The Boston Red Sox officially signed Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Chris Martin to a two-year, $17.5 million contract through the 2024 season, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced.
The 36-year-old split 2022 between the Chicago Cubs (34 games) and Dodgers (26 games), going 4-1 with nine holds, two saves, a 3.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. Martin was acquired by the Dodgers for Zach McKinstry, and at the time of the trade, he had thrown 31.1 innings with a 4.31 ERA.
Despite the poor ERA, the Dodgers believed in his upside thanks in part to a 30.1% strikeout rate while walking just 3% of hitters, leading to a 3.02 FIP. The gamble paid off.
After being acquired by the Dodgers on July 30, Martin posted a 1.46 ERA and 0.53 WHIP over the remainder of the regular season. The right-hander struck out a career-high 74 batters while issuing just five walks, leading the Majors among pitchers with at least 50 innings in walks per nine innings (0.80) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.80).
Martin also became one of two pitchers in the Modern Era (since 1900) to record multiple seasons with at least 50 innings pitched and five walks or fewer, joined only by Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (1989-90). Martin previously accomplished the same feat with the Texas Rangers in 2019.
Martin has made 269 career appearances, all in relief, with the Colorado Rockies (2014), New York Yankees (2015), Rangers (2018-19), Atlanta Braves (2019-21), Cubs (2022), and Dodgers (2022), while also pitching for the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball from 2016-17.
The 2021 World Series champion owns a 1.88 ERA in 15 career postseason appearances, including a pair of scoreless outings in the 2022 National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
Dodgers interested in Seth Lugo
The Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw and Shelby Miller joined the organization, but they have otherwise seen the likes of Tyler Anderson, Cody Bellinger, Andrew Heaney, Tommy Kahnle, Trea Turner and Martin sign with other teams.
Even with Kershaw back in the fold, the Dodgers face a need in their starting rotation. They reportedly had interest in Justin Verlander prior to the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner signing with the New York Mets.
As the Dodgers canvass the market for starting pitching, one option they have interest in is Seth Lugo, who has spent the majority of his career as a reliever.
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