

Opportunity is not the question – Martinez will have plenty. The question is how much a team will be willing to invest in a 35-year-old who does not strike many batters out, doesn’t generate groundballs, and relies on weak contact not leaving the yard.

Teams, especially during rebuilds, need veterans who can fill innings. Worst-case scenario, Martinez falls into that bucket. But, I do think there will be contending teams who see Martinez as a high-end swingman that improves their team from day one.