Upon further review....
Did the Reds make the right offseason decision on free agent Nick Martinez? They had a choice:
A. Make him a qualifying offer, $21M for one year.
B. Allow him depart in free agency, get nothing.
If he accepted the offer, he pitched for them this season. If he declined the offer, he became a free agent and the Reds received a draft pick as compensation.
I'd love to know if the Reds made the offer thinking he would decline to become a free agent and pursue a multi-year deal, and they'd get a draft pick.
Consider:
The 34-year old was really good in 2024, pitching 142 innings as a reliever/starter. He was NL Pitcher of the Month in September with a 0.83 ERA in five starts. He was named Reds Pitcher of the Year, by beat writers.
Options w/o him: Greene, Lodolo, Abbott, Ashcraft, Spiers, Lowder, Petty, Burns...(8)
The payroll: His $21M is about 19-percent of the Reds 2025 payroll.
Thoughts?
Does his contract dictate is role this season? Should it?