The Padres have made a major addition to their pitching staff by signing right-handed pitcher Nick Martinez to a three-year contract through the 2025 season. The announcement was made today by President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller.

Martinez, a Miami, Florida native, made 47 appearances, including ten starts, during his first season in the Major Leagues since 2017. He compiled a 4-4 record with a 3.47 ERA (41 ER, 106.1 IP) while converting eight of nine save opportunities. After starting 2022 in the rotation, Martinez later worked exclusively in relief and finished the regular season with eight holds. Martinez also made history by becoming the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to earn at least four holds and eight saves while recording 10-plus starts in a single season.

In his Major League Postseason debut in 2022, Martinez went 0-1 with three holds, a 0.82 ERA, and a 0.36 WHIP. He allowed just one earned run in his appearances and struck out 11 batters in 8.1 scoreless innings pitched. In Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Martinez threw 3-plus innings without allowing a hit, making him the first reliever in Padres postseason history to achieve this feat.

Before his return to the Major Leagues, Martinez pitched for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball Organization in 2021. He compiled a record of 10-5 with a 1.62 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 146 strikeouts in 149.2 innings pitched. Martinez was also a key part of Team USA's silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, making two appearances, including a start in the gold medal game against Japan, in which he yielded only one earned run over six innings pitched.

Before joining the Padres, Martinez spent four seasons with the Texas Rangers, where he recorded a 4.77 ERA with 237 strikeouts in 88 games. He began his professional baseball career after being selected by the Rangers in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Fordham University.

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