Chicago Cubs: An intriguing but risky look at pitcher Carlos Martinez

A long road back to contention lies ahead for the Chicago Cubs – with starting pitching being the team’s most glaring need. It’s going to take a number of additions and continued development from young arms internally if the team wants to find success in 2022 and beyond.

While taking fliers on older and/or injured players should not be their primary solution (i.e. Jake Arrieta last year or the pick-up of Wade Miley via waivers on Friday), there is still a need to bring in as much depth as possible. Part of that requires taking chances on guys looking to re-establish their value on short-term deals. With the rival St. Louis Cardinals declining their option on right-hander Carlos Martinez this week, it’s worth wondering if he could be a potential Cubs target.

It was not long ago that Martinez, 30, was one of the more promising young arms in the National League. He came up at age 21 in 2013 and became a full-time MLB starter in 2015. From 2015-2018 he pitched to a 3.22 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.3 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9 and 8.9 K/9 (692 strikeouts) in 127 appearances – including 110 starts. He was an All-Star in 2015 and 2017 and went on to sign a five-year extension worth $51 million.

In 2018, injuries started to pile up. From May 2018 through the end of 2021 the righty from the Dominican Republic has missed 252 combined days due to injury. He had suffered a number of injuries including arm/shoulder, ankle, oblique, COVID and thumb issues. This resulted in him in appearing in only 69 games from 2019-202, making only 21 starts.

In addition to the injuries, it had been an odd journey the past few years. In 2019 he strictly came out of the bullpen and even became the Cardinals closer. He pitched to a 3.11 ERA, 1.2 WHIP and 2.86 FIP and converted 24 of 27 save opportunities. The last two seasons, 2020 and 2021, he started a combined 21 games (zero bullpen appearances) and the numbers are not good. 6.95 ERA, 5.18 FIP, 1.5 WHIP, 6.5 K/9 and 9.6 H/9 in 102 1/3 innings.

His fastball velocity the past two years had dipped from 97-98 MPH to 93-94 MPH and he was not missing bats like he once did. Even with the arsenal of pitches that he has, a dip in velocity makes missing bats more difficult. Eventually, a thumb injury in July sidelined him for the rest of 2021.

Chicago Cubs could be a team willing to take a chance on Carlos Martinez

As previously mentioned, Martinez is a guy who should not be a primary solution but as depth to see if he can fit in. The right-hander feels like a “change of scenery” guy who can still potentially provide production if he is actually healthy…which is of course the biggest concern.

It is not like he is old, he just turned 30 and is not far removed from being very effective. If his fastball is going to sit around 93 MPH and not 97 like it once did, then there will have to be a bit more adjusting to his game. Maybe throw cutters and offspeed more, or try to increase fastball movement to get more action on it to induce more weak contact on the ground.

There is also the chance that if healthy he could gain back some of that giddyup back on his fastball. See what that famous Cubs’ “Pitch Lab” can do. This would also be an opportunity to explore different roles for him. If the Cubs were to try to get him back to form or remold him, then they could use him either as a starter or reliever.

There is little doubt that Martinez has what it takes to be a quality big league pitcher. He was very good for a four-year stretch before all of the injuries. Whether or not he can have a healthy season(s) again is remained to be seen, but if the price is right and the Cubs want to build as much depth as possible then he might be a place to look.