Shaken, but not stirred, Nick Martini signs deal with Reds following success overseas

Drew Koch

Chicago Cubs right fielder Nick Martini / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Cincinnati Reds signed former major league outfielder Nick Martini to a minor league contract on Saturday. Martini will undoubtedly join a host of other non-roster invitees in Goodyear, Arizona less than two weeks from now.

Martini was part of the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the cancellation of the 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outfielder latched on with the Chicago Cubs in 2021 and spent the majority of the season in Triple-A Iowa.

Most recently, Martini played for the NC Dinos of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2022. In 139 games, Martini slashed .296/.365/.461 with 16 home runs and 85 RBIs while also recording 12 stolen bases.

Nick Martini signs minor league deal with Reds.

Nick Martini was a seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 MLB Draft. After seven seasons in the Cardinals minor league system. Martini was granted free agency and bounced around between several different organizations.

Over his entire major league career, Martini has posted a slash line of .270/.369/.369 in 112 games over three seasons. Martini's best season was all the way back in 2018 with the Oakland A's when he posted an OPS of .811 over 55 games.

Martini will enter a hotly-contest battle for a spot in the Cincinnati Reds outfield alongside fellow non-roster invitees Allan Cerda, Henry Ramos, and former A's teammate Chad Pinder.

In addition, the Reds also have a bevy of talented outfielders already on the team's 40-man roster. Nick Senzel, Nick Solak, Stuart Fairchild, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, and Michael Siani will all be fighting it out this spring for a spot on Cincinnati's Opening Day roster.

In the end, the addition of Nick Martini is likely just a depth signing in the event that the Cincinnati Reds face a number of significant injuries this spring.

Drew Koch

Drew Koch has been an MLB Staff Writer since January 2024 and part of the FanSided Network since June 2018. Drew's contributions have been published on Blog Red Machine, Friars on Base, BoSox Injection, Lombardi Avenue, Wildcat Blue Nation, Motor City Bengals, and many other sites within the FanSided Network. When he's not cheering wildly for the Cincinnati Reds or the Kentucky Wildcats, Drew enjoys fishing, golfing, playing cribbage and other card games, listening to country and classical music, and spending time with his family and friends.