It was just one short year ago that Nick Martinez was yo-yoing his way between the bullpen and starting rotation, being labeled as one of the premier swingman arms since his return from NPB in 2022.

Now, after one season as a full-time starter for the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays, the 35-year-old is looking to cash in on his career year in free agency.

After debuting with the Texas Rangers back in 2014, Martinez made his way overseas following four seasons in Major League Baseball, not knowing if he would get another opportunity to pitch stateside. Little did he know that three seasons of 3.02 ERA baseball would earn him a four-year, $25 million deal with the San Diego Padres in 2022.

It didn’t end there, though.

Nick Martinez showed in 47 games that he was worth more than that deal, which led him to exercise his opt-out and renegotiate with San Diego. That new deal gave him $26 million, but over three years this time around. Déjà vu struck, and Martinez again opted out the following year, leading to his signing with the Cincinnati Reds in free agency.

The swingman enjoyed his two-year deal and later accepted the $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Reds for a third season with the team. He would again enter free agency and sign a one-year deal with Tampa Bay for $13 million.

Now, fresh off declining his $20 million player option, Nick Martinez is in line to make some real money, even entering a season at age 36. Given what he has shown teams across the league, there are going to be suitors ringing up his agent.

Free Agent Profile: Nick Martinez

• Age in 2027: 36

• 2025 Stats: 31 G, 3.10 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 180 IP, 2.9 fWAR

• 2025 Salary: $13 million

• Qualifying Offer Eligible: No

Contract Projection

• Expected AAV: $16-22 million (Dependent on how many years he gets)

• Contract Length Expectation: 1-3 years

The Rays are known for their success, which comes from contributions across the entire roster. However, there isn’t much denying that Nick Martinez played a big role in getting the team to the World Series.

In the four games he appeared in, including three starts, he posted a 2.81 ERA over 16 innings, with a 2.16 FIP.

Given the level of consistency he can provide a pitching staff this upcoming season, especially as a pitcher who has proved he can be successful in a potent AL East and doesn’t rely on strikeouts to get the job done, the Miami native should have his pick of where he calls home in 2027 and possibly beyond.

Free Agent Landing Spots for Nick Martinez

Atlanta Braves

Projected 2027 Starting Rotation: Chris Sale, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez

On the surface, the rotation above might look feasible, but it has been anything but for Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves. Go ahead and poll Braves fans and ask them just how much they trust anyone outside of Chris Sale. Even he comes with his own concerns, as he is nearing his age-38 season.

What this rotation lacks is stability, something they haven’t seemingly had since winning the World Series back in 2021.

This is where Nick Martinez enters the conversation.

This is an organization that notoriously loves to stay within a certain AAV when it comes to spending “on the higher end.” The addition of Martinez wouldn’t truly excite many fans of the team, but boring wins games. This isn’t the Bryce Elder type of boring, either.

Given where the Braves are trying to be at the end of each season, the addition of Martinez would be a positive step in the right direction and bolster a pitching staff in desperate need of depth. While fans of the team would much rather see them play deep into the Michael King sweepstakes, “settling” for a Nick Martinez would do wonders compared to some of the names they were trotting out there this past season.

Boston Red Sox

Projected 2027 Starting Rotation: Garrett Crochet, Payton Tolle, Ranger Suarez, Jake Bennett, Brayan Bello

The Red Sox had seemingly struck gold with their Sonny Gray acquisition last offseason. Now, with him likely out the door, Craig Breslow is going to have to find a way to recreate that production in the aggregate, and a pitcher like Martinez would definitely lead him in the right direction.

There is one name sticking out like a sore thumb in that bunch: Brayan Bello.

There is no hiding the glaring splits between Bello’s performance as a starter and as a reliever during the 2026 season. In his 52.2 innings serving as the club’s starter, he posted a 7.18 ERA, an opponent’s slash line of .321/.388/.520, and 22 total extra-base hits. What happens when you stick him in the bullpen? Well, the 1.98 ERA, to go along with a .225/.274/.273 opponent slash line, looks much more appealing.

The old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This whole stigma surrounding the sunk-cost fallacy is something many front offices need to look past in today’s game. What the Red Sox have already agreed to pay Bello shouldn’t keep them from paying Nick Martinez, especially if they consider themselves true contenders in the gauntlet that is the American League East.

Detroit Tigers

Projected 2027 Starting Rotation: Framber Valdez, Troy Melton, Keider Montero, Jackson Jobe, River Ryan

The state of this rotation has changed drastically with the departure of Tarik Skubal at this season’s deadline. It also doesn’t help that the pitcher they spent big on as the “successor” to the eventual departure of the former Cy Young Award winner, Framber Valdez, was a disaster.

Given the state of the Tigers and just how Scott Harris prefers to dabble in the free-agent market, this team will likely not be in the upper tier of spending. Framber has surely left a sour taste in their mouths.

This rotation is full of question marks. We have seen flashes from these pitchers at times, but nothing that screams safety. The addition of a veteran like Nick Martinez would mitigate a lot of those worries, especially in terms of consistency and his ability to eat innings.

Martinez is also someone who is looking to continue improving his HR/FB%, and the spacious ballpark in Detroit should play well with his profile.

New York Yankees

Projected 2027 Starting Rotation: Cam Schlittler, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren

You’ll look at this rotation and likely question where exactly Nick Martinez would fit, but Yankees fans know just how important it is to have depth in their rotation, given the injuries they’ve had to deal with over the years.

This is also a starting staff that, aside from the projected bookends, is already well invested in financially.

While there are options currently slated to start the season in the bullpen, the likes of Ryan Weathers, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil are also far from the epitome of health. What this team needs is consistency, which is something I have mentioned multiple times when discussing Nick Martinez.

Martinez has also shown that he is more than capable of performing in this juggernaut of a division. The question boils down to whether and how this front office is going to spend this offseason. Despite already having a high payroll, there are still multiple other holes they need to address.

At the end of the day, you can never have enough pitching. Nick Martinez’s history as a successful swingman would put many of the pitching worries at ease.

San Diego Padres

Projected 2027 Starting Rotation: Joe Musgrove, Randy Vasquez, JP Sears, Jhony Brito, Kyle Hart

If there is a team on this list that needs any form of reinforcement in its starting rotation, it is the team down in San Diego. With all the hoopla surrounding new ownership following its energizing press conferences, this team needs to do something if it is going to continue maximizing whatever is currently left in its competitive window.

I don’t want to speak out of turn here, but it feels as if Michael King is all but gone, leaving a Grand Canyon-sized hole in this starting rotation.

Joe Musgrove is projected to lead this rotation despite not having appeared in a game since 2024. For an organization that claims it deserves to be named among the league’s best, a starting five that looks like the one above isn’t going to get it anywhere, especially in a division with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Nick Martinez isn’t going to provide them with a bona fide ace at the top of the rotation to put Padres fans’ minds at ease. What he would do, though, is allow them to pay him what his projected AAV is expected to be without eliminating themselves from the top tier of the starting-pitching market.