Carlos Martinez Signs Minor League Deal With San Francisco Giants
Per Ken Rosenthal, Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez has agreed to a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. If Martinez makes the roster, the deal would be worth $2.5M with another $1.5M in incentives.
Martinez is coming off one of his worst seasons in 2021, where he went 4-9 with a 6.23 ERA with 57 strikeouts & 36 walks in just 82 1/3 innings.
Carlos took to Instagram thanking the St. Louis Cardinals organization & fans just moments ago.
It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Cardinals parted ways, as they declined the $17M club option for the upcoming season (he also had an $18M option for 2023) but they paid him $500,000 to buyout his contract. However it is rather shocking that the front office feels more comfortable bringing in a few of their most recent signings to contracts richer than the one Carlos received from San Francisco (especially given that Martinez is just 30 years old).
When Carlos was on, he was on. But when he struggled, it seemed as if he completely fell apart and unfortunately became his modus operandi.
Looking back at Tsunamy’s career in St. Louis, he has a career 62-52 record in his 9 seasons and a 3.74 ERA. He also ranks #1 All-Time in franchise history for K/9 at a 8.628 with Lance Lynn second, Michael Wacha fourth & Adam Wainwright fifth.
Martinez ranks 10th in franchise history for strikeouts with 927. Hall of Famer Bob Gibson has that record with 3,117 while Adam Wainwright currently sits at 2,004 in second.
Overall, Carlos Martinez gave the St. Louis 9 seasons of highs and lows. Unfortunately the frustrations surrounding the latter part of his tenure seem to overshadow the once bright light he shined as a promising prospect and young flamethrower. Despite the lows, we can appreciate his contributions to the team over the years, and wish him all the best in San Francisco.