Veteran reliever Chris Martin turned 38 in June and is a free agent at season’s end, but the Red Sox righty tells MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith that he still intends to play in 2025. Next year, however, will “95%” be his final season, per Martin himself. The towering 6’8″ righty discusses the decision at length in an interview with Smith that fans will want to read in full for a wide slate of candid quotes. Broadly, Martin cites a growing family — his wife is pregnant with their fourth child — and the increasing toll the game can take on one’s physical and mental health in the latter stages of a career for his plan to wrap things up after the ’25 campaign.
Martin has had separate IL stints in 2024 for a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury, right elbow inflammation and anxiety. He’s been effective when on the mound, posting a 3.35 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. As is typical for the big righty, he’s missed bats at an above-average level and shown off perhaps the best command in all of Major League Baseball. Martin has punched out 28.8% of his opponents and issued walks at a microscopic 1.2% clip. That’s a sensational mark even by his own lofty standards, but Martin’s career 3.2% walk rate (and 2.7% mark since 2021) has long illustrated his elite ability to locate the ball.
While Martin has lost a mile per hour off his four-seamer this season amid those injuries, he’s still checking it an average of 94.7 mph with the pitch. The slightly reduced fastball hasn’t adversely impacted him all that much; his 11% swinging-strike rate is right in line with last season’s mark, and his opponents’ 79.7% contact rate is down ever so slightly from last year’s 80% mark. If anything, his four-seamer has been more effective this year. Opponents hit .313 off the pitch and slugged .521 against it last year. Those marks are down to .241 and .389 in 2024. Martin’s sinker has been hammered by opponents this season, and he’s begun to throw it less frequently as a result (8.7% in ’24 compared to 15% in ’23). That’s contributed to a dip in ground-ball rate (51% last year, 44% this year), but the overall blend of whiffs, command and grounders remains an effective package for the nine-year big league veteran.
Notably, Martin didn’t address whether that final season would come with the Red Sox or with another club. It’d be a surprise if the Sox didn’t want him back, given how well he’s pitched under his current two-year, $17.5MM deal. He’s delivered 91 2/3 innings of 2.06 ERA ball with plus strikeout and walk rates — all while piling up 37 holds and five saves along the way.
There will, of course, be widespread interest in Martin — as one would expect based on his overall track record. He’s rattled off six straight seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA and twice posted sub-2.00 marks in that stretch. Overall, Martin has a 2.79 earned run average, 83 holds and 13 saves dating back to 2019. Given his age and current plans to call it a career after the 2025 season, one would imagine he’ll prioritize signing with a contender in hopes of adding a second World Series ring to match the one he earned with the 2021 Braves.
[Related: 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List]
Martin will have plenty of competition on the relief market, but the fact that he’ll presumably limit himself to one-year offers should create a wide array of suitors. He’ll be one of the top leverage relievers on the market. Names like David Robertson, A.J. Minter, Yimi Garcia, Andrew Kittredge and Tommy Kahnle (to name a few) have had nice seasons working primarily in a setup capacity. Kirby Yates, Carlos Estevez, Clay Holmes, Aroldis Chapman and teammate Kenley Jansen are among the impending free agents who’ve spent a notable portion of the 2024 season working as a closer.
parksy78
I’m sure Gwyneth will be delighted to have him at home.
RunDMC
Not likely since they’ve been ‘uncoupled’ since 2014. He’s been with Dakota Johnson for quite some time, growing up an Overboard/Miami Vice fan.
Now you can continue ignoring National Enquirer at the grocery store. lol
johnsilver
See no reason he can’t get another 8m next year. Still sits 95mph, solid slider, pinpoint control and knows how to pitch. As good of an 8th inning guy going as there is, 38 or not. he may want to pitch for a team next year where he can win if it’s to be his last, which might just put Boston out of the picture.
Salvi
He has anxiety issues, getting away from the Red Sox “fandom” is the solution.
Troy Percival's iPad
Genuinely curious what he was anxious about. He had a 1.05 ERA last year and has a 47 to 2 K/BB Ratio this year. He’s been about as automatic as you can be
Joemo
Because he was pitching awful right before he went on the IL for anxiety. He went from automatic to horrible at the start of this season.
I thank him for his performance last year but I hope.he is another teams problem next year.
There will be a question mark at the backend of the pen with Hendricks, they don’t need another one.
acell10
Martin hasn’t been much of a problem at all for the sox. when healthy he’s been great.
acell10
anxiety isn’t something that’s tied to any one particular thing so it’s not really wise to speculate on it.
Joemo
Acell – you know what should help with his anxiety? The 7.5MM he’s getting paid to throw a ball every few days.
In a team sport, you find ways and push through the issues because your teammates are depending on you.
Don’t get me wrong, mental health is important, but when other people are depending on you, you find ways to get by.
HatlessPete
You literally do not understand how anxiety disorders work bruh. Everything about your post shows this. If you agree that mental health is important you might want to actually learn something about it.
Joemo
Hat – So Martin went on the IL with anxiety. This was an isolated incident.
If he had an anxiety disorder, it would have been a reoccurring issue.
Maybe you should understand how anxiety disorders work before attempting to insult someone else online about them?
olmtiant
Let me be the first ( and only person) to say… Bring him back!!! Incentive laden contract…….. 10% beer sales on under age patrons… 15% hot dogs sold to all vegetarians…. 3% cotton Candy sales to all diabetics and finally the big one!!! ( this gets the deal done) 25% peanut sales to those allergic!!! Since his departure I can name 15 relievers he is better than that have pitched for us!!! Would you believe 7??? How bout 2 and Dom Smith??? He can throw harder than BROCKSTAR!!( but not Dom Smith) Oh boy it’s going to be a long winter…
olmtiant
And in case you haven’t figured it out.. I’m not talking about Martin!!!
bhambrave
“Oh boy it’s going to be a long winter…”
Says your wife.
hauntedhammer
Unless his wife signs a free agent contract before they agree to a contract extension
RunDMC
cue Fix You 🙁
HatlessPete
Clocks for an encore seems fitting given the situation lol.
whyhayzee
Stay in Boston. Please and thank you.
letitbelowenstein
Probably too expensive for Henry.
FemboySportsFan!
Thank you for this very important info we NEEDED to know.
fenwayfrank
I’d take him back for 1 more year in a heartbeat. despite some rocky outings, he has been solid. No reliever is perfect, and he has been very good for the Sox. ONE MORE YEAR…..
Fernando Ringworm Jr.
He used to rule the world.
Jackalopal
Coldplay was clutch in atlanta on our playoff runs, good career
golga333
Dude has walked 44 batters his entire career. Never more than 8 in a single session. Remarkable.
This one belongs to the Reds
For a relief pitcher, limiting walks and what happens to inherited runners is the key.
johnsilver
Golga. Better than that really. 10 of those 44bb’s are intentional, so actually it’s 34bb’s in 342 career IP, then he’s got the 354k. he turned the career around 10y ago after returning from Japan.
B dog 351
My prediction. He signs elsewhere and struggles due to Father Time . Breslow & company will pick him up in early July via wavier or a low budget trade. They will sell the narrative that he’s got something left in the tank and Bailey can bring it back.