The Rays have plenty to sort through as the season moves toward October, but Nick Martinez has already forced himself into the conversation.
Martinez is headed for free agency this offseason after a career year, and MLB.com has him sitting ninth on its list of the top 2026-27 free agents. That puts a familiar Rays decision in front of Erik Neander and the front office: do they let one of their most productive veteran arms walk, or try to keep him in the fold?
The case for bringing him back starts with the numbers. Martinez is 13-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 25 starts, and he made his first All-Star team in July. He has not piled up strikeouts - he has 87 in 147 2/3 innings - but his command has been elite, with 1.3 walks per nine innings, the lowest in the league.
As MLB writer Mark Feinsand put it, "Martinez is in the midst of the best year of his career, going 13-4 with a 2.93 ERA through 25 starts while making the first All-Star team of his career. Martinez doesn't strike out many hitters (87 in 147 2/3 innings), but his 1.3 walks per nine innings are the lowest in the league," says MLB writer Mark Feinsand.
"After accepting a qualifying offer from the Reds in 2025, Martinez signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Rays this season, placing a successful bet on himself. His bounce-back season should result in a better contract this offseason, though at age 36, he will likely be looking at a two- or three-year contract."
That one-year, $13 million deal worked out exactly as Martinez and the Rays hoped. Now the question is whether Tampa Bay wants to extend the relationship after seeing what he can still provide.
Age is part of the equation, but so is the timing. If the Rays believe they’re in a real championship window, a two-year deal would make sense as a way to keep Martinez in a starting rotation that already features Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan. Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour, both of whom have moved from reliever to starter, have also helped deepen that group.
So while the Rays are still focused on holding off the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East, Martinez has already become one of the more interesting offseason decisions on the board.
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