Spring Training Signing Roundup: Takeaways From Late Free Agent Additions

Justin Verlander, Marcell Ozuna and Nick Martinez are among the veteran difference-makers who have joined new teams this week.

Justin Verlander spent 2025 with the Giants but is returning to the Tigers this season. | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

Pitchers and catchers are beginning to report for spring training and spring is around the corner. But that doesn’t mean the hot stoves are being turned off for the winter. MLB’s free agency market is still buzzing, with several signings occurring in the last couple of days. 

Here’s a roundup of the most impactful free agent signings that have occurred as spring training kicks off as well as each one’s potential effects.

SP Nick Martinez to Rays 

Contract: One year, $13 million

Martinez agreed to a one-year deal with the Rays on Monday. The Miami, Fla., native has been one of the most reliable swingman pitchers in baseball, posting a 3.83 ERA across 308 innings (42 starts) for the Reds the past two seasons while compiling 5.5 fWAR during that span, 31st among all pitchers. 

The 35-year-old adds some much-needed depth to a Rays starting rotation headlined by two-time All-Star Shane McClanahan, who hasn’t pitched since 2023 due to injury and Drew Rasmussen, who exceeded 100 innings pitched for just the second time in his six-year career in ’25. 

DH Marcell Ozuna to Pirates

Contract: One year, $12 million 

Marcell Ozuna is headed to Pittsburgh after spending six seasons with Atlanta. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Pirates continued its offensive overhaul on Monday, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with ex-Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Ozuna has enjoyed a mid-30s power binge, as two of his three 30-plus home run seasons have come in the last three years—though last year he only hit 21 in 145 games. 

The 35-year-old’s bat speed may be declining, but he’s still a productive and patient hitter at the plate, as evidenced by his 114 wRC+ and 15.9% walk rate in ‘25, the latter of which ranked third in MLB. 

That’s music to the ears of fans in Pittsburgh, who watched as the Pirates offense scored the fewest runs and belted the fewest home runs in MLB in ‘25. Ozuna figures to see much, if not all, of his time at designated hitter for the Pirates, given that he hasn’t played the outfield in a regular season game in three years. 

C Jonah Heim to Braves

Contract: One year, $1.25 million 

The Braves signed catcher Jonah Heim to a one-year deal, the club announced Tuesday. Atlanta was in need of a backup catcher for Sean Murphy, who’s still recovering from September hip surgery and is targeting a return to action in May according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. 

Heim, a 2023 All-Star, Gold Glove winner and World Series champion with the Rangers, was a below-average hitter and pitch framer in ‘25, but will add a much-needed veteran presence behind 24-year-old starter Drake Baldwin until Murphy returns to action. 

SP Aaron Civale to A’s 

Aaron Civale is joining the A’s after playing for the Cubs, White Sox and Brewers in 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Contract: One year, $6 million 

Civale and the A’s on Tuesday agreed to a one-year deal worth $6 million guaranteed, with the chance to earn an additional $1.5 million in incentives, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. 

Civale is a dependable, strike-throwing veteran who owns a career 4.14 ERA and has tossed 100 or more innings in four of the last five seasons. That’s a boon for an A’s rotation that ranked among the bottom-five clubs in innings pitched and ERA in ‘25. 

SP Justin Verlander to Tigers 

Contract: One year, $13 million 

Who says you can’t go home? Verlander, who spent the first 13 years of his Hall of Fame career in Detroit, on Tuesday signed a contract to return to where it all began. Verlander is guaranteed $13 million, but the deal includes deferred payments. 

Verlander turns 43 on Feb. 20, but there’s still mileage left on his skilled right arm, as evidenced by his 3.85 ERA in 152 innings for the Giants. San Francisco seldom provided the three-time Cy Young Award winner with run support, hence his 4–11 record, a significant roadblock in his quest for 300 career victories. 

Verlander might not be the dominant ace he once was, but the underlying numbers—11% swinging strike rate in ‘25—suggest he can still miss bats and be a dependable back-of-the-rotation starter. That means the reunion is coming at a perfect time for the Tigers, who could use exactly that type of starter with Reese Olson set to miss the ‘26 campaign after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. 

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