Rangers Sign Chris Martin – MLB Trade Rumors

The Rangers announced the signing of the veteran reliever Chris Martin to a one-year contract. Financial terms remain undisclosed. Martin is represented by ISE Baseball. Texas designated Matt Festa for the job of opening a spot on the 40-man roster.

Martin, an Arlington native, returns home for what will likely be his final season. The 38-year-old right-hander said in September that he is 95% certain he will retire after 2025. That’s not due to a decline in efficiency. Martin remains a capable, highly leveraged arm and is coming off a strong two-year run in Boston.

The Red Sox signed Martin to a $17.5 million free agent contract during the 2022-23 offseason. It was a bit of a gamble considering his age, but the nine-year MLB veteran paid off the investment in just one season. Martin posted a dazzling 1.05 earned run average in 51 1/3 innings in 2023. He earned a pair of Cy Young down-ballot votes in the process.

Last season was more good than dominant. Martin worked to a 3.45 ERA by pitching 44 1/3 innings. He had a brief anxiety-related injury spell in mid-June. Martin also missed a month with elbow inflammation between the beginning of July and the first week of August. He returned with 10 innings and just one earned run over the next two weeks before allowing six runs in eight September frames.

Martin almost certainly couldn’t manage an ERA around 1.00 in consecutive seasons. His strikeout and walk profile actually improved last year. He has fanned 27.8% of batters faced after posting a 23.1% strikeout rate in 2023. Martin reduced his already pristine walk rate from 4% to a career-low 1.7%. He is arguably the best strikethrower in the majors. No pitcher with at least 100 innings over the past three seasons has issued walks at a lower rate than Martin (2.6%).

During his two seasons with the Sox, Martin managed a 2.16 ERA in 95 1/3 innings. He has found success at every stop since returning from a stint in Japan between 2016 and 2017. That includes an earlier run in Texas. The Rangers were the team that gave Martin a chance during the 2017-18 offseason. He combined for 79 2/3 innings of 3.84 ERA ball before being traded to the Braves at the 2019 deadline.

Texas has committed to short-term additions to fix a bullpen that could lose each of them Kirby Yates, David Robertson, José Leclerc AND José Urena. They signed Shawn Armstrong, Jacob Webb AND Hoby Milner on one-year contracts worth $2.5 million or less. Texas also brought in the lefty Roberto Garcia from Washington in Nathaniel Lowe trade. While Martin’s finances are undisclosed, it’s fair to assume he will be Chris Young’s most expensive bullpen acquisition to this point. However, there is limited downside with a one-year contract.

Martin is the most experienced rescuer in Texas. He worked as a setup man his entire career and never saved more than four games in a season. It’s unclear whether the Rangers plan to shut him down or will use him for leverage spots. Yates and Robertson have much more experience closing and are still free agents. Whatever the role, Martin adds much-needed stability to a bullpen that may yet be the team’s biggest question.

Texas signed Festa, 31, to a minor league contract last season. The Rangers picked up his contract in August. He has made 18 appearances over the past six weeks, working to a 4.37 ERA in 22 2/3 innings. The Steed had made a brief appearance for the Mets earlier in the year. He spent most of his career with the Mariners, with whom he posted a 4.32 ERA in 89 games over four seasons. Texas will have five days to trade Festa or place him on waivers.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.