SAN DIEGO – Right-hander Nick Martinez opted out of his contract with the San Diego Padres and became a free agent after going 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA in his return from Japanese baseball.
Martinez turned down a $6.5 million player option Thursday, instead triggering a $1.5 million buyout that ended his contract after one year and $7.5 million.
He made 10 starts and 37 relief appearances for the Padres and had eight saves. If he had kept his contract, he would have been guaranteed $25.5 million from 2021-23.
Martinez, 32, spent the previous four seasons in Japan, pitching first for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and then the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Martinez opts out of Padres contract, becomes free agent originally appeared on NBCSports.com
Source: Yahoo Sports
