Chris Martin reportedly finds a home in Boston

Dec 2, 2022 - 9:18 PM

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Veteran right-hander Chris Martin found a new home for 2023, agreeing with the Red Sox on a two-year, $17.5-million contract, per Jeff Passan at ESPN.

The Dodgers acquired the veteran right-hander from the Cubs on July 30 in exchange for utility man Zach McKinstry, and Martin with Los Angeles struck out 34 batters against only one walk. Martin in 26 games with the Dodgers had a 1.46 ERA, and on the season had a 3.05 ERA in 60 games.

Martin saved two games for the Dodgers, giving him nine career regular season saves in the majors. He also saved Los Angeles’ only win in the National League Division Series, finishing off Game 1 against the Padres, one of two scoreless frames he pitched during the series.

He set career bests in xERA (2.55, among the top six percent in MLB) and FIP (2.18), as well as strikeout rate (32.9 percent) and walk rate (2.2 percent), the latter tops among all pitchers with at least 30 innings. Martin had a strikeout rate of at least 30 percent coupled with a sub-five-percent walk rate in each of 2019, 2020, and 2022.

In the True Blue LA free agent crowdsource, 15 of 23 entries (65.2 percent) thought Martin would return to Los Angeles. Five other teams were picked for Martin, but nobody correctly predicted Boston.

Martin in parts of seven major league seasons has a 3.84 ERA and 3.10 FIP in 269 games, all in relief, with 261 strikeouts and 34 walks in 251 innings. Since returning from pitching two years in Japan, Martin since the start of 2018 has a 3.44 ERA, 2.99 FIP, and a 9.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio that’s best in the majors.

Martin turns 37 in June.