With spring training about to get underway, the Tampa Bay Rays made a shrewd move to continue bolstering their pitching staff, signing free agent Nick Martinez, formerly of the Cincinnati Reds.
The two sides agreed to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. Martinez will reportedly earn $13 million in guaranteed money, which would indicate that the Rays are planning to use him as a starting pitcher; a player they planned on deploying to be a reliever wouldn’t receive that kind of money.
According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, that is exactly what Tampa Bay is planning. They are planning to deploy him solely as a starting pitcher in 2026, something that he has never done in his Major League career.
Last season with the Cincinnati Reds, Martinez filled a swingman role. He made 40 appearances, 26 of which were starts, while throwing 165.2 innings. In eight Big League seasons with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Reds, he has always handled different roles.
Rays planning to use Nick Martinez a starting pitcher
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez (28) throws a pitch in relief in the sixth inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Earlier in his career, he was mostly a starting pitcher. Over the course of his first four Major League seasons, he made 88 appearances, 68 of which were starts, before heading over to Japan to play.
While overseas, Martinez threw 398.1 innings across 68 appearances. He had a stellar 2.96 ERA and 319 strikeouts. That was good enough for the Padres to bring him back in 2022, where he spent two seasons before joining Cincinnati.
He has been productive in his return stint to the Big Leagues and will provide the Rays with a solid floor of production. His stuff isn’t going to overwhelm opponents with big strikeout numbers, but he does a great job limiting self-inflicted damage by working in the zone consistently and avoiding damaging contact.
The plan is for Nick Martinez to be used solely as a starter in the Rays rotation. He started and pitched in relief last year for the Reds.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) February 9, 2026
With Tampa Bay planning to use him as a starter, it will be interesting to see what the plans are for some of the younger arms on the roster, such as Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour.
Along with Martinez and the team planning to use Steven Matz as a starter, there doesn’t seem to be any room in the rotation. All-Star Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot and the returning Shane McClanahan will all have spots as well.
Pitching depth is certainly a luxury for teams and will provide manager Kevin Cash with options. With McClanahan not throwing a pitch in the Majors since 2023 and Matz having a lengthy injury history of his own, stockpiling as many arms as possible makes sense.
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