The Detroit Tigers are searching for a starting pitcher in free agency.
They’re shopping in the mid-tier market.
Among their free-agent targets, the Tigers are interested in right-hander Chris Bassitt, right-hander Nick Martinez and left-hander José Quintana, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation. A deal doesn’t appear imminent, though. (The Tigers also have interest in right-hander Lucas Giolito, as reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.)
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Several teams are in the same market for starting pitchers, with less than three weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training – and two months until Opening Day.
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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez (28) pitches in the eleventh inning between Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburg Pirates at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sept. 24, 2025.
Martinez is the most prominent swingman in baseball.
He might be the best fit for the Tigers.
In 2025, Martinez posted a 4.45 ERA with 42 walks and 116 strikeouts across 165â…” innings in 40 games (26 starts) for the Cincinnati Reds. The 35-year-old performed better out of the bullpen, with a 4.72 ERA over 145 innings as a starter and a 2.61 ERA over 20â…” innings as a reliever.
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If the Tigers sign Martinez, he could join Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson in the Opening Day rotation. At some point, the Tigers could shift Martinez to the bullpen, opening a rotation spot for the still-developing Troy Melton, the potential emergence of Ty Madden or the late-summer return of the injured Jackson Jobe.
It’s a reflection of Martinez’s ability to fill virtually any role.
That’s valuable to the Tigers.
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From 2018-21, Martinez pitched for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan. He returned to MLB after the four-year stint, earning more than $50 million from the San Diego Padres (2022-23) and Reds (2024-25) in the past four seasons combined.
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Martinez made $21.05 million from the Reds in 2025 after accepting the one-year qualifying offer rather than testing free agency, only for his production to dip as his workload increased – surpassing both 150 innings and 25 starts for the first time in his eight-year MLB career.
From 2022-24, Martinez combined for a 3.31 ERA over 359 innings in 152 games (35 starts). In 2025, he finished with a 4.45 ERA over 165â…” innings in 40 games (26 starts).
His strikeout rate has dropped from 23% in 2023 to 20.4% in 2024 to 17% in 2025, but he continues to register above-average walk rates, limit hard contact and provide durability. His fastball averaged just 92.6 mph in 2025, but his changeup limited opponents to a .192 batting average and generated a 29.6% whiff rate.
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Martinez – who has avoided the injured list since returning from Japan – has pitched for the Texas Rangers (2014-17), Padres (2022-23) and Reds (2024-25) during his eight-year MLB career. He owns a 4.16 ERA across 940 innings in 280 games (129 starts).
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The Rangers selected Martinez in the 19th round of the 2011 draft from Fordham University.
As for the Tigers, president of baseball operations Scott Harris has made three notable pickups in the 2025-26 offseason, all via free agency: right-hander Drew Anderson, right-handed reliever Kenley Jansen and right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan.
Without another addition, the Tigers have four starters locked into the rotation (Skubal, Flaherty, Mize and Olson), leaving Anderson and Melton to compete for the fifth spot.
Everything would change if the Tigers land a mid-tier free agent starter, such as Bassitt, Giolito, Martinez, Quintana – or another pitcher on their list of targets.
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers interested in Nick Martinez in MLB free agency