Chicago Cubs’ practical fallback free agent signing would infuriate fans

The Chicago Cubs, so far, have not been making the kinds of headlines that their fans had hoped for this offseason.

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The team’s only moves have involved restocking an emptied-out bullpen (with free agent acquisitions Phil Maton, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, Hunter Harvey, and the re-signing of Caleb Thielbar) and the addition of depth piece first baseman Tyler Austin and utility man Scott Kingery.

What still needs to be done

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Still on their “to do” list?

Chicago needs a durable high-end starting pitcher to bolster a rotation that has durability question marks running all through it.

They also need an offensive presence to help make up for the almost guaranteed loss of outgoing right fielder Kyle Tucker.

At the moment, it’s not looking all that likely that the Cubs will step outside their budgetary comfort zone to pick up the impact talent they need. They’ve already come up short when it comes to reported pitching targets Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Japanese import Tatsuya Imai. Their chances of landing free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, meanwhile, seem to grow smaller and smaller by the day as more aggressive teams are reported to be bypassing the Cubs as favorites to sign the three-time All-Star.

That’s why when/if the team pivots to a significantly less sexy option to fill at least one of their roster needs, it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

The unglamorous fallback

Nick Martinez may end up being that pivot.

The 35-year-old righty is pure mid-tier pickup in this free agent class, a full step-and-a-half below guys like Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and Zac Gallen. He does, however, satisfy a team need as well as satisfy ownership’s desire to keep the payroll well below the luxury tax threshold while leaving money to spend on in-season acquisitions.

Martinez has been a workhorse the last couple seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, logging 308 innings over 82 games in 2024 and 2025, while showcasing his chops as both a starter and reliever.

Since coming back from a four-year stint in Japan (2018-2021) and pitching two seasons apiece with both the Reds and San Diego Padres, the veteran has earned a reputation as a versatile and hard-working swingman.

After a career-best 2024 where he registered a 3.10 ERA in 42 appearances, Martinez gambled on 2025 by taking the Reds’ qualifying offer and hoping to hit the 2026 free agency market red-hot after a second consecutive stellar season. The gamble didn’t exactly pay off, though, as he had his worst year since returning from Japan.

Last season, he went 11-14 with a 4.45 ERA while allowing more hard contact than in previous seasons and a significantly reduced ground ball rate (around 38%) than the plus-50% rate previously registered. The 1.88 ERA in his last ten regular season appearances (all relief), though, helped rehab some of his lost shine.

The value in Nick Martinez

The Cubs would find value in Martinez’s ability to move from the rotation to the bullpen and perform solidly in both spots. And, let’s not kid ourselves, they’ll also find value in the kind of contract involved in getting him.

Current contract projections have him signing for either two-years at about $24 million or for one-year at about $14-$16 million.

The Cubs’ rotation currently consists of Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and either Colin Rea or Javier Assad as a fill-in in until Justin Steele’s mid-season return from elbow surgery. Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks also lurk on the fringes, vying for a rotation spot. There will be the temptation, internally, to say that things will be just fine with some firm reinforcement rather than a costly and risky big-ticket acquisition.

Martinez definitely fits the bill in that regard.

He’ll be someone who embraces the swingman role and, like Rea last season, can plug holes in both the bullpen and the starting rotation. He’ll also bring added flexibility to the pitching staff, something which both manager Craig Counsell and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer value greatly. A short-term deal, also like Rea, will be appealing to the team as an ugly labor dispute looms at the end of the 2026 season and uncertainty swirls about.

Again, this won’t be the sexiest offseason acquisition for the Cubs and, as a last “big” move, it will be seen as downright disappointing. But it’s totally in keeping with who the Cubs are and what they might decide to settle on for the coming season.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-free-agent-nick-martinez-pitcher-2026