The Texas Rangers desperately needed to find at least one more high-leverage bullpen arm this offseason and they found it in former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Chris Martin.
Texas announced the one-year deal Monday night.
Martin became the sixth bullpen addition for Texas and will represent the Rangers for the second time in his career. During his first stint from 2018-19, he posted a 3.84 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 84 games.
“First of all, [we have a] familiarity with the person and the competitor that he is,” said general manager Ross Fenstermaker. “But in terms of the on-field performance, I think he’s been one of the best, or better, relievers over the last three years in terms of performance, consistency. He’s an elite strike thrower. He’s pitched late in games and in leverage, he’s finished games. He’s pitched a variety of roles, and he’s as consistent and reliable as any reliever that we thought was available in the free agent market. We were excited to have to add him to the group.”
The right-hander spent the 2024 season with the Boston Red Sox where he posted a 3.45 ERA over 45 relief appearances. The year prior, he delivered a standout performance in Boston, finishing the season with a 1.05 ERA across 51.1 innings and earning 12th place in the American League Cy Young voting.
Martin is looking forward to pitching at Globe Life Field — where he doesn’t have to worry about the weather — and reuniting with some familiar faces.
“There’s a lot of new faces in the players, but behind the scenes in the front office and the training staff, it’s a lot of the same people,” Martin said. “That gives you some comfortability. I’m just looking forward to pitching inside the new stadium and not worrying about the weather as much. I’ve come into the new stadium and pitched in it. I’ve always liked pitching in the dome.”
Over his career, Martin has recorded a 3.38 ERA, 14 saves, and 357 strikeouts in 369 relief outings. He has pitched for several teams, including the Rockies (2014), Yankees (2015), Rangers (2018-19), Braves (2019-21), Cubs (2022), Dodgers (2022), and Red Sox (2023-24).
