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, signing free-agent right-hander Nick Martinez to a one-year contract on Tuesday.
The contract is worth $13 million guaranteed, according to a source. Martinez will earn $9 million this season, and there is a $4 million buyout on a $20 million mutual option for 2027. Right-hander Manuel Rodriguez (recovery from right elbow surgery) was placed on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
If all goes well this spring, Martinez will join a Rays rotation that includes returning ace Shane McClanahan, All-Star right-hander Drew Rasmussen, right-hander Ryan Pepiot and left-hander Steven Matz. President of baseball operations Erik Neander said Martinez complements that group well for several reasons.
“What we were looking for is a veteran that can take the ball and be a dependable source of innings, and [he] had the kind of makeup and team-first mentality to elevate people around him,” Neander said Wednesday. “[There were an] assortment of reasons, but those were the two primary factors that drew us to Nick. We’re really excited to have him as a result.”
Martinez was with the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on Wednesday morning, when pitchers and catchers reported and underwent their pre-Spring Training physicals. His salary will make the Miami native the Rays’ highest-paid player this year, ahead of veteran DH Yandy Díaz ($12 million). It also pushes their projected Opening Day payroll above $80 million.
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. He said getting a chance to join Tampa Bay’s rotation was appealing, as was the opportunity to play alongside young stars Junior Caminero and Shane McClanahan and reunite with former Reds teammates Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley.
“I've always believed that I can be a starter from beginning to end, but I've found a niche in being able to do both and [I’m] still open to doing that,” he said. “I've told [manager Kevin] Cash that already. My priority is to win ballgames, so whatever role they need me in, I'm open to it.”
The Rays also have accumulated a full rotation’s worth of depth with Major League experience behind their starting five with 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.
Having Martinez 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.
“We're trying to position ourselves to have a more successful season as a team, and part of the way to do that is to build out a roster that, if healthy, you have more than you need and you have some difficult decisions to make at the end of camp,” Neander said.
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).
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. 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.
“We're probably going to need some flexibility from others, and to have someone like Nick in the clubhouse and how much he cares and elevates the people around him and can share his perspective is something that has real appeal,” Neander said. “There are very few that have lived it, walked it, done it -- and certainly at the level of success that he has.”