Seattle Mariners Division Rivals Sign Veteran Reliever Chris Martin to 1-Year Deal
The Seattle Mariners are still looking to make the first big move of their offseason. And while they try to find answers at first, second and third base; many of the Mariners' American League West rivals have remained active throughout the between-season intermission.
That trend continued on Jan. 6 when the Texas Rangers agreed to terms with veteran reliever Chris Martin in an effort to shore up their bullpen.
Texas designated former Seattle reliever Matt Festa for assignment in a corresponding move.
Martin is one of the more well-regarded relievers in the major leagues and has a plethora of playoff experience that Texas is likely banking on helping the club return to the heights it experienced when it won the 2023 World Series.
Martin has pitched in the major leagues for the better part of 11 seasons. There was a brief two-year stretch from 2016-17 where he threw in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball and won a Japan Series with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2016.
After 2017, Martin returned stateside and first signed with Texas and had a stint there from 2018-19. Since then, he's thrown for the Atlanta Braves (2019-21), Chicago Cubs (2022), Los Angeles Dodgers (2022) and Boston Red Sox (2023-24). He won a World Series with the Braves in 2021.
Last season with the Red Sox, Martin made 45 appearances and posted a 3.45 ERA and struck out 50 batters in 44.1 innings pitched. The year before in 2023, he posted an elite 1.05 ERA in 55 outings and fanned 46 batters in 51.1 innings pitched.
Chris Martin, Nasty 93mph Cutter. ✂️ pic.twitter.com/StqxkYhi5b
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2023
Martin was born in Arlington, Texas, and reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer from Boston to return home for his second stint with the Rangers.
Texas has arguably been the most-improved team in the AL West since the offseason began. And there's a little over a month for Seattle to respond by making improvements of its own.
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