TwitterPlan B Begins
14 Dec 2010
According to Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, the Yankees have reached a deal in principal with Russell Martin. He still needs to pass a physical, which Sherman points out is more than a formality.
I’ll wait to see the dollars involved, but unless they are a lot ($5 million and up) I like the move. Martin’s bat has disappeared the past few years, but he has maintained a good OBP. He has a very good reputation for handling pitchers and threw out 39% of the runners trying to steal on him last year. He would be eligible for arbitration in 2012, so the Yankees essentially get two years of him if they want.
This frees up Posada to mostly DH which should keep him healthier. It also allows them to keep Montero in Scranton until June, eliminating the chances he becomes a “super two” guy for arbitration. The question is, what do the Yankees do with Cervelli now? I think he becomes a trade chip in the Yankees efforts to get a starter. Exactly who that starter is will have to be seen.
Dec 14, 2010 @ 14:20:09
Peter,
I don’t think this is about Montero being a “super two” guy with respect to arbitration. For goodness sake, if anybody can afford it, the Yankees can. I see it being about the Yankees not feeling he is ready to be a catcher. My take: His bat is ready now. If I’m right, then keeping him in AAA another year is, from an offensive perspective, a waste. If defensively he is not cut out to be a catcher — and the Yankees appear to be the only ones who think that he is (or so they say) — then they have a young DH, which is just about the last thing they need. In that case, they have no place to play him.
Dec 14, 2010 @ 14:53:36
Greg
I don’t think it is about his super two status either, that is just a bonus.
I look at this move more as the Yankees hedging their bets. Montero hit the hell out of the ball in AAA last year, but it took him some time to adjust. He is only 21, so that isn’t a shock.
Ideally, both Montero and Martin have huge springs and the Yankees have an abundance of catching talent. But if Montero struggled in March, the Yankees would have been in trouble. This is a good backstop against it and if Martin somehow regained the magic of his first years, so much the better.
Either way, I don’t think he spends more than a few months in AAA. The Yankees are just giving themselves more options.
Dec 14, 2010 @ 16:35:37
If Montero is at best a back up MLB catcher, then he is going to need to learn a second position. The Yanks have plenty of DHs.
Is he capable of being a fourth outfielder or of spelling A Rod at third? If so, he should be working on those positions at Triple A.
Dec 14, 2010 @ 17:16:54
I think we will find out that answer when camp starts Corey.