Russell Martin Still Prefers Year To Year

A lot of players go year to year with their contract situations. Young players want to cash in on that sweet green. Players like Pedroia, Youk, Papelbon, and Prince Fielder all come to mind with this trend.

However some players still sign incredibly early like Longoria, Tulowitki, ect.

Not a bad idea...I'm sure he's open to signing early, but for the right amount of money. Most likely the Dodgers offered him below that number, and this was the nice way of saying no thank you.

This guy is special. He is beloved by the fans, excellent with the media without being any sort of a distraction, has been lauded for his leadership qualities and plays every single facet of the game well. As opposed to doing something stupid like what happened with Piazza, the Dodgers should pony up the dough and get a team friendly deal done that will keep Martin in Blue for most, if not all, of his career.

Russell Martin might be the most valuable asset in all of baseball right now. A young, cheap, stud 5 tool catcher. And on top of that he is pretty much the perfect guy to be the face of your franchise.

Show Martin the money.

I can't fathom the insanity that they would bet big money on an underperforming outfielder (Jones) yet not show some serious green to Martin. Over and above his athletic abilities, he's a team leadership figure in the making, he plays an outstanding technical game, is a relentless competitor, yet maintains a humble and self-depricating attitude towards the media and teammates.

Not sure if any Dodger fans saw the "Before the Bigs" special on his upbringing, but its well worth a watch. He was born into great economic adversity to a broken home, his father was a street musician playing the sax on the platforms of the Montreal metro to make ends meet... and he and his father have a very tight relationship.

Well, last season, the Dodgers invited Martin's father to open a home game by playing the national anthem on his sax. Knowing the history and the struggles that Martin and his dad went through together to get where he did, it was quite an extraordinary moment.

"Not sure if any Dodger fans saw the "Before the Bigs" special on his upbringing, but its well worth a watch. He was born into great economic adversity to a broken home, his father was a street musician playing the sax on the platforms of the Montreal metro to make ends meet..."

First, Russell is my favorite player in the game today and his father definately qualifies as a super dad who did everything he could to raise his son right. That said, I think your evaluation is a little off. Remember that his mother was a rather successful actress in Quebec and he spent much of his formative years with her, his step father and his sister in Chelsea, PQ, which is a suburb of Ottawa. He even spent 2 years in Paris while growing up.

Further, while they weren't rich, his father made sure that Russell always had the basics, plus all the best gear as a baseball player, not to mention helping get him into Edouard Montpetit, which really helped his baseball career going forward.

Still, the point is made that Russell is the epitome of the superstar player that people love. The best comparison is probably with Cal Ripken at this point, in the way he plays the game on all sides of the ball (with the added bonus of speed) and the way he effortlessly handles the media.

Pay the man big money, because he is worth every penny.

Russell Martin and "GEO" Soto are the top catchers now and for the future. Get use to seeing them in the All-Star game for many many years! He is a great player and so is Geo.

Nice one cubs land. I like how you forgot Brian McCann, who is having a better year than both Martin and Soto. McCann has been in the league for a couple years already and is younger than Soto as well. The only reason he was in the all star game or will "get use to" seeing them is because of homers like you that don't care about deserving players or the fact that the all-star game actually means something this time. FUKODOME??!?!

I completely agree that McCann is the best catcher in the NL. McCann was only passed over on the All Star ballot because as any real fan knows the ballot is more about popularity then skill. I am a Red Sox fan and I KNOW that Varitek is the most valuable player on our team, but he should not have been an all star.

"I like how you forgot Brian McCann, who is having a better year than both Martin and Soto."

Soto, debatable. Martin, absolutely not. McCann's numbers are helped by the fact that he is better protected in the lineup and thus has hit more HR. Martin is the better defensive player (leaving out the fact that he also plays high quality 3B) and runs the best pitching staff in baseball. McCann also has nowhere near Martin's speed.