The Reds will look to build on their success in 2023, and are set to do so in 2024 with some fresh arms. One new pitcher that will head to the Cincinnati Reds next season is Nick Martinez, who will join the team on a two-year deal. Here’s a closer look at what Martinez brings to the Reds.
Related: Mets Sign Luis Severino: What to Make of Addition
A Look at Martinez
Right-hander Nick Martinez didn’t find much success in the Majors from 2014-2017 but returned to the league in 2022 after a stint in Japan with great success. In a starter/reliever role, Martinez struck out 95 over 106.1 IP (47 G/10 GS) and played a big role for a Padres team that went to the NLCS.
Used largely as a reliever in 2023, Martinez put up similar numbers. Martinez’s K/9 ticked up slightly to 8.6, and his 3.43 ERA was about on par with the 3.72 ERA from a year earlier.
Martinez saw some work as a starter at the beginning and end of 2023 — and the numbers weren’t terrible to say the least. However, the Padres’ deep rotation, which included Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Joe Musgrove, and 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell meant Martinez — who can struggle with command at times — stayed in a multi-inning relief role for much of the year.
| Year | Role | IP | ERA | K/9 | Opponent’s OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Starter | 52.1 | 4.30 | 8.1 | .824 |
| 2023 | Starter | 42.2 | 2.32 | 7.8 | .557 |
| 2022 | Reliever | 54.0 | 2.67 | 8.0 | .599 |
| 2023 | Reliever | 67.2 | 4.12 | 9.2 | .728 |
Martinez has an involved delivery, short arm action, and doesn’t have an overpowering arsenal. Much of his game relies on movement and throwing off hitters’ timing. The 33-year-old boasts a curveball with plus movement, as well as a low-90s sinker that’s key when it comes to jamming right-handed hitters and getting ground balls.
However, the crown jewel of Martinez’s arsenal is a fading changeup that plays off brilliantly against the sinker. Opposing batters hit just .158 off it and the pitch had a 46.5% Whiff% rate.
Just five pitchers had a higher Whiff% rate on the pitch in 2023: Snell, Trevor Richards, Tarik Skubal, Jovani Moran, and Shane McClanahan (min. 200 thrown).
The former Fordham star’s stuff plays up very well out of the pen. However, a strong end to 2023 — one that saw him strike out 16 batters over 12 innings and no runs allowed over three September starts — does massage some of those concerns that he can be an effective MLB starter away.
Per ESPN, the deal is for two years at $26MM. Martinez will get $14MM in 2024 and the ex-Padre will have the opportunity to opt out after next season.
Analysis
The Reds’ signing of Nick Martinez marks the second notable pickup for the team this offseason. Cincinnati bolstered the pen with Emilio Pagan, who spent last season with Minnesota.
Martinez found himself this year in somewhat of a similar situation as former teammate Seth Lugo was in last winter.
Much like Lugo, the 34-year-old is headed to a club in need of starting pitching depth and one that will likely give him a larger opportunity to crack the rotation.
Last season, the Reds found themselves short-handed in the rotation thanks to a litany of injuries. Nick Lodolo missed most of 2023, while Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft also spent time on the IL. Those issues gave the likes of Ben Lively and Luke Weaver long looks, but neither found a permanent home in the Reds rotation.
Injuries could rear their ugly head again in 2024, and odds are that will likely be the case. While Martinez isn’t a sexy signing, the righty did prove to be valuable to San Diego and his ability to get hitters to chase and miss gives Cincinnati some much-needed depth.
Between Martinez, Ashcraft, Lodolo, Greene, as well as Andrew Abbott and Brandon Williamson as starting pitching options, the Reds are at this point set up in a better position as opposed to one year earlier.