Carson Spiers could fill vital role in 2025 if this Reds pitcher enters free agency

Carson Spiers can do it all, it seems. In his rookie season, he has piggybacked off an opener, took the ball as a starter, and worked bulk innings from the ‘pen. If the Reds lose Nick Martinez to free agency, though, Spiers will be asked to step up even more.

Buzz involving a Martinez trade at the deadline went all for naught, but the right-hander is now staring down a player option at the end of the season. It seems unlikely Martinez will exercise that option, which leaves a hole in both the rotation and the bullpen. Like Spiers, Martinez has put in time in nearly every game situation, with his greatest success coming as a reliever.

Rookie Carson Spiers will need to step up if Nick Martinez flees to the free-agent market

In many ways, Spiers is a carbon copy of Martinez. Both logged a strong first half with Spiers posting a 4.17 ERA in 12 appearances (five starts) and Martinez registering a 3.88 ERA in 28 appearances (five starts). Both perform much better in a relief role: Spiers' relief ERA is 3.26 while Martinez’s is 1.86.

As evidenced by these stats, Spiers isn’t quite the established vet that Martinez is. He hits his rough patches, like any rookie, but if he can slide into a long-relief role and put up decent numbers, the Reds have enough rotation help on the way to weather the loss of Martinez this winter. Rhett Lowder and Julien Aguiar have already made the jump into the big leagues, and a trio of righties (Connor Phillips, Zach Maxwell, and Lyon Richardson) are at Triple-A. Spiers could very well be the odd man out.

Spiers’ greatest competition if Martinez departs would be Jakob Junis or Buck Farmer. Each can put up multiple strong innings of relief work, although Junis can work two-plus. Each has had a career year in 2024. A surplus of long relievers should more than calm the Reds as they consider a post-Martinez season, and they can focus on Spiers' development in that role.