There weren’t many expectations for Adrian Martinez in 2023 after a poor Oakland Athletics debut the previous year. Though unspectacular, the 26-year-old righty had a solid year out of the A’s bullpen as a mop-up man and earned himself another extended look at some point next season.
How Acquired?
During the A’s 2021-22 offseason firesale, they acquired Martinez along with teenage shortstop prospect Euribiel Angeles from the San Diego Padres in exchange for fan-favorite Sean Manaea and Aaron Holiday. He wasn’t highly touted at the time and was considered more of the secondary piece, but he was coming off a solid minor league year in the Padres’ system and the A’s hoped his nasty changeup could make him at least a backend starter.