PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Rays rounded out their starting staff, built a comfortable amount of rotation depth and gave themselves some pitching flexibility in one move, agreeing on Monday to a one-year free-agent contract with right-hander Nick Martinez, multiple sources confirmed to MLB.com.
The club has not confirmed the deal with Martinez, which is pending a physical and includes a mutual option for 2027. The contract is worth $13 million guaranteed, according to a source.
When the deal is completed, Martinez is expected to join a Rays rotation that should include returning ace Shane McClanahan, All-Star right-hander Drew Rasmussen, right-hander Ryan Pepiot and left-hander Steven Matz.
The Rays also have accumulated a full rotation’s worth of depth with Major League experience behind that group in Joe Boyle, Ian Seymour, Jesse Scholtens, the out-of-options Yoendrys Gómez and Mason Englert, who will be stretched out as a starter in Spring Training.
Martinez, who can pitch as a starter or a reliever, was a dependable arm for the Reds in a swingman role over the past two seasons. Having him in addition to that sort of starting surplus should make the Rays more comfortable with their frontline options, many of whom could be facing workload limitations.
McClanahan has thrown about a dozen bullpen sessions and should be built up to pitch five innings by the end of Spring Training. He was playing catch on the back fields of Charlotte Sports Park on Monday along with a large group of early arriving pitchers. But he hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since 2023 due to Tommy John surgery and a nerve issue in his left triceps.
Rasmussen worked a career-high 150 innings last year after three major elbow surgeries. Matz hasn’t pitched 100 innings since 2023 and last topped 150 innings in ’21. Pepiot is coming off a career-high 167 2/3 innings pitched last year.
The 35-year-old Martinez, meanwhile, served in a versatile role while pitching 142 1/3 innings for the Reds in 2024 and a career-high 165 2/3 innings last year. He first signed in Cincinnati on a two-year, $26 million deal entering the ‘24 season, then went 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 42 games (16 starts).
In 40 games (26 starts) for the Reds last season, Martinez went 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA and 116 strikeouts as Cincinnati made it to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
That sort of versatility is valuable for the Rays. It means Martinez can hold down a spot in the rotation, as he’s expected to do to start the season. But if they need him to shift to the bullpen or some other role, either to protect one of their other starters (as Boyle did for Rasmussen for a time last season) or to make room for someone else who’s earned the opportunity, he’s proven he can handle that assignment as well.
Martinez opted out of the second year of his contract following the ’24 season, but after the Reds extended him a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer for 2025, he accepted the deal and returned to Cincinnati. He was the only player to accept a qualifying offer in the 2024-25 free-agent class. Because Martinez received that qualifying offer last offseason, he was ineligible to receive one this winter, meaning his signing is not tied to Draft-pick compensation.
Martinez spent four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball from 2018-21 with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, where he reinvented himself as a pitcher following four middling seasons in the Major Leagues.
Martinez had a 4.77 ERA in his first four big league seasons with the Rangers from 2014-17 before signing in Japan. His success in NPB earned him a deal with the Padres before the 2022 season.
Since returning to MLB, Martinez has a 3.67 ERA in 192 games (61 starts) across four seasons with San Diego and Cincinnati. He's averaged 131 1/3 innings pitched and 108 strikeouts per season over that time.