If the Cubs want a pitcher with a chance to be a frontline starter throughout 2026, they still have two solid options in free agency: Zac Gallen and Framber Valdez. Not coincidentally, the team has been mentioned in connection with each hurler over the last fortnight, and North Side Baseball can confirm that they’ve had sustained interest in Gallen—though not, so far, at anywhere near the terms Scott Boras has demanded for the erstwhile Diamondbacks ace. 

Both Gallen and Valdez would cost the Cubs a draft pick, though, because each is attached to compensation via the qualifying offer. Gallen and Valdez turned down $22.025 million from their former clubs in November, guaranteeing those teams compensatory picks if they leave. More importantly, each has spent at least a half-decade as a full-time starter, with no meaningful experience in the bullpen. They would contribute to the logjam in the team’s starting rotation, and it’s unlikely that either (especially on the kinds of short-term deals to which the Cubs would be open to signing them) would be happy with any role that lessened their importance, the volume of innings they could pitch, or (therefore) their earning power.

It might be easier to work with Chris Bassitt, Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, who are all in the twilight of their careers but have been very good when available. They’d be easier to stash on the injured list for stretches when the entire rotation is healthy, and Bassitt showed that he can be a weapon out of the bullpen when Toronto moved him there last fall. However, it’s harder to be sure that any of them (especially the quadragenarians, Verlander and Scherzer) would be available at all when the team needs them most, in the autumn. 

One player could suit the Cubs’ needs perfectly, and would be another way for the team to strengthen its relationship with Boras, too. Nick Martinez had a superficially poor season with the Reds in 2025, with a 4.45 ERA in 40 appearances. However, he’s arguably the game’s best old-fashioned swingman. He made 26 starts and 14 relief appearances in 2025, and has 61 starts out of 192 games pitched since the start of 2022. He’s been exceptionally durable in a role that often comes with added injury risk, and shows the ability to turn over lineup cards as well as being a matchup weapon in the right situations.

Martinez’s skill set is distinct from that of Colin Rea. He’s more akin to Javier Assad, with a high arm slot and extremely kinetic delivery that yields a diverse pitch mix and masks underwhelming raw stuff. Assad can still be optioned to Triple-A Iowa, so Martinez could contribute as a starter when needed; give the bullpen a long man and a solid middle-relief buttress when the rotation is fully stocked; and add to the variety of looks Craig Counsell can offer opposing lineups. 

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The step back in his raw numbers last season had some bad luck mixed into it. Martinez’s stuff is not exceptional, but he throws a four-seamer, a sinker, a cutter, a gyro slider, a good curveball and an interesting changeup. He can get lefties out, and though he struggled against fellow righties last year, he’s likely to rebound on that front in 2026. Best of all, he wouldn’t cost a draft pick, and is likely to sign for less on an annual basis than any of the other five free agents named above. The Cubs could add him to their staff, feel supremely confident about their depth, and still have money to spend (be it now or at the trade deadline) to round out their roster.

Once camp opens next Wednesday, the team can place Justin Steele on the 60-day injured list. That would sideline him until at least Memorial Day, but (despite Steele’s protestations and the team’s steady optimism) no responsible plan would put him back on a big-league mound before June, anyway. He’s just as likely to run into a hiccup or two and return near the end of July. Martinez could sign next week, take the roster spot created by Steele’s shift to the 60-day IL, and become Rea’s partner at the fluid back end of a very strong, deep rotation.

These same characteristics make Martinez appealing to many other clubs, too, and he’s likely to wait until Gallen and/or Valdez sign to see where demand is greatest before signing his own deal. The Cubs can afford to wait. Unless the price craters completely on one of Gallen or Valdez, they should bide their time and sign Martinez, instead, once the dust settles from the final true sweepstakes of his hot stove season.