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Yankees showing interest in veteran pitcher
The New York Yankees are looking to add another pitcher to their roster.
New York has some question marks in their rotation with the injuries to Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to begin the season. With that, the Yankees could look to further bolster their pitching staff, and signing someone who can shift to the bullpen once Cole and Rodon are back makes a lot of sense.
MLB insider Jon Heyman believes the Yankees are interested in signing veteran pitcher Nick Martinez, who can serve as a swingman.
“Nick Martinez, the Yankees have checked in on him,” Heyman said on MLB Network.
Martinez would be a good option for the Yankees as he has plenty of experience throughout his career, going from the rotation to the bullpen, and vice versa. Once Cole and Rodon come back, he could shift to the bullpen and serve as starter depth if another injury happens.
The veteran right-hander spent last season with the Cincinnati Reds, going 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA in 40 games, including 26 starts. In his MLB career, Martinez has appeared in 280 career games and started 129.
The 35-year-old likely wouldn’t cost much for the Yankees either, and would give New York some much-needed insurance to its pitching staff.
What is Martinez Expected to Sign For?
Given that Martinez will turn 36 years old during the season, he will likely sign a one or two-year deal.
The veteran right-hander is an effective swingman who can eat some innings and save a rotation, if there are injuries. Heading into the offseason, MLBTradeRumors predicted Martinez would sign a two-year, $25 million deal.
“Teams clearly value his reliability and flexibility,” the article read. “When he was first coming back from his stint in Japan four years ago, the Padres gave him a four-year, $25.5MM guarantee with opt-outs. He opted out one-year later and secured a fresh three-year, $26MM deal. That led to a two-year, $26MM deal with the Reds. The first year in Cincinnati went so well, with a 3.10 ERA in 142 1/3 innings, that he opted out and the Reds gave him a $21.05MM qualifying offer.
“He shouldn’t have that kind of earning power now, at least in terms of average annual value. It was a pretty surprising QO in the first place and his results in 2025 weren’t as strong as the year prior. His ERA crept up, his strikeout rate fell and he’s a year older. Still, his ability to pitch either as a starter or reliever or both makes him a fit on just about any club. That may make him popular enough to secure a nice two-year deal for himself.”
However, with spring training just a few weeks away, Martinez may have to take less money to get a deal done before camp starts.
Yankees GM Believes in Group
New York has had a quiet offseason, but the Yankees are confident in their group.
The Yankees didn’t make any major additions but instead brought back Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. However, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman said he doesn’t think it’s the same team.
“So, I disagree that it’s the same team; there are going to be some differences. The competition is going to be different, too. Some teams got better, and other teams you could argue maybe got worse. Our division is the best in baseball. Long story short, one series make-or-break isn’t going to define what we think our capabilities are.”
New York enters the year with the second-best odds of winning the World Series.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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