Nick Martinez, a seasoned right-hander, will remain with the Cincinnati Reds for a minimum of one more season. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that he accepted the qualifying offer from the National League Central division club following that. Francys Romero, a Cuban Baseball Insider, said in another article that Martinez’s qualifying offer from Cincy is a $21.05 million one-year contract.
According to sources, Nick Martinez has accepted the Reds’ qualifying offer of $21.05 million. QO must be accepted by Tuesday, November 19 at 4 PM ET. Romero wrote on X (previously Twitter) that Martinez was the September NL Pitcher of the Month and had a 3.31 ERA since returning from Japan in 2022.
For Martinez, who turned down a $12 million player option for the Reds earlier in November, it is a significant victory. For the 34-year-old pitcher, that choice proved to be the right one, and Cincinnati was compelled to extend their offer in an attempt to retain him for a more season.
During the 2024 MLB season, Martinez played two roles with the Reds. He appeared on the mound in 16 of his 42 games as a starter. Martinez pitched 142.1 innings last season, going 10-7 overall with a 3.10 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 1.026 WHIP, the most he has ever had in a season in Major League Baseball. Additionally, in his debut season with Cincinnati, Martinez recorded a career-high 142 ERA+.
Martinez’s successful 2024 season finale contributed to the improvement of his offseason stock. Martinez finished the previous season with a 4-1 record and a 0.83 ERA across 32.2 innings in his final five appearances. He gave up just one earned run on five hits and no home runs in eight innings during a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs on September 27, which was his lone loss during that time.
Martinez played for the Texas Rangers from 2014 to 2017, when he made his major league debut. After that, he would take his skills to Japan, where he played for four years, until joining the San Diego Padres in 2022 on a four-year contract worth $25.5 million. After he and the Padres both declined their options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Martinez became a free agency in 2023. He then signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Reds.
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