The Pittsburgh Pirates were extremely active at the 2025 trade deadline. Some have worked out very well, like sending Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds and trading Bailey Falter to the Kansas City Royals, and some haven’t, like the David Bednar swap with the New York Yankees. However, one trade the Bucs made that didn’t receive much fanfare at the time was trading veteran lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed pitching prospect Jeter Martinez. Despite the lack of attention put toward the trade, Martinez is looking like a great pick-up by the Pirates.
Jeter Martinez Is Making this Pirates Trade an Interesting Swap
A Trade with Little Love
Since the Pirates traded so many higher-profile names, the Caleb Ferguson swap is easy to let get swept away. Neither Ferguson nor Martinez was a highly sought-after name at the trade deadline either. Ferguson provided the Pirates with solid innings, posting a 3.74 ERA, 3.18 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP over 45.1 innings. He walked 8% of the batters he faced, with a sub-par 19.3% strikeout percentage. The left-hander excelled at limiting quality contact. He allowed just one home run while with the Pirates and reeled off 40.1 straight innings before allowing it. Ferguson had an astounding 83.6 MPH exit velocity and 3.3%-barrel rate while in black and gold.
Martinez was not a very high-ranking prospect in the M’s system. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both ranked the right-hander among their top 20 prospects. He flashed good stuff, but lacked the results and consistent command, with a 6.18 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and 4.35 FIP over 62.2 innings at the M’s A-Ball affiliate. His K% sat at 20.3%, while his BB% sat at a poor 13.2% mark. The biggest positives were his 49.7% GB% and the fact that he also only allowed a single home run leading up to the swap. Martinez pitched in just two games at A-Ball Bradenton after the trade.
Breaking Out In 2026
Despite Martinez’s poor 2025, he is starting to break out in 2026. He returned to A-Ball Bradenton to open 2026, and his first 25.1 innings of the year have delivered plenty of promise. He has a 3.20 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.42 WHIP. Although his walk rate is still higher than you’d like to see at 13.6%, his strikeout rate has improved to 22.7%, and he has a respectable 28.7% whiff rate. Martinez continues to excel at limiting hard contact and home runs. He has yet to allow a long ball this year, has a 55.2% GB%, and has a 4.4%-barrel percentage thus far. Martinez has pitched a very strong month of May, allowing just two earned runs, four walks, and has struck out 11 over a dozen innings of work.
Martinez’s Repertoire
Martinez tosses a myriad of different pitches. His two-seam sinker sits 92-93 MPH with above-average ride and arm-side run. He tops out at 95.5 MPH. The right-hander will also throw a four-seamer with similar velocity and good arm-side run. His go-to secondary pitch is a mid-80s slider that has nearly 40 inches of vertical break and just over a half foot of glove-side movement. That is his primary breaking pitch. He’ll also mix in a mid-to-upper-80s cutter and a low-80s curveball. Martinez’s primary off-speed pitch is an upper-80s change-up with only about 1,500 RPM.
Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America think his fastball and slider are good enough to become above-average pitches in the future. His change-up, however, projects as fringe-average to average. There is still work to do, but Martinez provides a solid foundation with two promising offerings and a handful of other pitches that the Pirates can try to help him develop.
Potential For More Stuff
Martinez is still just 20 and won’t turn 21 until next February. He previously hit the upper-90s last year and has a well-built frame. The young hurler stands at 6’4”, 180-LBS. His stuff gives him the floor of a relief pitcher with the ceiling of a middle rotation arm if he refines his stuff and command. Martinez is trending upward, which is always a good sign. Martinez could make a trade that received little attention at the time have a significantly positive impact on the Pirates in the near future.
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
