Russell Martin Available?

i wouldn't mind Martin being moved to third, but i don't see the dodgers trading him to sign Tek. Also, what affect would signing Tek have on re-signing Manny?

Is some sort of Howard for Martin trade feasible?

the reds would def. ask about martin if he was indeed on the block.

homer bailey
todd frazier
juan francisco
another prospect or 2 for
martin ?

How about Rios for Martin? The Dodgers get a center fielder to move Kemp and Ethier to less straining positions and the Dodgers save money to spend on CC, or whatever they like. Then go for a catcher, other than Varitek preferably, but we know Colletti.

JRD-that wouldn't cut it. Martin for Phillips might work though.

This would be dumber than signing Andruw Jones a year after signing Juan Pierre. Throw in the salary that Varitek will be seeking and the Dodgers will reach a new low in offseason moves.

Rios is out of the question. They already have spent the last two seasons switching around center fielders. I think Kemp stays.

Red Sox would not trade both Buchholz and Lowrie. Not saying thats not a fair trade just doesn't make sense out of necesity. The Red Sox offer would problably more along the lines of
Red Sox get:
Russel Martin

Dodgers get:
Clay Buchholz
Josh Reddick (Their number 3 prospect)
plus a lower level high ceiling guy such as a Hagadone or Kalish.

How about Kei Igawa for Martin? I bet he could be successful at Dodger Stadium, all those long fly balls might be caught out in LA.

A-B-S-U-R-D.

OK, I know Varitek is a veteran presence, and an upgrade defensively (while healthy.) I know that he can handle veterans and youngsters alike on the pitching staff. But c'mon! The Dodgers are going to trade away Martin so they can sign Jason Varitek for $5mil MORE?!?

Moving to 3rd base is wise for a 30-yr-old, but at this stage in his career, it is in the best interest of both Russ-Mart and the Dodgers to leave him at catcher and look for alternatives at 3B.

Well it makes sense if you combine it with the Crisp for Greene rumors. Getting Greene does make shortstop still a question mark for the Sox but between Lugo and Greene the Sox might get at least a halfway decent SS...

But Lowrie's trade value is about as high as it can get, he could be part of a headline.

You're joking about the Igawa trade, right?

the reds have some major league pieces edwin , phillips and minor league talent both pitching and position players that i believe they could try and get something done that does not include cueto

Lowrie and Masterson for Martin? The Dodgers don't really need younger pitchers (see Wade, Broxton, Kershaw, McDonald and some other up and coming pitchers in their system). Furcal is most likely going to be re-signed so Lowrie isn't needed.

Dodgers, DO NOT TRADE MARTIN!!! If Colletti does that, I will have lost all faith in him.

Martin for McCann?

Logan White has blocked trades before involving his prized draft picks. I'd have to hop he would win out again, regardless of what the Dodgers got in return. You have a 26 year old catcher with a .385 OBP last season. His OBP has improved all 3 years. The Dodgers traded away Navarro for this kid. They traded away his potential replacement in the Blake deal. This would make absolutely no sense.

Let's remember this is GAMMONS!! Maybe he heard this in a jam session with Epstein and Papelbon. What sense would it make for the Dodgers to trade Martin and sign Varitek??

I can believe that the Dodgers may explore moving him, but I can also believe that Gammons is just moving along a rumor.

"Why why why would the Dodgers trade Martin? Why?

Lowrie + Masterson for Martin?"

Honestly, I wouldn't peg that one. It's bad for both teams. Masterson and Lowrie both have high upside, but both figure in to the future of the Sox organization. Masterson has a lot of versatility in his ability to get quality outs out of both the rotation and the bullpen. Lowrie has less upside to the organization, but they NEED a more consistent short stop than Julio Lugo.

Meanwhile, I don't even think that combination is worth a solid offensive catcher in this market. The Sox would need to part with an additional mid-level prospect at least, and I think that's more than the Sox should blow on him.

I would see if we could sweeten the package by offering to take Jones off their hands. If we could pull a trade of Buchholz, Crisp and one of high upside prospects like Exposito (Catcher who's still a few years off but has great scouting reports) or something similar for a package of Jones and Martin, I would pull the trigger. The Dodgers get back a high upside pitcher, catcher combo and a relatively well priced supersub under team control for another two years at under ten million and they shed Andruw Jones' terrible contract. The Sox get a completely worthless backup outfielder, but they get one of the premier catchers in the MLB without having to lose anything the franchise absolutely needs (They have an abundance of quality pitchers in the minors).

A bit of a pipe dream, but a vaguely realistic trade, in my view.

Being a Dodger fan, I don't think trading Martin would be such a bad thing. As long as we got great value back (All Star caliber player(s)). Plus if we can send Jones or Pierre as part of the deal it is even better.

I would never have thought that a year ago, but he regressed this season. Don't get me wrong I love Martin and think he is a talent behind the plate. But his agent as refused to discuss a long term contract extension on several occasions and he has said that he wants to move back east nearer to his family.

We've traded Piazza and LoDuca, so why not Martin I guess. Seems to be the teams' MO when it comes to catchers.

This is a stupid rumor that gets people all riled up for nothing.

Sure, the Dodgers MIGHT consider moving Martin to third base, but they aren't going to trade him, unless somebody agrees to take Andruw Jones with him.

Several teams have a catcher available in trade, but this type of rumor gets everyone all hot and bothered for no reason whatsoever.

"howard for martin"
the phils have a nice catcher propsect. howard would net more than martin, howard has been the most productive player in baseball over the past 3 years. more hr and rbis than. maybe martin and mcdonald and someone else for him i would think about it

Russell martin for john lester.

Wow...I can't see the Dodgers trading Martin based on his numbers. Unless there's some really bad attitude rubbing Torre the wrong way I can see this rumor having any traction. Why trade a young all-star player at a premium position? Of yeah there were those "trade Cano and sign Hudson rumors too".

LOL! okay i watched every home game for the lancaster squad this year as i am a scorekeeper for the team.. i just wanna defuse this quickly. reddick is good hitter will not take a walk to save his life. he and masterson plus another prospect isnt worth martin. a catcher who hits for a good average, decent power, gets on base all the time, STEALS BASES!! plays gg defense.. loved by the city. he plays full tilt kinda hurt the dodgers in the lcs swinging like a mad man at every pitch.

lol martin is a french canadian mixed black dude.

"Russell martin for john lester."

Not a chance. Martin is a VERY nice proposition, but Lester is a guy who just put in a flat out dominant season with good strikeout numbers, innings pitched and a solid ERA and WHIP. He's also only twenty-four years old and this was all after being only about a year removed from lymphoma, which severely slowed his development. That is NOT a guy you give up for anything but the best in its position. I'd consider Lester for Mauer, but not a chance for Martin.

i had more also stupid type key.
i would only trade martin to the sox for anderson(who would be moved to left) bucholz(sp) and exposito.

if martin for howard was on the table, amaro would say hold on! and call giambi sign him and then pull that trigger. ryan howard isnt even a top 5 first baseman in the nl. i would take pujols, Gonzalez, berkman, tex while he was here, i think loney will hit 300 20 100 next year with gg defense.

"Russell martin for John Lester."

Good trade...if you include Big Papi!

Soto deserves to be in that top 3, JRD.

umm yeah carolina thats a little too much from the dodgers.

I'll be honest. As a Red Sox fan, this rumor gives me chills down my spine. Russell Martin would solve our offensive and defensive problems in one fell swoop. We add Martin and we can basically sit back for the rest of the offseason (outside of adding a #4 starter). He is one of the best players in the league at his position, a position we happen to need to fill quite desperately. So yeah, sign me up.

Now of course I understand the price would be (and should be) very steep. But looking at it on the surface I can see something like this going down.

Red Sox Get:
Russell Martin
Juan Pierre

Dodgers Get:
Micheal Bowden
Coco Crisp
Micheal Almanzar/Will Middlebrooks

It makes fair sense to me. We get what we want in Martin. Our future catcher. And we sweeten it for LA by taking the albatross Pierre who, even though really is not even close to Crisp's ability at the plate and in the field, can at least run the bases and play a little OF.

As for no Buchholz in the deal, I honestly think Bowden would be a better trade piece at this point. Buch is no longer the prospect he once was and now is regarded as more of a talented project. Bowden is a young power arm that porjects to be a very good starter in a couple years. Almanzar/Middlebrooks are interchangeable in my mind. Both are very young, high-cieling 3B prospects that have a way to go before they reach the majors. And Crisp of course is a versatile playoff veteran who, though streaky at the plate, can play CF better than anybody in the league. If those three don't do it

I don't think this trade (or any other version of it that nets us Martin) is likely at all. Colletti really would have to be smoking something even better than he is usually on. But from a Sox perspective, it sure is nice to dream about.

Red Sox Get:
Russell Martin
Juan Pierre

Dodgers Get:
Micheal Bowden
Coco Crisp
Micheal Almanzar/Will Middlebrooks

wow dude.

I don't think this trade (or any other version of it that nets us Martin) is likely at all. Colletti really would have to be smoking something even better than he is usually on. But from a Sox perspective, it sure is nice to dream about.

okay i didnt read this so you were kidding a little.
i almost yelled at the computer reading that proposal

Michael,
I agree Soto had better numbers than Martin and I beleive is younger.

All this talk is just ridiculous. If you want a comparison to the trade value, you might want to look at Peavy. And then possibly increase that. You have a 25 year old 2 time All Star catcher. His power dipped last season, but had a .385 OBP, 18th best in the majors. He's in his first year of arbitration, clearly controllable monetarily.
Let's quit throwing out these ridiculous trades, okay?

"Soto put up one year of elite production, besting Martin's ops in his best year by 25 points. He out slugged him a little, otherwise Martin was better on the base paths, defensively and with the arm."

Dont forget Soto was a rookie and Martin has been around for a few years. Says a lot about Soto. He also handled one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, as a rookie.

"Call me crazy, but I would do a Martin, Pierre, and Kemp for Brandon Phillips, Edwin Encarnacion, Bronson Arroyo, and a prospect deal."

You are out of your freaking mind. Russell Martin is a young elite catcher with good hitting skills, great plate discipline and he's also a great athlete. Matt Kemp has big time star potential and showed a lot of it in 2008. If he can play a good center field, that guy is going to be a star, no doubt. Even if you are dumping Juan Pierre's contract as well, that deal still is no good for the Dodgers.

Encarnacion is a very good young hitter, but his defense really holds his value back, and he needs to show more consistency at the plate. Phillips is also a good player, but his .312 OBP last season is an issue, and that's actually higher than his .308 mark. I know he's probably compable of consistently keeping it around .330, and with good defense and speed at second, he's a good player, but that OBP really holds him back. And he'll be 28 next season as well, 2 years older than Martin, and 4 years older than Kemp. Arroyo is a solid 4/5 starter, but that's not how he is getting paid, and it makes the benefits of moving Pierre minimal. I guess if that prospect was like Homer Bailey, Yonder Alonso as a PTBNL, or maybe even Juan Duran or Drew Stubbs, the trade would be slightly more plausible. But really, the Dodgers would never ever make a deal like that.

Yeah but aside from a few points in slugging, Martin out performed him across the board. There's no doubt he's the better all around catcher.

If Soto continues to hit like he did this season then maybe he's the more valuable player because of his offense.

Don't know how much stock I put into crediting catchers for the success of the rotation.

Who was the starting Catcher in the NL for the all-star team? Did Martin win rookie of the year? Just curious...

Yeah I know it's crazy and you're right I am kidding in a wishful sort of way. Though I really could see a trade of that sort being offered by the Sox if they believe Colletti is as stupid as I hear.

I understand your point of view though. If I were a Dodger fan I would be pissed as well because no matter who the Red Sox give it is really going to be a one-sided trade. Unless the Dodgers are extremely unhappy with Martin and they don't think they can count on him to be invested in their team and their future, then I see no reason why they would want to trade him.

As for my trade proposal. I'm kind of following this outline.

Red Sox Get:
Martin
Bad contract (Jones or Pierre)

Dodgers Get:
Top pitching prospect (Bowden or Buch)
Major Leaguer (Coco or ???)
High risk/High reward chip (Almanzar, Middlebrooks, Esposito, Reddick, etc.)

If the Dodgers don't like that outline (and I wouldn't blame them) then I don't think it matters who fills each slot. This trade won't happen. Or at least, it shouldn't happen.

(Oh and by the way. I know I'm only echoing the masses when I say this but. Typekey sucks.)

"Why else would the dodgers trade him?"

Because they're dumb..? You don't trade young catchers who post .385 OBP's, have hit 25 HR in a ML season before, and play good defense. It's just. I dont know, I guess they know something that I clearly don't.

"Soto is better because the Cubs won't trade him?

Did we leave our logic at home?"

You just dont go around trading or moving a C to a new position for no reason at all....theres a logic, I just cant find it.

If Martin is soo good defensivly, then why trade him or move him to 3B unless theres a better prospect in the system. Off the top of my head, no one jumps out at me...

Right, and im sure there is still room to improve for both players.

i actually retract that statement. I'd love to see tek finish his career as a catcher for the sox. I think bottom line is, would the yankees trade jeter? no he's a yankees icon. tek is a red sox icon and the heart and soul of that team. I'm not sure i'm ready to give that up.

Lets not live in the past Blue. ;)

Santana/Beckett,

Statements like yours are why teams fall from playoff contenders to playoff also-rans. It's also not the way the Red Sox have run their organization recently. They let Pedro, Damon and Lowe go. If Varitek asked for anything more than a 2 year deal, and really, anything more than a 1 year deal, it'll hinder the team. He's quickly turned into the AL version of Brad Ausmus. They need to trade for a catcher, and quick. "Heart and soul of the team" be damned.

Russell Martin for Jon Lester! Yeah, if you add Kershaw and Kemp!

rsd bringing the noise

cwille,
A fool...hmmm. It is a fan based vote. So your telling me LA isnt larger than Chicago? And there isnt as many LA fans nationally as Chicago fans?
They are both young players, 24yr olds cant improve? Baseball players hit their peak at age 28. Go eat a sandwich.
Whos the fool now?

"A fool...hmmm. It is a fan based vote. So your telling me LA isnt larger than Chicago? And there isnt as many LA fans nationally as Chicago fans?"

without a doubt there is more cubs fans than dodgers.
not to be a jerk but the longer you suck the more people are absorbed into a fanbase.. dont know why but yeah it happens

Moving Martin to 3rd base full time would transform him from a top 5 value in all of baseball, to a guy who is a below average player at his position, and does not have much value. A .280/.360/.430 is awesome for a young catcher, especially one with the game calling and defensive abilities of Martin. But that same line isn't nearly as enticing coming from a 3B. This seems absolutely ridiculous.

it sucks because now the sox have to make a choice before the dodgers do. if the dodgers sign tek first, then we have no real good option for a catcher and they still have martin, which means we would have to pay more to get martin from them since we wont have a really good internal option. but if we trade for martin soon, and due away with varitek before he signs anywhere, then we get a better option for less prospects. tough call...