The move locks down our potential closer long-term.
Bit of unexpected news out of D-backs spring camp today, with it being reported that reliever Justin Martinez has been signed to a five-year contract extension. The deal was first reported by Moises Fabian, with John Gambadoro following up with some more details of the contract. He says, “It is a 5-year deal for $18 million with a $2 million signing bonus and $16 million spread out over 5 years. There are two club option years at $7 and $9 million.” Ari Alexander followed up with this breakdown:
- $2 million signing bonus
- 2025: $1.5 million
- 2026: $2 million
- 2027: $3 million
- 2028: $4 million
- 2029: $5.5 million
- 2030: $7 million club option
- 2031: $9 million club option
Martinez currently has a little over one year of service time, so the first two years would have been pre-arbitration season, and the team is paying more here than they would typically pay to a pre-arb player. 2027-29 are Martinez’s arbitration years, and the team now has cost certainty for those. This may indicate that Justin is intended to become the team’s long-term closer. Typically, salaries for arbitration eligible relievers would take saves into experience, and that can significantly jack up their price. When you consider that Paul Sewald got a $7 million contract from Cleveland in January, the price being paid for Martinez in his arb years suddenly seems very reasonable, even before inflation.
Of course, there are risks involved. Justin has thrown a mere 82.2 innings in the majors: just two years ago, he had more walks (11) than innings pitched (10) here, and an ERA (12.60) which was higher than both. But last year was a revelation, as he complemented his 100+ mph fastball with an ability to get whiffs, and also groundballs. While he looks likely to split closing duties this season, at least initially, with A.J. Puk, this indicates the team is confident in Martinez’s future. I would really not be surprised if Justin ends up becoming the first ever Diamondbacks’ pitcher to record a hundred saves for the team (the franchise leader is currently Jose Valverde on 98 saves).