Carlos Martinez Agrees to Reported Minor-league Contract with Giants

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Carlos Martinez signed a minor-league contract with the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.

Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal

Free-agent right-hander Carlos Martinez in agreement with Giants on a minor-league contract, source tells @TheAthletic. Deal worth $2.5M if he makes roster, and includes $1.5M in incentives.

He confirmed he was going to the Bay in a post.

Derrick S. Goold @dgoold

Carlos Martinez says goodbye to the #stlcards and hello to San Francisco. Righthander sought a chance to prove himself, prove his health after several seasons of seesaw from starter to reliever … pic.twitter.com/We84yawsYM

The team declined his $17 million option for 2022, making him a free agent.

In July of this year, he had surgery to repair a torn thumb and ended his season after just 16 starts. He dealt with an ankle issue earlier in the year after an oblique injury kept him to just five starts during the shortened 2020 campaign.

What had been a promising career has been derailed by injuries.

In four seasons as a starter, he produced a 3.22 earned run average, earning two All-Star selections, while striking out 8.9 batters per nineinnings. He had a 3.17 earned run average in 48 appearances in the pen in 2019.

In the past two seasons, the 30-year-old hasn't been as sharp, producing a 9.90 in 2020 and a 6.23 in 2021. He allowed at least five earned runs in six of his starts.

The pitcher had a hard time getting out the batters.

A change in location is what the veteran needs to get back on track.