Report: Padres, Nick Martinez fail to complete deal before lockout
The San Diego Padres and right-hander Nick Martinez seemed to have a four-year, $20-million contract in place Wednesday evening, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
However, the deal wasn't completed before the collective bargaining agreement expired Thursday and a lockout was implemented, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
It remains to be seen whether the two sides will reconvene to complete the deal once the new CBA is ratified, but there is reason to believe the contract will be finalized, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
The paperwork on the Nick Martinez $20M, 4-year Padres deal didn’t quite make it before the 11:59 deadline last night (though both sides were hustling) so he is still technically a free agent. No reason to think it won’t be finalized after the CBA is done however.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 2, 2021
The 31-year-old has spent the last four seasons in Japan. He authored a 1.62 ERA over 149 2/3 innings while making 23 starts with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks last year.
Martinez played with the Texas Rangers from 2014-17 after they drafted him in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. He owns a 4.77 ERA and 5.36 FIP over 88 career games, including 20 relief appearances.
The righty would likely serve as a depth starting option or swingman in a Padres rotation featuring Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Mike Clevinger.