The Reds have issued a qualifying offer to Nick Martinez, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The QO is valued at $21.05M. The right-hander declined a $12M player option over the weekend to hit free agency for a fourth straight winter.
Wittenmyer reports that the Reds and Martinez have discussed a multi-year extension but haven’t gained much traction. Rather than risk losing him for nothing, Cincinnati made the surprising call to issue the QO. Martinez and his representatives at the Boras Corporation have until Nov. 19 to explore the market before deciding whether to lock in what would easily be the highest salary of his career.
Martinez had an excellent first season in Cincinnati. The Reds signed him to a two-year, $26M free agent deal. Martinez had pitched well over two seasons in a swing role with the Padres. He pitched in the same capacity for the Reds, starting 16 of 42 appearances. He logged a career-best 142 1/3 innings with a 3.10 earned run average. He has allowed fewer than 3.50 earned runs per nine in all three seasons since returning from Japan during the 2021-22 offseason. Martinez showed pristine control (3.2% walk percentage) and did a fantastic job avoiding hard contact. That mitigated concerns about how he’d adjust to hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.