The New York Yankees signed Cody Bellinger in free agency, but have otherwise stayed quiet this offseason.
That does not mean their team is without flaws. The Yankees will be without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón to start the season and could benefit from adding another arm. During a livestream for Bleacher Report on Wednesday, MLB insider Jon Heyman noted that they checked in on Nick Martinez.
Martinez is a veteran arm going into his ninth season. While he would be a solid addition to the Yankees, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted he would land with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“With current rotation candidates Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler and Carmen Mlodzinski boasting a combined 29 career starts in the majors, adding a veteran arm to soak up some innings at the back of the staff is a smart move for the Pirates,” wrote Rueter. “Nick Martinez could start the season in the rotation and shift to a swingman role in the bullpen where he has thrived in the past.”
Just as Martinez could do for the Pirates, he could start the year in the Yankees rotation and then move into a swingman role. When Cole and Rodón are back the Yankees will have them, Max Fried, Luis Gil and Cam Schlittler in the rotation. They would not need Martinez, but having him in the bullpen would be solid.
He made pitched in 40 games last season, making 26 starts. He had a 4.45 ERA in 165 2/3 innings of work. He has pitched in 280 regular season games and spent four seasons pitching in Japan. He has a 3.67 ERA in the big leagues since returning.
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