Russell Martin Rumors

Russell Martin Still Prefers Year To Year

According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, Dodgers catcher Russell Martin still prefers to go year to year rather than sign a long-term extension. Jackson expects Martin to be arbitration-eligible after this season as a Super Two player. The Dodgers have tried to talk about an extension with Martin, but so far he has not been interested. Super Two players go to arbitration four times instead of the normal three. Martin wouldn't be eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.   Continue Reading

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Stark's Latest: Young Players, Giles, DeJesus

Jayson Stark's latest Rumblings and Grumblings column is chock full of information. Stark rattles off Dan Uggla, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, B.J. Upton, Justin Upton, Russell Martin, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Felix Hernandez, Jeff Francoeur, Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia as youngsters who do not have long-term deals in the works. With Uggla and Greinke, the opposition seems more on the team's side. With Hamels and Howard neither side wants a long-term deal. With the rest, the player is resisting. The Padres' top trading chip is probably Brian Giles, though a deal would further deplete a weak offense....   Continue Reading

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Locking Up Young Stars: Martin, Kendrick, Kotchman, Pedroia, Uggla

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times takes a look at the spate of recent long-term deals for young stars. Talking to different players and agents, Shaikin found no consensus on whether such contracts are a good idea. Some folks (including Shaikin and Pat Gillick, apparently) believe it's wise for richer clubs to go year-to-year to avoid getting stuck with a bad contract. I'm sure teams have done comprehensive studies on these types of contracts, but my guess is that flops are few are far between. I can only think of a handful (Angel Berroa, Eric Hinske come to mind). As...   Continue Reading

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