Nick Martinez doesn’t owe anything to the San Diego Padres, but he surely holds them in pretty high regard.
The former Texas Rangers draftee (and four-year member of the club from 2014-2017) struggled repeatedly at the big league level early in his career, and eventually ended up in Japan pitching in NPB for four full seasons.
It was the Padres, though, that identified something in Martinez overseas and signed him to come back to Major League Baseball in 2022, and Nick hasn’t really slowed down since. The now 34-year old righty spent a pair of excellent, versatile seasons pitching both in San Diego’s rotation and bullpen as they spent big and pursued postseason dreams, eventually landing with the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2024 season once he reached free agency.