MLB Rumors: Tigers Eyeing Veteran Pitcher In Free Agency

January 23, 2026 ,
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez pitches during 2025 game.

The Detroit Tigers are still hunting for a mid-tier rotation add with spring training creeping closer, and Nick Martinez has emerged as a name Detroit keeps circling as the market drags. 

The Tigers have also been connected to Chris Bassitt and Jose Quintana in the same lane of free agency, with other reports noting Detroit has checked in on Lucas Giolito as well.

Why Nick Martinez fits what Detroit needs

Martinez, 35, posted a 4.45 ERA in 2025 for the Cincinnati Reds, striking out 116 with 42 walks over 165.2 innings across 40 appearances and 26 starts. 

He ran a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 relief innings, and even with the workload bump pushing him past 150 innings and 25 starts for the first time in his MLB career, he still offered traits teams trust: he limited hard contact, avoided the injured list since returning from Japan, and leaned on a changeup that held hitters to a .192 average with a 29.6% whiff rate.

How the Tigers rotation picture could shift fast

Detroit already has a foundation with Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Reese Olson penciled in, and the club has added Drew Anderson plus bullpen pieces Kenley Jansen and Kyle Finnegan in free agency to stabilize the staff around the edges. 

A Martinez signing would give the Tigers a plug-and-play arm who can open the year in the rotation, then slide into a leverage swing role if a younger option forces the issue, whether that is Troy Melton pushing his way in, Ty Madden taking a step, or Jackson Jobe returning later in the summer. 

Martinez’s longer track record also helps sell the floor here, with a 4.16 career ERA across 940 innings over eight MLB seasons, plus a four-year stint in Japan from 2018 to 2021 that reshaped him into the flexible weapon teams now chase.

Photo Credit: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Go To: NFL Rumors | NBA Rumors | NHL Rumors