Red Sox Express Interest In Retaining Reliever Nearing Retirement

The Boston Red Sox have already extended a qualifying offer (worth $21.05 million) to pitcher Nick Pivetta, and the organization might bring back another fellow right-hander.

Chris Martin, one of the most effective relief pitchers in Boston’s bullpen for the past two seasons, became an unrestricted free agent as soon as the 2024 season reached its end. But even though Martin can field calls from any team across the league, the 38-year-old’s time in a Red Sox uniform might’ve not reached its end for good just yet.

“Obviously it’s pretty clear the value he had,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters at the GM Meetings on Wednesday, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “We saw that when he was pitching and when we didn’t have him available to pitch. And so we know we have some work to do in kind of rebuilding the bullpen and obviously could see there being a fit there.”

When Martin debuted with the Red Sox in 2022, the franchise struck gold. Martin was aging, but doing so like fine wine. He made 55 appearances, tossed 51 1/3 innings and recorded an impressive 1.05 ERA, finishing 12th in the American League Cy Young Award vote. However, since Boston finished dead last in the AL East at 78-84 and missed postseason contention, Martin’s stellar performance was overshadowed.

It’d be unfair to expect Martin to replicate that level of success at this stage in the nine-year veteran’s career, but it also wouldn’t take a 1.05 ERA for Martin to supply an effective impact out of the bullpen.

Plus, there’s also the looming possibility of Martin calling it a career, which he expressed toward the end of 2024 after logging a 3.45 ERA for Boston across 45 relief appearances (44 1/3 innings). Martin dealt with both elbow inflammation and anxiety-related issues in July, prompting the team to place him on the 15-day injured list.

The likelihood Martin will pitch beyond 2025 isn’t promising — for now.

“We have a fourth (child) on the way,” Martin said in September, per Smith. “Obviously I want to be there for them. And they’re getting to the ages where they’re starting to play sports. I’m getting older. Obviously 40 years old and playing baseball is going to be hard on me mentally and physically. I think that probably will be the cutoff. We’ll see. I don’t want to say 100%. I’d say 95% that next year will be my last year. I just want to be completely focused these last 11 days here and then if the opportunity comes next year — a team’s still gotta want me so we’ll see.”

Martin added: “To be 100% honest, I think next year will be my last year.”

Boston originally signed Martin to a two-year, $17.5 million contract in 2022.