Carlos Martinez says goodbye to St. Louis Cardinals on Instagram

Carlos Martinez said goodbye to St. Louis Cardinals fans Sunday evening on Instagram.

It was bittersweet indeed. Carlos Martinez signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants worth $2.5 million for one year. If he meets incentives, the contract could be valued at $4 million.

Martinez took to Instagram writing about the bittersweet nature of the move to the Giants. Martinez spent nine seasons with the Cardinals as a pitcher. He had some struggles that shifted him from starting to relieving in order to find the best way to use him.

The 2021 season ended in disaster for Martinez though. In 16 games, Martinez was 4-9 with 82.1 innings, he gave up 57 earned runs, 36 walks, hit 11 batters by pitch, and was able to strike out 57 batters.

Carlos Martinez says goodbye to Cardinals

In his final game with the Cardinals on July 4, 2021, against the Colorado Rockies in Denver, Martinez left the game after 3.1 innings. He gave up a homer, a walk and one earned run after facing 12 batters.

Martinez left with a thumb injury and never took the mound for the club again. Martinez was noticeably frustrated during each outing in 2021 often pacing around the mound after a call that didn’t go his way.

The Cardinals did not exercise his option for 2022, allowing him a change in scenery that may prove beneficial to him. It should be good for Martinez to reset himself in the minors with a brand new club. New coaching. New teammates. A new opportunity.

Martinez’s social media feeds are usually filled with workouts during the offseason. This offseason does not include those activities online. While Martinez was probably resting his ailing thumb, he was hopefully taking other measures to keep ready for the new season.

The 30-year-old should report to his new camp this week as a new and improved Carlos Martinez.