Saturday, Raidel Martínez had his first training session as a player for the Yomiuri Giants. His signing represented the most significant agreement for the 2025 offseason in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Martínez signed a contract with the team for four years and 32.5 million. This was a the biggest signing for a Latin player in the history of the NPB. So expectations are very high with right-hander with Yomiuri.
Martínez led the NPB Pacific League saves last season with an impressive total of 43 saves. This milestone not only means a personal record for the talented reliever, but also established a new mark for Latin pitchers in one of the most competitive baseball circuits in the world. In 58 innings pitched this season, Martínez showed exceptional ability to control and dominate the opposing hitters by allowing just six runs in that period, reflecting not only his ability to shut down hitters, but also to remain focused and effective in high-pressure situations.
His 59 strikeouts also underscores his ability to make hitters swing and miss with an array of breaking pitches headlined by a triple digit fastball, which is a direct testament to his talent and training. One of the metrics that stands out during his time in the NPB is his ERA, which has fell to 1.71 for his career. With the addition of the flamethrowing Martínez and the presence of Taisei Ota, Yomiuri now has arguably the best back end of any relieving corps in Japan.
Martínez spoke with the Japanese press before this offseason after the best season of his career as a professional player in the Japanese Professional Baseball League. “I feel very comfortable with this team and it is a good team, actually an iconic team. I really didn’t ’t want to leave the Dragons, but I wasn’t in a position to go back. The fans have been very supportive and are like another family to me. I get very emotional when I think about the last eight years,” expressed the pitcher with heartfelt words after his departure from Chunichi.