Now that the Cincinnati Reds have made a qualifying offer to pitcher Nick Martinez, the ball is in the court of Martinez and his agent, Scott Boras.
Speaking at the general managers’ meetings in San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday, Boras said there’s a chance that Martinez will accept the one-year deal worth $21.05 million, but also said that Martinez has already received offers from teams for multi-year deals.
The deadline to accept or decline a qualifying offer is Nov. 19.
“I don’t know if that’s a decision Nick and I have made yet,” Boras said. “We’ve got a good period of time to look at it.”
After his final start of the season — a complete game effort in Chicago — Martinez said he enjoyed his time in Cincinnati and that he was open to a return. Boras wouldn’t say whether the Reds had also made a contract offer beyond the qualifying offer.
“You’d have to ask them,” Boras said. “Certainly, normally when teams make qualifying offers, what comes with it is other offers, too.”
Martinez signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Reds last offseason with an opt-out clause after one year that he invoked rather than take a pay cut (the deal paid him $14 million in 2024 and $12 million in 2025). The Cincinnati chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America named Martinez Pitcher of the Year after he went 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 42 games and 16 starts.
When he signed, the Reds said he would battle for a spot in the rotation but also knew a return to the bullpen was possible. Martinez started the 2024 season in the rotation due to injuries to other starters, but went to the bullpen shortly afterward.
Out of the bullpen, Martinez had a 1.86 ERA over 53 1/3 innings. While he was 5-5 with a 3.84 ERA as a starter, he finished 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA in 11 starts after being moved to the rotation in August.
Boras said he believed the market for starting pitchers could come together quickly this offseason.
“The pitching market today — I think last year was more focused on the relief market. This year it’s very clear that it’s very focused on the starting market,” Boras said. “The order of operation of starters will be going quite quickly.”
Boras was also asked about the Reds’ Matt McLain, who missed all of the 2024 season after shoulder surgery following an injury to the shoulder in spring training. McLain is currently playing in the Arizona Fall League.
Matt McLain is in the @MLBazFallLeague to get some at-bats after missing the entire regular season.
The @Reds infielder did that and then some in his first game of the campaign: pic.twitter.com/AmzG4sN3dW
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 8, 2024
“He’s been playing really well. His defensive acumen is off the charts,” Boras said. “They certainly have a surplus of middle-infield talent that most organizations don’t. McLain’s played some center field in the Fall League. As to where these players play, I’m sure those are spring training decisions. They’re really outside my sphere.”
In 2023, McLain split time between second base and shortstop. The plan heading into 2024 was to have Elly De La Cruz at shortstop every day and McLain at second most days. That plan fell apart when McLain injured himself. De La Cruz went on to have a spectacular sophomore season and was recently named a finalist for the Silver Slugger at shortstop.
“Elly De La Cruz is a remarkably skilled player,” said Boras, who also represents De La Cruz. “Nice for them to have those decisions, right?”
McLain played center field in college and has also played there during the Arizona Fall League. Nick Krall, the Reds’ president of baseball operations, said McLain was mostly concentrating on getting at-bats in the AFL, taking starts at whatever position he could get them. He has not, however, ruled out McLain playing in the outfield in the future. With McLain out, another Boras client, Jonathan India, was the team’s primary second baseman.
The Reds have had success signing Boras clients in recent years, inking Martinez as well as Frankie Montas, Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos (who recently dropped Boras) as free agents. Castellanos also had an opt-out clause in his contract with the Reds and exercised it following the 2021 season, then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
