The Los Angeles Dodgers already lost Tyler Anderson to the Los Angeles Angels this offseason, and now they appear to be close to losing another key member of their pitching staff.
Although Chris Martin was struggling when the Dodgers acquired him from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline this year, he turned his season around in L.A. and became a high-leverage reliever for manager Dave Roberts. Now a free agent, Martin has been among the popular names on the market, along with another Dodgers free agent reliever, Tommy Kahnle.
It was expected Martin would sign soon, and that has been met as he agreed to a multi-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN:
Right-handed reliever Chris Martin and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $17.5 million contract, pending physical, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Martin, 36, was magnificent for the Dodgers after a deadline trade and parlayed it into a multiyear deal.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2022
Before the Dodgers acquired Martin, veteran relief pitcher had thrown 31.1 innings with a 4.31 ERA. Despite the poor ERA, the L.A. believed in his upside with his 30.1% strikeout rate while walking just 3% of hitters, amounting to a 3.02 FIP.
Martin adjusted his pitch usage with the Dodgers and found immediate results, posting a 1.46 ERA and 0.53 WHIP over 26 appearances with two saves. He carried that success into the postseason and pitched two scoreless innings against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series before the team was eliminated.
Although a return to the Dodgers would have made sense for both sides, it’s unlikely the Dodgers were willing to beat the reported two-year deal with an average annual value of nearly $9 million for a pitcher who would have essentially been their fourth of fifth option out of the bullpen.
Dodgers sign Shelby Miller
The Dodgers did make an addition to their bullpen official on Friday as they announced the signing of Shelby Miller to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
The 32-year-old is coming off just four appearances for the San Francisco Giants last season and will try to be next in a long line of Dodgers pitching coaches succeeding in aiding a turnaround.
Miller didn’t allow a run in his first three games with San Francisco, then gave up five in a final appearance. He struck out 14 of 30 batters faced during that span. At the Triple-A level this year for the New York Yankees and Giants, the right-hander went a combined 2-4 with a 2.87 ERA and 1.11 WHIP.
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