TwitterMistake Made?
29 Nov 2012
I have been wondering if I made a mistake in regards to Russell Martin. I didn’t think the Yankees should offer him arbitration and while they “took” my advice, we have learned tonight that the Pirates have signed him to a two-year deal for $17-million.
I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the Yankees had offered Martin arbitration? For $13.3-million in 2013, I imagine he would have accepted. The Yankees would have kept their starting catcher, but avoided a payroll commitment beyond 2013. Furthermore, even if he had rejected it, I find it hard to believe that Martin would have gotten the deal he got tonight,
But, that ship has sailed. Now the Yankees need to figure out what to do next. I vote for nothing. The Yankees have Cervelli, Stewart and Romine under contract. Considering the options out there, why not just let that trio head to camp and battle it out? Yes, I imagine they won’t get the same production as they would have from Martin, but they just might find their catcher of the future (Romine) or a decent substitute (Cervelli). Either way, at this point there is no reason to spend 2014 salary on catching. The best choice is off the board.
Nov 30, 2012 @ 09:24:22
not sure what your internal debate is?
two years in NY: avg.224
obp.317
slugg.405
ops.723
You can get that for considerably less than $13m or even the $8.5 he got per.
I know from prior posts you will point to how great he is defensively and how he manages the game and gets called strikes by his great framing abilities. 28% (24% LY) throwing our would be base stealers.
$13m
don’t fret, you won’t miss him other than the expense.
Dec 05, 2012 @ 11:06:46
Martin was a very good defensive catcher, so I will miss him. He also got some clutch hits that are not reflected in his numbers.
For 2013, play the best defensive catcher you have or can get on the market. Don’t worry about the hitting.