The Texas Rangers have announced the signing of veteran reliever Chris Martin to a one-year deal, though financial terms have not been disclosed. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Rangers designated Matt Festa for assignment.
An Arlington native, Martin returns home for what is likely to be his final season. The 38-year-old right-hander expressed in September that he is 95% confident he will retire after the 2025 season, not due to a decline in performance but rather his age. He has proven to be a reliable high-leverage arm, coming off a solid two-year stint with the Boston Red Sox.
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The Red Sox signed Martin to a $17.5 million free agent contract during the 2022-23 offseason, a decision that paid off well in his first year. In 2023, he posted an impressive 1.05 earned run average over 51 1/3 innings, even garnering a couple of down-ballot Cy Young votes.
His previous season was more mixed; he recorded a 3.45 ERA across 44 1/3 innings. Martin had a brief stint on the injured list due to anxiety in mid-June and missed about a month with elbow inflammation from early July until the first week of August. Upon his return, he allowed just one earned 10 innings before struggling in September, giving up six runs in eight innings.
