Veteran right-handed pitcher Nick Martinez will be staying with the Cincinnati Reds for at least one more season. That is after he has reportedly accepted the qualifying offer from the National League Central division club, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. In another report, Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero said that Martinez's qualifying offer from Cincy is a one-year deal worth $21.05 million.
“Nick Martinez is accepting the Reds' qualifying offer of $21.05M, per sources. The final deadline to accept QO is Tuesday, November 19 (4 PM ET). Martinez has a 3.31 ERA since returning from Japan in 2022 and was the NL Pitcher of the Month in September,” posted Romero on X (formerly Twitter).
That is a big win for Martinez, who declined a player option for the Reds worth $12 million earlier in November. That decision turned out to be the right one for the 34-year-old hurler, with Cincinnati forced to make him a bigger offer in hopes of keeping him for one more year.
Nick Martinez's 2024 season with the Reds

Martinez served a dual role for the Reds in the 2024 MLB campaign. He showed up on the mound in 42 games, including 16 of them as a starter. Overall last season, Martinez went 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 1.026 WHIP through 142.1 innings — the most he's had in a season so far in his MLB career. In addition, Martinez posted a career-high 142 ERA+ during his first season with Cincinnati.
Martinez helped boost his offseason stock with a strong finish in the 2024 season. Over his final five appearances last campaign, Martinez put together a 4-1 record with a 0.83 ERA across 32.2 innings. In his only loss during that stretch, he allowed just an earned run on five hits with zero home runs surrendered in eight innings of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Sep. 27.
Martinez debuted in the big leagues in 2014 with the Texas Rangers and played for them until 2017. He would then take his talents to Japan, where he played for four years before returning to MLB in 2022 on a four-year deal worth $25.5 million with the San Diego Padres. Martinez became a free agent in 2023 when he and the Padres both declined their respective options for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, leading him to join the Reds, who inked him to a two-year, $26 million contract.