Padres predicted to sign veteran pitcher from Reds after solid year

The San Diego Padres came into the offseason with their backs against the wall. They hadn’t been able to finish the season over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last few years. The Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series titles.

Coming into the offseason, the Padres had Dylan Cease and Michael King sitting in free agency. King landed back with the Padres, but Cease opted to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. As a result, the Padres will need to add another starter to their big league club.

Sports Illustrated’s Will Laws and Nick Selbe predicted the Padres would sign veteran starting pitcher Nick Martinez to a deal this offseason.

“He began the year as a rotation mainstay but, by year’s end, was back in his old familiar swingman role,” Laws and Selbe wrote. “Martinez logged career highs in starts (26) and innings (165 2/3), but also posted his worst ERA (4.45) and strikeout rate (17%) since returning to the majors from Japan in ‘22.

“Despite those results, Martinez has had a sub-4.00 xERA in each of the past four years, and his versatility will likely earn him a good bit of interest on the open market, albeit at a lower rate than he earned last year.”

The Padres are quite familiar with Martinez. Last season as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, Martinez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against San Diego.

Signing the veteran would seemingly fit the Padres perfectly. He’s likely going to sign for under $20 million a year across two or three years. The righty is useful as a starter or out of the bullpen, which could fit the Padres well.

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