5:50pm: The Yankees and Red Sox are in on Martin and the Mets and Blue Jays are less interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
4:34pm: The Dodgers have not been in contact with Martin's agent since Thursday, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
3:29pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Martin will be a catcher next year. The Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mets all examined his medical information in the last day (Twitter links).
3:09pm: The Mets consider Martin too expensive and too much of an injury risk, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 1:31pm: The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets are also thought to be interested in Martin, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
FRIDAY, 9:16am: The Yankees, who tried to trade for Russell Martin this week, are one of six teams interested in the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that the Yankees nearly sent Francisco Cervelli to the Dodgers for Martin (Twitter links). In fact, the Yankees and Dodgers even exchanged medical records on Wednesday.
The Dodgers are nearing a deal with Rod Barajas, but they still have interest in re-signing Martin. Agent Matt Colleran says the Dodgers view his client differently than most teams do.
“They want to continue discussions with the idea that Russ could come back and catch, play second base and third and a little bit out of outfield to see if he likes something like that in the event he ever wants to transition from behind the plate,” Colleran said.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Mets or Brewers look to upgrade behind the plate. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that Martin, who is from Montreal, wants to play on the East Coast (Twitter link).
The Brewers are more than happy with their young catcher, Jonathan Lucroy. If they bring in a catcher it’ll be to challenge backup George Kottaras. I doubt Martin would want to battle to be a backup.
seriously. ben nicholson-smith makes ill-informed comments about the brewers every time he mentions them.
the Brewers are woefully, perennially pathetic. they need any positive regard they can get.
He makes ill informed comments? or your opinion doesn’t match his??
I don’t see how you can put down BNS when all you’re basing it on is your opinion, like he is.
You can have the opinion that the Earth is flat too.
lucroy really isn’t that good. he really really isn’t. i’m not saying martin is the catcher of future that any team is looking for, but he would be a solid compliment until they can find a legitimate upgrade.
lucroy doesn’t offer much.
Lucroy is fine defensively and has an upside of around 750-800 OPS at the plate. He’s not a world beater but he’s not bad. He really really isn’t.The Brewers have bigger fish to fry than trying to replace a good catching prospect.
Lucroy only looked as good as he did last year (solidly below average) because he was sharing time with Kottaras, after years of Jason Kendall being the team’s starter.
Platoon with Josh Thole would be nice
Piazza, LoDuca, Martin – finish out the trifecta.
Martin would have to sign with the Marlins first….
He’ll have to be a Marlin, then traded to the Mets
Somehow I don’t think he’s going to sign to platoon given the interest in him already, and given the last couple years, it’s debatable if he’s any better then Thole.
Martin would be an excellent fit with the Yankees, if he can play 3B capably as well as catch.
Yeah an upgrade at 3B is clearly needed.
3B? Maybe I’m missing something…Did you mean to say play 3B for the Yankees? I thought the Wankers had a 3B locked up for a while?
A-Rod can’t play 3B every single day anymore and remain healthy. Instead of nothings manning 3B on his ~20 days off during the season, a guy like Martin could man the position. The Yankees could use a capable Ty Wigginton type, and Martin fills that role, plus he can catch.
i think i heard somewhere he has only played about 11 games as a 3rd basemen so i dont know if the risk to place him there with his limited amount of work is worth it
71.1 innings, .885 fielding %
Seeing Russell Martin in pinstripes would be so depressing.
I def. think the Red Sox should look into him; they’ve yet to sign a third baseman, Salty could play some 1st base or (gulp) spend time in Pawtucket. Plus injuries…
That would be interesting. It would also open the possibility of him becoming our everyday catcher the following season assuming we figure out the first base/third base situation next offseason.
Might be a good fit, I think the 1B/3B situation will be fixed sooner than later. I see A-Gon with the Sox. If Salti can play a little 1st then they could use Lowrie and Salti as their “utility” players until the trade.
Youk at third, iglesias at short, dustin at second, adrian at first, Lester on the mound, martin behind the plate, werth/crawford in left, ellsbury in center, kalish/drew in right. It would be a dream team roster for the future if everything goes right.
That is a weak 1b/3b combination. That won’t get it done in AL EAST.
are you stupid dude
What about Russ going to the Red Sox? Salty doesn’t seem capable of getting the ball to pitcher’s mound let alone second base. Tek’s only back to try and teach and not to catch, but i think if Martin was here he could catch four or five games then take a seat and let Tek come in.
I’d like to see the Jays get him and have him and Cibia split the load [no euphemism]. I like Molina, but Martin has more [potential] talent.
I’m overlooking that he’s Canadian.
I could see him getting time at 3b and DH and a few games catching.. only problem is.. who leads off?
rajai davis… they traded for him and he’ll prolly start in LF. especially after they non-tendered fred lewis last night.
He’s not an everyday starter… atleast I don’t see him as one…
But if Davis starts in left, that means Snider in RF and Bautista at 3rd base…
Which would mean Martin at DH…and he doesn’t offer enough as a primary DH.
i prefer your boy lunchbox leading off
Lots of you on here are making it seem like its easy to come back from a fractured hip. Catchers spend almost 1-2 hours per game and considerable more in practice squatting and the wear and tear on his hip will be so much less if he were to move to another position while it totally heals. Plus it will extend his career much more. Just look at Craig Biggio. Cather to second base then out the CF…Martin can proably make the move too, he seems a little better adept to move then a Mike Pizza or someone like that. Who knows…
Mike, your forgetting that he’s only 27, it’s not like he’s an old man who fractured his hip. Catchers usually get tired out in their legs from catching that much, mostly in their quads and hamstrings, not from their hip bones. Fractured bones usually take 4 to 6 months to heal so he’ll be fine by spring training.
If everyone was as sure as you seem to be that he’ll be fine by Spring Training, then he’d have been tendered a contract by the Dodgers. But you’re right about one thing: a fractured hip is usually a old person’s injury. How Martin managed to get one at age 27 is a medical mystery.
Oddly enough, Frank Gore of the 49ers just broke his hip too. I can’t remember hearing of any athletes since Bo Jackson breaking a hip, and then two (both of whom I happen to have been big fans of) in 6 months? Weird.
Yeah to be fair though, Bo’s injury was far more severe. Bo’s hip if I recall was yanked completely out of the socket, requireing a prosthetic hip. Apparently it’s rather challenging to play professional sports after undergoing a hip replacement.
Oddly enough, Frank Gore of the 49ers just broke his hip too. I can’t remember hearing of any athletes since Bo Jackson breaking a hip, and then two (both of whom I happen to have been big fans of) in 6 months? Weird.
I agree, this is a strange one, I would stay away from Martin if I were any team unless you can get him cheap. The Dodgers didn’t tender him with no back up until yesterday, and the Yanks didn’t like the medical reports! What this tells me is the Yanks are not to confident in Montero being ready to play as a catcher in the bigs. So know you have two of the top teams in baseball with inferior defensive catching; no maybe 4 out of the top 5.
you’re right, a baseball writer’s opinion that the Brewers might pursue Martin is the equivalent to the opinion that the Earth is flat. Great work
He can play the infield too? That would be great for the Yankees, I think having a catcher that can play the field is a really valuable commodity, as long as you pair him up with a full time catcher. The Yankees could really use more multi-position non-replacement level talent. Won’t happen though, I’m sure he’ll sign back with the Dodgers.
he was drafted as a 3b. he’s played 3b a tiny bit in mlb. he’s played catcher so long it would be a bit of a learning curve to put him at second or third full time. third would be easier even though he’d be more valuable at second. I think with his quickness he could handle second but it would be a little bit of a stretch. He was kind of exciting to watch at third though his defense wasn’t all that good i'[m assuming from rust and still having a catcher’s mindset. I think part of the problem with the dodgers if they still can’t sign him is that he’s reluctant to move off the plate. I think it’ll be good for him as he’s been overworked even though the dodgers never had anyone to replace him cuz they traded santana.
From Montreal? Clearly, he should sign with the Expos.
…they what? To where?
Oh.
Wow, what wit you have.
Hey! Play nice.
Great fit for the Yankees.
C- Martin(8)
1b- Tex(3)
2b- Cano(5)
SS- Jeter(2)
3b- Arod(4)
LF- Gardner(1)
CF- Granderson(9)
RF- Swisher(6)
DH- Posada(7)
Oh come on, that line up just doesn’t seem fair … but as a Yankees fan I grinned when I saw it. That being said, I think it would be a great signing because he can play some third and give Alex a day off from time to time and they can stick Posada behind the plate. The only downside I can see is keeping Montero in the minors for longer, which I am not particularly a fan of since I am fairly certain he is going to do very well with the stick at the major league level.
it will work out for montero. posada will get hurt again next year.
Oh come on, that line up just doesn’t seem fair … but as a Yankees fan I grinned when I saw it. That being said, I think it would be a great signing because he can play some third and give Alex a day off from time to time and they can stick Posada behind the plate. The only downside I can see is keeping Montero in the minors for longer, which I am not particularly a fan of since I am fairly certain he is going to do very well with the stick at the major league level.
One of the worst Yankee lineups in forever right? Seriously, I lol at how long you are going to be stuck with that rubble.
I like Lucroy, he was alot better then Kottaras… Sure if the Brewers were to bring in Martin he would be the starter.. Lucroy has was rushed into a role he was atleast a year or two away from.. To perform and handle the pitchers the way he did was good considering it being his ROOKIE YEAR!! He struck out 44 times in 280 ab’s, handled the worst pitching staff in the majors pretty good if you ask me.. Would like to see them get Martin, as he can hit atleast 15-20 hr’s a year, and good for .285 avg….
I like Lucroy, he was alot better then Kottaras… Sure if the Brewers were to bring in Martin he would be the starter.. Lucroy has was rushed into a role he was atleast a year or two away from.. To perform and handle the pitchers the way he did was good considering it being his ROOKIE YEAR!! He struck out 44 times in 280 ab’s, handled the worst pitching staff in the majors pretty good if you ask me.. Would like to see them get Martin, as he can hit atleast 15-20 hr’s a year, and good for .285 avg….
What’s the medical report say about Martin? I might have missed that!
i don’t think any medical reports have been released but the yankees have presumably looked at them during trade negotiations. i doubt the information they know has been leaked so us fans aren’t likely to know for a while. what we know is he isn’t running yet or crouching. his doctors say he should be ready by spring training.
I’m hoping against hope that the dodgers can get him back as his career might get back on track playing in the field to transition to a new fielding position. It’s not like the dodgers have anyone great playing third or second and if martin’s bat returns by not having to worry about game calling and the like he should have a long career.
he got severely overworked as a catcher and he needs to go the Biggio route
i don’t think any medical reports have been released but the yankees have presumably looked at them during trade negotiations. i doubt the information they know has been leaked so us fans aren’t likely to know for a while. what we know is he isn’t running yet or crouching. his doctors say he should be ready by spring training.
I’m hoping against hope that the dodgers can get him back as his career might get back on track playing in the field to transition to a new fielding position. It’s not like the dodgers have anyone great playing third or second and if martin’s bat returns by not having to worry about game calling and the like he should have a long career.
he got severely overworked as a catcher and he needs to go the Biggio route
If it’s true Martin wants to play closer to home, then that may be another reason he asked for as much as he did (as rumored). Given he’s coming off two straight crummy seasons and then this injury, what the Dodgers offered him was more than fair, so it’s understandable they didn’t want to go higher than that. (Maybe they ultimately will, who knows.) But I don’t think they had much of a choice there. I also don’t quite buy their line about him getting time in the field to help him out. I know he used to play 3B in the minors but why would he be any more useful at 3rd than he is at catcher if coming off a broken hip? And his numbers are okay for a catcher but would not be okay for a thirdbaseman. The timing of this made it hard for LA because they haven’t yet seen evidence of his recovery, only what the doctors and his agent tell them. He will probably be fine by ST, and I still hope he comes back to LA, but it’s a risk given what Martin’s agent is asking for.
If it’s true Martin wants to play closer to home, then that may be another reason he asked for as much as he did (as rumored). Given he’s coming off two straight crummy seasons and then this injury, what the Dodgers offered him was more than fair, so it’s understandable they didn’t want to go higher than that. (Maybe they ultimately will, who knows.) But I don’t think they had much of a choice there. I also don’t quite buy their line about him getting time in the field to help him out. I know he used to play 3B in the minors but why would he be any more useful at 3rd than he is at catcher if coming off a broken hip? And his numbers are okay for a catcher but would not be okay for a thirdbaseman. The timing of this made it hard for LA because they haven’t yet seen evidence of his recovery, only what the doctors and his agent tell them. He will probably be fine by ST, and I still hope he comes back to LA, but it’s a risk given what Martin’s agent is asking for.
Wow I’m amazed that no one has mentioned Montero yet. I wanted the Yanks to acquire Martin so that he could offer competition for Cervelli and Montero. It looks as if the Yanks want Posada to DH 70% of the time so that means the Yanks would beed two C. Cashman said the job wasn’t going to be given to Montero that he had to earn it. Well what happens if he has a miserable spring training or gets injured? If that were to happen then you’re back to Posada or Cervelli as the starting C and Montero starting the year off in AAA or the DL. Having Martin in the mix can give the Yanks a viable starter in case Montero fails to win the job out of ST. It would really suck if we were forced to send Posada back behind the plate for 100 games.
I agree, but if they didn’t like the medical reports they made the move because you would be inserting an injured Martin with Montero and Cervelli.
its not we your not part of the yanks just a nobody
You keep following me around from post to post to make comments that have little to do with the topic so I guess, while I’m not “somebody”, I’m relevant enough for you to keep talking about. Get a life, or are you the guy that goes from site to site to state the obvious like “you’re not part of the Yanks” rather than to contribute to the topic discussion?
Russell Martin is useless unless he is behind the plate. I can’t believe so many of you are speculating about putting him at 3B or 2B.
Why in the world would you want a .250 BA and .680 OPS (his averages over the last two seasons) out of either of those positions, along with what is inevitably going to be below-average defense?
Why would you think someone recovering from a broken hip is likely to either improve offensively OR become above average defensively at a position he’s either never played (2B) or has never been decent at (3B). There is a reason he was converted into a catcher in the first place.
Even if he was completely healthy, it would still be ridiculously optimistic to speculate that by moving to 3B he’ll start hitting like he did in 2007 again… add the injury into the mix, and it is foolish…
No one is impressed with your ability to google stats to make your point, tard.
A bit harsh no?
I actually thought it was an interesting and relevant point.
jesus….u…….ur so dum
just so……..dumb
I’m impressed… actually not really, I just wanted to say that.
if he’s healthy, the jays ought to play the homecoming card and sign him to play 3B and that would give them an insurance policy if Arencibia struggled to get up to speed behind the plate. if martin had to catch some in that event then Bautista can move back to 3B and an outfielder would be easier to find (assuming Thames wasn’t ready which he prob will be by mid-season)
Dont do it Russ! Come back as a utility type and earn your way into the lineup as an infielder! If you dont come back atleast dont sign with the damn Yankees!
A utility type who has logged 71.1 major league innings at any position other than catcher, with a fielding percentage there of .885?
If he and his ~.680 OPS is going to make it back into the lineup, it better be at catcher.
Steve Dilbeck’s LAT Blog is updated with info stating that Martin is strongly considering Dodgers’ latest offer.
Self-correction…
Martin is highly interested in coming back as catcher/utility with Dodgers, but for me to say “latest offer” is wrong, as it implies they agree on the money, which so far is not the case.
i like that move i like it because martin need to do anything that would get his bat back and get his power back
Why Red Sox? They seem pretty confident in Salty/tek combo
I bet the Sox wish they had waited a day to sign Tek and see that Martin was available then they would probably have went after Martin for sure.
Could always start Salty in AAA
DODGER offer for him is 4.2mil up to 5.7mil I think the that offer still stands so is soeone going to go higher and if so who. I think he will go back to the Dodger and sign for 4.3mil up to 5.8 mil just my guess.
I thought the Yankees planed on having Montero behind the plate for 2011? This seems odd.
Can’t hurt to bring on another guy that wont be able to play his position. You could have 5 DH’s! Ha! In all seriousness it cant hurt to have an established Catcher to platoon instead of throwing Montero into the fire. (I’m in the school of thought that Posada is not a catcher anymore).
can he play 3b?
7 or so games, only saw one gaffe from him (that was probably Chan Ho Park’s fault). He is (was?) athletic there; started as an infielder.
No Rockies. Much rather have him than Bengie.
The Red Sox could always use him to DH vs lefties, too. He hits .294 vs them with a .405 OBP.
Red sox should use Martin as a Utility player and have him and varitek do the catching.
What are the Sox going to do with three catchers?
Varitek can teach them.
Dylan Hernandez hears from Martin’s agent that they will listen to other teams and then get back to the Dodgers…