Tigers Pursuit of Rotation Depth Could Lead to Former Reds Free Agent
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The Detroit Tigers went into the offseason looking to rebuild their pitching staff both in the bullpen and the starting rotation, and to a degree, they have done that.
With some big time moves in the bullpen including bringing back Kyle Finnegan as well as acquiring Kenley Jansen, things are set up decently well there. The rotation however — while on paper healthier than it was at the end of last year — has not really been addressed.
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Outside of the signing of Drew Anderson, meaningful innings have not been added to the rotation. With A.J. Hinch's love of pitching chaos and manufacturing wins, depth is critical and will weather the inevitable storm of injuries.
If Hinch and president of baseball operations Scott Harris want to get someone capable of making long starts or appearing out of the bullpen, a new name could make a lot of sense. According to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press (subscription required), the team is showing interest in Cincinnati Reds veteran free agent Nick Martinez.
Tigers Reportedly Interested in Free Agent Nick Martinez
"Among their free-agent targets, the Tigers are interested in right-hander Chris Bassitt, right-hander Nick Martinez and left-hander José Quintana, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation," Petzold wrote before adding a key detail. "A deal doesn't appear imminent, though."
Detroit has been linked to guys like Bassitt already as well as Lucas Giolito, however subsequent reporting has indicated that interest may be contingent on whether or not they win their arbitration hearing with Tarik Skubal and have some extra cash to spend.
Regardless of the imminence of a deal however, Martinez is a newly reported name and could be someone who would prove to be a great fit on the kind of short-term commitment Harris and company have a habit of handing out.
Martinez Could Be Great Fit for Tigers
Martinez, now 35 years old, was not quite as dominant in 2025 as he was the year prior, but he still put up a solid year. With a 4.45 ERA and 1.207 WHIP across 40 appearances (26 starts), Martinez had a 2.3 bWAR in 165.2 innings pitched.
The year prior, that bWAR was a 4.0 aided by a 3.10 ERA and 1.026 WHIP across 42 appearances, however just 16 of them were starts. If Detroit thinks 2025 was more of an outlier than age related decline from the right-hander he could prove to be a very valuable tool for Hinch.
It would not be a flashy, exciting signing, but deep and successful pitching staffs are not built on those. They are built out of finding value, and Martinez has provided his team a ton of that over the last couple of years.
With still plenty of time to go until spring training, it will not be shocking to see another Major League deal for pitching from the Tigers, and Martinez could prove to be an ideal fit.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.