Reds’ top trade chip is making a stronger case to stay with every game he plays

As the 2025 MLB season heads toward the trade deadline, the Cincinnati Reds find themselves in a familiar position: straddling the line between contending and retooling. One name quietly complicating their trade deadline plans is their veteran right-hander Nick Martinez, who — just a couple months ago — seemed destined to be a late-season rental piece. Now? He might just be one of the most valuable arms in the Reds rotation.

Martinez, 34, is expected to hit free agency after this season, his second with the Reds. With a wave of talented young starters climbing their way through the farm system, it made sense to assume that Cincinnati wouldn’t have much interest in retaining him long-term. But baseball has a funny way of changing expectations.

Through the second week of June, Martinez owns a 1.6 WAR — the highest among Reds starting pitchers. Yes, part of that is volume, he’s made two more starts than ace Hunter Greene, who’s missed time with minor injuries. But availability is part of the job, and Martinez has not only been healthy — he’s been effective.

Nick Martinez is making the Reds' trade deadline decisions more complicated

Across 13 starts, Martinez holds a 4-6 record, a 3.70 ERA, 53 strikeouts, and a 1.17 WHIP. His latest outing was a clinic in consistency, delivering six innings of one-run ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing six hits and striking out six with just one walk. That’s the kind of stability most contenders would pay for in July — and exactly why Cincinnati may have a tough decision ahead.

The Reds are currently hovering around .500 and sitting fourth in the NL Central. Injuries have thinned their rotation depth — Greene remains touch-and-go, first-round pick Rhett Lowder has yet to return, and top prospect Chase Petty struggled mightily in his two MLB starts (13 earned runs in just 5.1 innings). Meanwhile, Chase Burns — their most prized pitching prospect — is still developing, and there’s no urgency to accelerate his timeline.

All of this leaves Martinez as a crucial piece in the Reds' starting rotation. He’s no longer just a placeholder or a trade chip — he’s one of the few dependable arms keeping their rotation afloat.

Still, the Reds might have no choice but to move him, especially if they fall further behind in the standings. There’s virtually no chance Martinez re-signs with the club after this season, and his affordable $7 million remaining on his salary makes him an attractive option for big-market teams looking to reinforce their rotations without blowing past the luxury tax. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and even the New York Mets could all be suitors, particularly if injuries mount across the league.

The question isn’t whether Martinez has trade value — he clearly does. The real question is what do the Reds want in return? A minor-league bat with upside? A controllable asset on the cusp of the majors? Cincinnati doesn’t have to settle. They have leverage — and a pitcher who's suddenly proving too valuable to simply give away.

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