An old friend of the Boston Red Sox is hanging up his cleats and calling it a career after 11 seasons in the majors.

Veteran reliever Chris Martin reportedly is retiring from Major League Baseball after stints with the Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Red Sox, per FanSided's Robert Murray.

Red Sox fans will remember Martin fondly. He signed a two-year deal with the organization in 2022 and looked like a star for Boston. His first season as a member of the organization in the majors was in 2023. That year, he was among the best overall relievers in baseball. Martin logged a 1.05 ERA and a 46-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 51 1/3 innings pitched. In 2024, he logged a 3.45 ERA and a ridiculous 50-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44 1/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately, Boston lost Martin after the 2024 season in free agency to the Texas Rangers, which is where he was over the last two seasons of his career.

The Former Red Sox Fan Favorite Is Hanging Up His Cleats

When it comes to Martin, it's unfortunate that he didn't make it to the playoffs as a member of the organization. Boston missed the postseason in 2023 and 2024 and didn't make it back to the playoffs until 2025, when Martin was in Texas. Boston had interest in bringing Martin back last offseason, but things didn't work out.

One thing that some Red Sox fans may not know, is that his run with the club after signing in 2022 actually was his second stint in the organization. Martin joined the organization on a minor league deal ahead of the 2011 season. Martin spent the 2011-2013 seasons in the Red Sox's organization down in the minors. Martin pitched in Indy Ball in 2010 before making his MiLB debut in the Red Sox's organization. He made it up to Triple-A, but didn't pitch in a game for the Red Sox in the majors until rejoining the organization ahead of the 2023 season.

Martin had a rollercoaster of a professional career, that included a stint in Japan, but it was a success nonetheless. Martin finished his big league career with a 3.53 ERA across 434 total appearances. Plus, he won a World Series title in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves. While Martin's run in the majors with Boston wasn't very long, it was a success. The Red Sox were fortunate to have him at the time and it would've been great if he were with the team in 2025 and 2026 as well. That, unfortunately, wasn't the case. Now, he's hanging up his cleats.