Toronto-born Russell Martin is heading home, as the Blue Jays have officially announced a five-year deal with the free agent backstop (in both English and French). Martin, who is represented by agent Matt Colleran, will reportedly be guaranteed $82MM over the life of the contract, which is said not to have a no-trade clause, as per the Jays’ team policy.
It was just yesterday that the Cubs were reported as the leading bidders for Martin’s services, as FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal said Chicago was offering a deal in the four-year, $64MM range. Rosenthal did warn that the Jays were still in the mix and indeed, Toronto ended up sealing the deal by giving Martin what Peter Gammons described as “McCann money” — a contract that fell just shy of the five-year, $85MM pact that Brian McCann received from the Yankees last winter. Martin will reportedly earn $7MM in 2015, $15MM in 2016 and $20MM annually from 2017-19.
The contract is a major commitment to a catcher who will turn 32 years old in February, though MLBTR’s Steve Adams projected Martin would find a five-year deal given both the thin catching market and Martin’s obvious talents. Martin hit .290/.402/.430 with 11 homers in 460 plate appearances for the Pirates last season, and is one of the game’s best defensive catchers both in terms of pitch-framing and throwing out baserunners.
Martin’s deal is the second-largest contract in Blue Jays team history and easily the biggest deal handed out in Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure as general manager. (Anthopoulos’ previous highs were signing Maicer Izturis for three years and signing Melky Cabrera for $16MM). Toronto also has a team policy of not issuing contracts for longer than five years, so they went right to the limit of their in-house maximum to clinch the deal. Between the Martin signing and the trades of Anthony Gose and Adam Lind (for Devon Travis and Marco Estrada, respectively), the Jays have been one of the offseason’s busiest teams, a far cry from their relative inactivity both last winter and at last July’s trade deadline.
The Jays weren’t thought to be in the market for a catching upgrade this winter since they already had Dioner Navarro under contract through the 2015 season. Navarro had a solid 2.0 fWAR in 2014 and could be moved into a platoon DH role, or he could become trade bait. Backup Josh Thole could also be a trade candidate if Martin or Navarro can adapt to catching R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball, as Thole has largely served as Dickey’s personal catcher over his two seasons in Toronto.
In losing Martin, the Pirates lose both a clubhouse leader and a key reason why the team reached the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Francisco Cervelli seemed like a sign that they had moved on from Martin, as it seemed unlikely that the Bucs would be able to match the high bids for Martin on the open market.
Still, the Pirates are more than satisfied with the return on their original two-year, $17MM investment in Martin and they’ll now receive an extra draft pick as compensation. Because Martin rejected the Bucs’ qualifying offer, Pittsburgh gets a bonus pick between the first and second rounds of the 2015 draft. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, will surrender their first-rounder (17th overall).
Peter Gammons (Twitter link) first reported that the Jays had agreed to terms with Martin. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported the contract length, the lack of a no-trade clause, and the year-to-year breakdown. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the $82MM figure.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poor Cubs can’t get a break!
They will use that money in other areas.
I think they did catch a break. Paying a 32-36 year old catcher 17 million a year is bad business.
I agree. My comment was tongue-in-cheek.
Yet if the Cubs did it, would you be complaining?
Not a Cubs fan so I would call it as I see it. An overpriced deal that will probably backfire. Makes less sense for the Cubs then the Jays because Cubs are a little further from contention.
Definitely overpriced, I’ll agree with you on that one, but everyone knew that was gonna happen anyways. I think the Jays and Cubs both would’ve appreciated him greatly. He is great behind the dish but most of all, calls a great game. Sometimes calling a game can make an average pitcher look like a great one (a.k.a. Volquez), and it definitely helps young pitchers learn how to pitch, and increase their confidence. I think both the Jays and Cubs would’ve loved to have him, just from the aid he provides to pitchers alone. He got “McCann” money, and I think he’ll be a ton times better in terms of value if you compare the two.
You say that but catchers like him don’t mysteriously start losing their defensive value as they age, look at Jose Molina. If Martin pops 20 homers next season with a .350OBP he’d probably provide 5-6WAR in a single season. He’s that elite defensively.
What’s the difference between catchers like him, who don’t lose their defensive ability with age, and catchers not like him who do?
Name a catcher that has had their arm fallen off, not many I would say, and I doubt Martin will be the next. Most catchers don’t lose much defensively, other their having to cut some of their workload by limiting games. Has Yadi lost it? Nope. Did Pudge ever lose it? Not Really. The fact is, Martin is almost just as good as these guys defensively. He may not be able to catch 120 games four years down the road, but you can almost guarantee he’ll continue to call an excellent game, and gun runners out at an above average rate.
Why is maybe the greatest catcher of all time the comparison for Martin?
And it’s not about losing your arm. Nobody argues that catching just kills your arm strength. It’s just a general breakdown of the wear and tear of the position.
But Martin doesn’t have many signs of breaking down. He seems physically fit, and his defence hasn’t been in decline at all. Doubt he just falls off a cliff. On this contract, he should provide fair value (I said fair, not enormous). I was only comparing Martin’s defence to Pudge’s, not his bat. Both guys are/were regarded as premium defenders throughout their careers. After Yadi, Martin is the 2nd best defensive catcher in baseball IMO. Sal Perez is close to him, however.
Most guys don’t really show many signs of breaking down, until they reach the age where they start to break down. The default position isn’t that most guys don’t break down and decline in their 32-37 years. Because they do. It obviously varies by position, but that is the tried and tested general rule. There is no reason to believe that Martin is so much different than every other baseball player. Throw in the fact that he is coming off the best offensive year of his career, that was dominated by an insane BABIP, and the fact that he is a catcher, and he has had injury issues in the past, it’s pretty rational to believe Martin will be like every other baseball player.
I realize that, but I still think he’ll continue to put up dWAR in the 1.0-2.5 range for the majority of this contract (4 of 5 years with excellent defence).
And that I think is the issue that most people in this comments section have with this contract. He almost has to do that to maintain the value of the contract when you factor in price + pick. But the odds are that you won’t, because most baseball players his age, regardless of the position, don’t.
Martin hits well enough that he can play first, or DH, so even if he has to cut down his catching, he still has a lot of tools that will keep him on the field.
What I like about Martin is that he took a Pirates’ pitching staff made up of old men, reclamation projects, and kids, and took them to the playoffs 2 years in a row. You don’t lose that.
Martin’s bat is okay at those positions every once and a while. But you doesn’t have the kind of bat where you would want him there for any long stretch of time.
And nobody is saying Martin will eventually lose the intangibles.
Gregg Zaun admits his arm fell off.Near the end he had problems with his shoulder bad enough he had problems throwing back to the mound.
Most of those catchers that lose their defense ability have had injury woes throughout their careers.
I don’t think that is true. Everybody loses their defensive ability. The question really isn’t “is Martin going to lose it?,” because every player at every position does. The question is do catchers lose it at a greater rate than another position? I’d say yes they do, but that is somewhat masked by the fact that catchers tend to change positions more than other positions do, so you don’t get to see the decline as much.
And you do realize that Martin has suffered from hip injuries during his career, right?
One difference is that Martin keeps himself in terriffic shape. He does MMA type conditioning, Pilates Yoga, etc. How many catchers do you know that can play third base? Or steal bases? Catching does take its toll, but The Jays also have Max Pentecost coming along in 2-3 years to share the load.
Plenty of catchers play third base when they can no longer catch. Third base is one of the least important defensive positions, so it’s one of the first positions a catcher tries to play. Carlos Santana with the latest catcher to do it.
And those things are probably indicative of Martin being a better athlete than most catchers. But I’m not sure there is any evidence that being a better athlete allows you to withstand the toll any better.
Martin has hit 20 or more HR’s exactly once in his career. He has had an OBP of .350 or greater in slightly more than half of his seasons. He has had 500 or more BA’s in only three seasons, and an OPS over .740 only four times. His value is not in his bat, especially not over the five years of his career. If there is going to be any value at all to reach that contract, it will have to be in his defense.
Playing in Toronto is a haven for RHB’s hitting homers. More so than New York.
His value isn’t with the bat? I’ll ignore the 24oWAR for his career than. Even the last 4 seasons has provided 2+oWAR
He will thrive in Toronto IMO. Doesn’t mean he’ll turn into a hitting phenom but, Roger’s Centre and the rest of the AL East will certainly help boost his numbers. It was the best spot he could go if he wanted to put up great offensive numbers IMO.
I’m not saying he will be a phenom lol, a .350OBP and around/close to 20 homers is close to what his career average is. We both know how talented the man is at the little things that make pitchers better (gunning guys out/pitch framing) those type of things rarely go away as a guy ages and hitting in A.L East ballparks specifically RHB haven Rogers Centre should help take away a few doubles and add on a few homers.
It’s a good signing for the time being, especially if they continue to add onto it. I’m sure signing guys like this does wonders to peoples perception on Toronto being a contender with money to spend.
They better go after more FAs, because this isn’t going to put them over the top. Best target a pitcher, and a 2B. They could do that on the trade market too, specifically for Howie Kendrick.
That’s unrealistic unfortunately for us, Kendrick put down teams that are generally unfavorable to go to in his no-trade clause. I don’t see him waiving it to go to a different country and not to mention he’d require something to get him. Even with 1 year left before he hits free agency he’s quite a valuable person.
The most realistic scenario is to trade the Cubs something for Luis Valbuenna. He’d be the perfect platoon partner with Danny Valencia and the perfect replacement for when Brett Lawrie gets hurt with his yearly injury, the guy can play 2B and 3B. He wouldn’t cost the Jays the moon either with him being in his last year of control and relatively cheap.
They’re obviously not done yet, every team that gives up their first round draft pick to Free Agency always goes on a spending binge because now they just give up money for the players they’d be signing. Ideally I’d love to see them sign someone who can close a game next.
john lester’s agent is so glad to see this signing.
Who’s John Lester?
Oh wow. Nice signing, still work to do in the OF and 2B.
Yeah they should sign Lowrie to play 2B. Then sign a lower level OF and let Melky walk to get a draft pick back.
I could see them running with a combination of Pillar/Mayberry/Dirks in LF
I really want Melky back. Martin is a great grab but Cabrera was arguably our best hitter before he got injured, an extremely valuable switch hitter that you can plug anywhere in the upper half of the lineup.
He was arguably our third best hitter, he was definitely not as good or better better than Bautista and Edwin.
Yeah I agree Melky was great for the Jays but if he wants 5 75 thats another major payroll addition. Also, Martin will give you same level of production if not more (including framing and effect on pitching staff) so the downgrade to a lesser OF could be worth the cost savings and draft pick.
Of course if the team has the cash they should resign Melky though.
I kind of liked Jose Bautista’s .403 OBP hitting second a lot of the time. I have a soft spot for guys that can walk more than they strike out. That’s another thing Martin does well.
OBP wins ball games.
If true, that’s a crazy amount of money for a 32 year old catcher. Still, Martin is a good player and could live up to it.
I tell you what, I couldn’t believe Martin was just 32. I would have thought 35. At least in TOR he’ll be able to play plenty of DH. Jays seem to like having two legitimate catchers on the roster who can C/DH as well as someone like Thole to catch Dickey.
That’s a good point about DHing him once in awhile. Martin does get banged up from time to time because he always plays all out.
I think the idea is to have Dioner Navarro DH mostly. I guess E5, Smoak and Navarro rotate between DH/1B and bench
Smoak and Navarro can rotate at DH. Edwin will never, ever be sitting.
:)
Navarro hit .274/.317/.395 last year for the Jays. It’s not great, but he was serviceable — I also can’t see that he ever played for the M’s…
Are they going to keep Juan Fran do you think?
Minor League Deal + incentives is the way to go with him, he’s really good friends with the Dominicans on the team and there’s a really good chance he might get called up once Lawrie visits the D.L.
Juan Francisco projected to get 2.2MM in arbitration. As a min-salary player last season, he was great. At the expected price, I see him likely being non-tendered.
The thought of making Edwin field on concrete when his bat is 100x more valuable when healthy makes me sick. He’s DH’ing next season 90% of the time given his inability to stay out of the D.L.
I know. I’m just saying he moves around beween 1B and DH depending on who else is playing out of Navarro and Smoak
You know, I agree thats alot of money for a catcher but its finally nice to have solid defence behind the plated and great pitch framing. Its gonna help a vast amount, especially to the young pitchers.
Welcome home
Wow
Not a good deal.
woah
Well that was unexpected. Figured Cubs or Dodgers.
Well, that certainly is a surprise.
WOW, this is a shock to my system. I stand corrected on the Smoak being the biggest move they make comment. Nice get.
Also, congrats to Russ for getting paid, he deserves it and I miss him in NY.
Didn’t he leave NY a couple years ago though?
Yep when the Yankees didn’t want to extend him for just 1 year.
Biggest casualty of project 189 by far.
I’d think you’d complain more about Project 275. At least Jeter remained at least somewhat productive throughout most of his contract.
What point is there in complaining about it? It’s almost done with. And where did Jeter come from? 189 refers to the luxury tax, not Jeter’s contract and FWIW Jeter was productive through all of his deal. His 10 year deal was a big win.
That´s good for the Blue Jays
Always glad to see a native go to his home team. I wish Martin nothing but the best.
huh? and just saw jayson heyward was traded, whats going on?
The 2014-2015 offseason just started with a good old bang.
5/82 per Rosenthal.
Wow
Heyward for Shelby Miller done. Wow.
All the Jays need now is some pitching and they have something.
Yesssss!!! Love this signing! Great OBP, shuts down the running game, mentors and develops their emerging young pitching. Just love it
Couldn’t agree more! He topped my wishlist for the Jays.
I’m a fan of his, but man that’s a steep price to pay, even factoring in the intangibles and the ability to DH. Hope it works out…
What the heck? what a crazy Monday morning
Heyward’s a Cardinal & Martin’s a Blue Jay…and the day just started.
Pirates hurt twice
Cubs too.
At that price tag, I think the Cubs dodged a bullet.
At least he didn’t sign within the division.
Is this the year the Blue Jays shell out the cash?
Bit conflicted about this signing. As a Toronto fan, I am very happy about this signing. But I am sad cause I had him picked him to go to the Cubs.
I knew he was going to get what McCann did, just wasn’t sure what team.
Holy cow!
McCann money?
I would rather have McCann.
I wonder if the Blue Jay would trade Navarro to the O’s?
Navarro always had O’s pitching figured out.
Therefore, I want him! =P
I’d prefer Martin with the Jays. That young pitching staff is gonna be better served with Martin over McCann.
Last three years for McCann: .238/.305/.419
Last three years for Martin: .241/.345/.402
Martin also has vastly better defense and pitcher handling but is 1 year older. I could go either way, but I’ll take Martin to work with the young staff.
Will Jussell Martin play shortstop?
That would be Reyes
Whoooosh.
Nope
It’s an inside joke, Matt R. Martin offered to play shortstop for Team Canada at the last WBC, and we don’t let him live it down.
And the “Jussel” thing a nod to him wearing “J. Martin” in honor of his mother.
Knew both those references
LOL just flew by!
He is referring to when Martin wanted to play SS during the World Baseball Classic.
…and because reyes pretty much sucks in the field.
DJF fan?
Yup!
Only in the WBC.
Overpay. Martin isn’t better than Mccann
So it’s a good thing Martin will make less than McCann, right?
Ouuuhhhh 3mill less
To be fair, both players got around market value. Catchers aren’t common, good catchers even less so. McCann’s down year definitely makes it look a lot worse though.
Edit: I think both are overpays, but most new contracts are overpays to a degree.
Agreed, and I don’t think Martin will repeat his offensive numbers with such an abnormal BABIP in 2014. But hitting in Rogers Center should provide some help to his likely regression.
How dare thee say that after that awful year McCann put up? smh
are you inferring that McCann is good or something? Check out 2014. Thanks. since 2011, Martins total WAR is 14.1. McCann’s is 10.5. So technically, this is a WAY better deal than what the Yanks are paying for McCann. Considering they are paying him less, and Martin is better. McCann’s only skill that makes him better is he is a bit younger.
McCann hits baseballs farther. Martin does everything else better.
Martin’s main value is in his Defence. Mccann is paid almost strictly for his offence. Big difference.
McCann’s offense? Not much value then.
His 9.8 WAR the last 2 years to McCann’s 4.2 says otherwise.
depends. Braves McCann, probably isn’t, last year’s McCann? Far better
All Free Agents are overpays!
Martin is better because….
1. He provides just as much power as McCann does.
2. He runs faster and can score from first on a double to the gap.
3. He plays great defense (understatement)
4. He has a good arm and his caught stealing rate is above league average.
5. He’s one of the best rated catchers for framing strikes (MAJOR UNDERSTATEMENT!!).
6. He worked well with the Pirates pitchers and calls a great game.
7. However u read into it….He has the “Intangibles” of a good leader.
It’s gonna be difficult for the Pirates to contend without him.
McCann has been in decline for 5 seasons. Neither has hit 20 or more doubles in a season in 6 seasons. Catchers best seasons were in their 20’s not their 30’s. Not to say that there are not exceptions to the rule but most decline after 31 years of age.
Im sorry but that is way too long and too much for a 32yo catcher
Man Martin is very good but thats too much money IMO
Jays must think they are in the midst of a window, and that window is starting to close.
Wow. 5 years? I don’t blame my Pirates one bit for losing him based on those numbers.
Thank you so much for your time with the Buccos, Russell, and all the best in Toronto. I am genuinely happy for him.
Quite an investment for a catcher who is the farthest thing from young but Martin’s intangible value could make this worth it
i see the reason they jays want him, young pitching staff and all, but silly amount of money for a catcher.
Catchers are perhaps the most integral part of a team. Depending on how you look at it.
And have the shortest shelf life of an everyday starter.
True, but you’ve got to take risks to win. And this is one of those risks for the Blue Jays.
It just seems like a really short window. He’s 32 now, he is going to start declining pretty rapidly, and then the Jays are getting diminishing returns from arguably the most important position on the field. Seems like a really big risk. Especially for a team that still has a lot of holes.
I known it even if he declines over let’s say his final 2 seasons he should still bring in positive value due to his defensive abilities.
Does catcher defense age well? That seems like what goes, hence why catchers in their 30’s become 1B or DH’s. The bat usually still plays, but the defense doesn’t.
Good hitting catchers usually get moved to easier positions simply to prevent them breaking down sooner; not because their catching defense deteriorates rapidly as they age. Look at a guy like Jose Molina; bat not good enough to move him, but he’s remained a solid defensive catcher nearly into his 40’s now.
I think Ivan Rodriguez is a good comparison also. One of the best defensive catchers in the game in his 20’s, and though his defense did decline in his 30’s, it remained consistently good right until he retired at 39.
I don’t think there’s any danger of Martin going from being one of the better defensive catchers in the game, to being poor defensively anytime soon.
I’m not sure one of, if not the greatest catcher of all time is a “good comparison.” Molina is a bad comparison. To the extent that he has remained just good enough defensively, that has been tied to the fact that he has been paid to remain just good enough defensively.
And catching breaks down a person, which breaks down their offense and defense. You move a good hitting catcher to get ahead of the curve. Allow him to maintain his offense, and who cares about the defense, because you were going to lose that anyway.
And it’s crazy to say there’s no danger that a 32 year old catcher isn’t going to start declining defensively, eventually becoming a poor defensive catcher within a few years. Because that is generally the norm.
Actually catchers age better than other players:
link to cdn.fangraphs.com
The problem with that graph is that catchers move positions. It would be like if you did a study of one armed men to have played in MLB. The numbers would actually look really good, but the vast, vast, vast majority of one armed men are incapable of playing major league baseball, so only the very best would show up in your study.
Catchers are generally moved from the position before they reach the point where you would see a stark decline. The only ones left are the rare ones that are capable of continuing at the position into their later years.
All players get moved from their positions before they reach the point where you would see a stark decline. I don’t think this is a relevant point.
Not true at all. There are obviously some positions that have much higher turnover than others, because of the physical demands of the position. SS and CF would be two obvious ones. But the most obvious is catcher due to the wear and tear of the position. I mean, who is the equivalent of Buster Posey at another position today in baseball?
Last I heard Posey was still playing catcher
I never said he wasn’t a catcher anymore. But what you have is a guy who is in his prime, and arguably the best player at his position. And his team is slowly integrating him into another position, already, before in stark decline is even occurring. What other position in baseball does that occur at? What other position does the team maintain a backup specifically for that position, so they can give that guy a day off once a week? You would have been better off arguing there is still value to the chart, but to argue that the catching position doesn’t have a huge turnover rate compared to other positions due to the nature of the position is just silly.
Posey could easily play another 8 years at catcher. He played 111 games at catcher this year.
Posey may play the next 50 years at catcher. That isn’t the point. The point is catcher is such a physically demanding position, that saps you of your prime and causes a move to another position, that the Giants are taking the best player at his position in baseball, and already preparing for the move. Maybe it never happens. But the point is they aren’t waiting around, they are being active about it. You just don’t see that with any other position. The Braves aren’t currently preparing for the day when Simmons has to move to 2B. Catcher has a huge turnover due to the physical demand of the position. Teams know this, and prepare/act on this. To say they do that for every position to that extent is just wrong, because they don’t. They handle catchers differently.
Posey’s played more games than most catchers in the league have. They are playing him at 1B to have his bat in the lineup more, not really because he needs the rest any more than any other catcher does. It is physically demanding but the replacement level is lower as well. Guys whose bodies can’t or won’t take it tend to bust out early. Guys who have a long track record of playing it without wearing down tend to continue that trend.
Not only that, but Martin is still one of the best defensive C in the game, I don’t think he’s moving off the position any time soon, and thus you can expect him to follow the curve.
Except for Jeter!
I never said he wouldn’t start declining, I said it’s unlikely his defense would decline as much as you suggest it might.
But it is likely, such is the nature of the position. Everybody’s defense declines at the age Martin is and is signed through, and catcher’s decline faster than most. Therefore, without knowing anything about Martin, the odds are that he will decline significantly over the course of that contract. Just the nature of the game and the position. To argue otherwise is to argue that Martin is a rarity in baseball, and especially amongst catchers. And he very well might be, but that isn’t “likely,” it’s unlikely.
There was an article in Fangraphs last year basically disproving what you are stating as fact: that catchers decline faster. That is not the case. That article was discussing Ruiz’s extension at the time, and wouldn’t you know, Ruiz ended up having another very good season at 35, and one of his best defensive season’s statistically.
Let’s not also forget that Martin is not a prototypical catcher either, he is much more athletic and could be expected to degrade slower than an average, less-fit catcher.
Lastly, your previous argument over Jose Molina’s ability to remain good defensively (because his career depends on it) is a red herring. That doesn’t explain why, physically, he’s able to do so. And that is a typical catcher in terrible shape that you would never even imagine is an athlete, and who just had one of the worst offensive seasons by a player in baseball history; yet he remained above-average defensively into his late 30’s.
I really hope I’m not dreaming right now. This had better not be a cruel joke.
I’ll pinch you if you want man. It’s real. Congrats.
haha, I appreciate it. High fives all around
Well i guess it’s a win-win for both sides russell gets the money he wanted & the blue jay fans get a candian catcher lol
So long Russ. Hopefully your bat stays hot for five more years, else that contract will turn out terrible. He’s a good catcher, but that’s an overpay.
I can only imagine the Cubbies were only prepared to go to four years then.
Wow. Well, I guess it’s good the Cubs didn’t sign him for that kind of money. Still a little disappointed tho, he would have been a great fit. Oh well, congrats Blue Jays and Martin.
Shocking for the blue jays what will they do with Navarro and thole now since they have Martin
Hopefully package one of them with a pitcher to fill out another hole in the roster.
Would you trade both Navarro and thole to a national league team or would you trade them to an American league team
Honestly I wouldn’t be suprised if both of them going. We have had AJ in the minors for quite awhile now. He is projected as a decent back up catcher with superior defense, and having martin around would mean a great mentor for AJ. I also honestly believe that one of our veteran pitchers is going to get dealt (buehrle, dickey, happ, estrada) as well. Obviously the match ups to other teams vary with each of them, and the returns are going to be different, but they all have value (especially when packaged with navarro)(Thole has no value what so ever) to fill one of OF, 2B, or our bullpen.
So your saying you want three catchers on your roster for the jays in 2015
I’m saying the opposite. One of them will get moved because we do not need martin, navarro, and thole. However I can see a scenario where both navarro and thole are traded, because we have AJ in the minors. Either way we go into spring training with two catchers on the 25.
Then trade both of them then and have aj back up Martin
Angels….? Dickey/Thole for Kendrick. Unlikely, but….something.
I like this signing. I just hope that Lawrie isn’t still carrying around the criticism he made very public over Martin backing out of the WBC
They’ll bro-hug it out.
WOW was about to type the EXACT same thing, word-for-word.
I’ll take you on your word and upvote you too. I’m good like that
Plot twist: He was signed to play SS
Martin should play in an Expos jersey like you know he wants to.
Don’t forget, he was born in Toronto.
As a Cubs fan I’m sad not to have Russell Martin — but I was kind of uncomfortable with the levels being discussed yesterday. At 5/$82MM, no thank you.
you should worry less about money, since it isn’t yours, and the cubs owners – like rogers – bathe in it.
They still have a limit to what they’re willing to spend, regardless of what that limit is or if it’s “fair.” Every dollar they spend brings the team closer to their payroll max and limits what other moves can be made.
“It’s not your money” is a terrible excuse if you agree that this is an overpay.
Unfortunately, free agency is about over-paying… rare is the case where it isn’t
You’re right. I still think the point stands though: You have to pick your battles, based of course on your teams’ overall situation (especially financially). This particular battle, I’m not sure the cost was worth the victory. I think the AAV and years are both high.
That said, to be fair this kind of move makes more sense for a Blue Jays team that fancies themselves legitimate contenders in 2015 with a contention window than a Cubs team yet to escape the sub-.500 club.
All true, good points. I think this is the only way they could get the deal done. Someone needed to go to 5 years. Is it the right move? Time will tell, but whatever window is there for Toronto, isn’t open long. Cubs have time and outstanding prospects on their side. Patience isn’t there for AA. He needs to do something now.
This move can only be viewed as positive if more follows. The Jays still have too many holes – 2B, bullpen, maybe LF as I now would be surprised if Cabrera returns (if he bolts they can recoup the lost 1st round pick from Martin)
Wow. My prediction board is busted. Congrats to the Blue Jays.
As a cubs fan im happy about this. Now they can make run at weiters next winter
Yeah. Feel free to sign him for 6 and $120 million next year. I’d rather the Red Sox sign him to a deal like that but whatever.
Why would the Red Sox sign Weiters When they have 2 young promising catchers Vasquez and Swihart?
In case they want a veteran. I suppose it was always a long shot.
Yes Russ! Congratulations.
I really wanted him in Chicago, but not for that money. Now the Cubs can focus exclusively on pitching. Time to back the Brinks truck up to Lester’s door, Theo.
Wow, I thought it was no brainer that he was going to the Cubs
Finally the Jays sign somebody valuable! You can’t really consider Melky a significant signing because he came a a significant discount. I think there is still more from to Jays to come. Probably try to move Dickey (Hopefully), Buerhle, or Happ to free up some money and hopefully aquire (sign or trade) for some bullpen arms and a 2nd basemen, or maybe even re-sign Melky.
why not? How much you pay for something has nothing to do with significance. O’s signed Nelson Cruz for 8 mill last year, that was significant at the time, before he went and had a 40 homer season. Getting someone for cheap is just icing on the cake. AA and DD made great transaction with Melky/Nelson Cruz respectively.
I was hoping Russell would come back to the Dodgers, but for that price I can see why they passed on him. You can’t blame him for taking this deal. He’s gets to play on his home country for a ton of money and on a reasonably competitive team. Good for him.
That’s a lot of money. Thanks, Theo and Jed, for showing some restraint.
Mega- agree. Five/85 and a no-trade for a 32 year old
catcher. Good player, but I will quickly pass on that.
There is not a no-trade.
My error.You are correct, sir.
Navarro and thole are going to be traded now that Martin has signed
Probably one of them, not both.
Tigers indecision on Avila until today makes sense in light of this news.
It is somewhat likely that they were in on the bidding. There was no other logical reason to wait so long on the Avila option.
I doubt they were in on the bidding. Martins contract does factor into arbitration values. Avila might have gotten more now in arb, than his option was for.
Congrats on the Jays for finally taking a risk, don’t think this was a good one to take, however.
Finally? Didn’t they take a bit of one with the Marlins a couple years ago?
Meant in terms of a FA signing. That trade worked out for neither team.
I hope this one works out for them, but that sure seams like a lot of money for him.
Sad to see him leave Pittsburgh. Hope he does well in Toronto. I’m already having nightmares about Chris Stewart and Fransico Cervelli starting at catcher.
Martin was such a good story in Pittsburgh. Guess all stories have to end.
We will be fine with Cervelli and Stewart, barring any injuries. Both are good defensive catchers and Cervelli has shown to be a decent hitter (Stewart as well, at least for last year). Also remember that Martin was an average at best hitter prior to 2014.
I’d love to see the Bucs get aggressive with landing a few more pitchers, maybe a FA and trade with the Pads for one of their young starters. Add another bullpen arm and a bench piece (Van Slyke perhaps?) and they look pretty good. Non-tender Davis/Sanchez and roll with Alvarez at first.
I think you are underestimating the effect Martin had on the pitchers. His hitting last year was just a bonus.
I realize Martin’s impact. I just don’t think the drop-off from him to Cervelli/Stewart will be a steep one. An improved rotation will go a long ways to smoothing out some of this. I also don’t believe he will be able to sustain the offense, which is what he is really getting paid for.
So what happens to Navarro?
DH or shipped to the Dodgers
Navarro and Dodger Dogs might not mix well lol
They roll him back to the States.
news is popping today. Great day for the cardinals, this move hurts both cubs and pirates.
Heyward deal hurts more because 1. The Cubs didn’t get him and 2. He went to the Cards :(
Heyward is only guaranteed to be a Card for a year and watching him in the past in the NLE, his value is derived from his defense. No signs of his offense improving in recent years.
Why would the Cubs want him? They have a much better RF in Soler.
I have a soft spot for him ok? Ever since he hit that homerun off Big Z
why would the cubs want heyward, you can’t have every young talented offense player?
But 5 years though?
He can DH and even play 3B if catching becomes a chore. In meantime they’ve got a great guy to help with their young pitchers and add a Canadian anchor.
Guess AJ Ellis will be the starting catcher for the Dodgers again. Hope he can hit like he did in the playoffs for a whole season.
Yup, that was the main reason I wanted Martin to sign with the dodger. Nothing against AJ as a catcher, but his spot in the lineup was a brick wall last season.
$82M is steep though.
At that price, I’m glad he didn’t sign with the Cubs. This deal will work for 1-2 years, but then we would have an albatross contract behind the plate.
The Jays will trade him after Year 2 of the big contract, they always do after they see that they suck in the FA World again.
So the Jays will now have 3 Canadians starting for them this year. I would imagine AA is calling the Reds right now about Joey V’s availability.
Lawrie, Martin, and…?
I’m drawing a blank. Unless you mean Pompey…
You forgot about Michael Saunders in left and George Kottaras as backup.
I don’t think Kottaras will go back… He was called up in September to estentially be the bullpen catcher
With the Gose trade Pompey is almost guaranteed to start in centre next year.
What would the Jays give up for him? The Reds would be selling low on their franchise player. He’s more valuable to the Reds right now based off his injuries the last couple of years.
Yes it would take alot to get him from the Reds and I was joking around.
Pompey will be the opening day starter unless ST goes very badly for him.
Or Morneau?
That would almost make sense.
Credit to Theo and Hoyer on this one….
Holy Overpay!
I think its safe to say that signing Martin and forfeiting the #17 pick just sealed Melky Cabrera’s fate.
Maybe. But also may mean they’ll sign more than one FA, and Melky, too. But if the Melky price is too high they get back a draft pick (which is your point). But if you’re lining up your ducks maybe you can blow off a pick.
Insert a picture of an Albatross with the years 2018 and 2019 on the contract. I am a Pirates fan and loved what he brought. But for a team with a lot of bats, he won’t DH much. And only averages 110-115 games per year behind the dish. Good luck Russ. Enjoy the coin!
So they fall out of contention in 2015…they eat his salary for the season and deal him at the deadline… To the Dodgers… Dodgers then get $20m basically lopped off the deal…
I always knew Martin was a pretty good catcher, but looking at his career stats now, I’m thoroughly impressed. He’s better than I had expected. That being said, he’s also going to be 32 by the start of the season. That’s a lot of money and years invested in a guy who’s “old” from a catcher’s standpoint. Let alone forfeiting the #17 pick. Good luck with that Jays.
Sign a pitcher and sign Cabrera and you got yourself a shot at contention.
“nice” catcher … but 16 mil a season nice …
nothing like signing a catcher in his 30s with 9 years experience to a 5 year deal. I am sure that will turn out well in years 3-5 of the deal.
Good. Now sign the Melky.
Nice pickup, Toronto! Didnt know they had it in them to do this.
The Jays beat out “the usual suspects” (Cubs, Dodgers). We’ll see what good that does them.
~16-17mil a year.. about 2 mil/year more than my top end for a 4 year +5 option that I would have allowed myself too do. I’m sad hes not in the burgh but glad he got a favorable contract and is in the other League ;-) Good luck Russ!
At this rate I am going to be on pace for getting 1/50 right. But this is a good move for the Jays because Martin will help to develop their young pitching for the next few years.
Not sure that it’s a good idea to give a soon to be 32 Year old Catcher that kind of contract.
Holy overpay! $16.5 mil a year for 16 HR’s and .248 Avg.? Wow.
Well he did post an OBP over .400 last year to go with outstanding defense behind the plate.
Which was likely his peak. Now they are on the hook for an expensive, likely declining next 5 years.
Maybe. I think having Martin DH every once in a while can help him in that department. Also high OBP type of players tend to age well as they can still draw plenty of walks still.
But Toronto needed to do something I feel as Bautista is not getting any younger…So either go all in or rebuild.
The Blue Jays might want to consider rebuilding. Whether it be bad luck or otherwise, just about every move they’ve made over the last 2-3 years has completely fallen flat. The massive trade with the Marlins didn’t work out, the R.A. Dickey trade didn’t get them into the postseason. Yet they keep going out and try to make big splashes like this.
What’s that definition of insanity?
I generally would agree with you here, but they may have the best opportunity to win right now. I mean both the Red Sox and the Yankees are down at the moment. The Rays are a question mark and the Orioles are good.
If they felt like in the next two years Martin can help them get into the playoffs it may be a good signing. As he will help their pitching staff as well as improving their offense. If they fall flat on their face next year they should start rebuilding then.
But he isn’t really a high OBP guy. He had a crazy, fluky BABIP last year, which allowed him to have that OBP. He’s usually a .320 OBP guy.
Nobody ever gets younger.
McCann was worth 10.5 WAR over the last 4 years, Martin worth 14.1 WAR. As a previous person said his offensive contribution is just a bonus and obviously will not be anything special going forward.
Some people still don’t get that it’s not 2001, players don’t last into their mid 30’s, they’ll be lucky to get 1 descent year out of him. Awful, awful signing
Interesting comment. Do you have any statistics to back that up? It can’t be the case that older players can’t keep themselves in as good of shape as they could 15 years ago. So the only way that comment could have any merit is if younger players are simply too good for older players now, which also seems unlikely.
Good for the Cubs to walk. GL Toronto with your 32 y/o backstop until 2020 for 85+ mill
Wow, what are the Blue Jays thinking? This is the money McCann got last year, and he was 3 years younger at the time. And the Yankees are kind of regretting that. I like Russell Martin, but he’s not worth anywhere near $82 million, let alone on a 5 year deal.
well if he can change the clubhouse around like he did the pirates then who knows, may end up being good
Can he change it that much? 5 years, $82 million? He’s going to be 37 before this deal is up.
well changing the clubhouse doesnt necessarily mean put up awesome batting numbers. calling a great game behind the plate and changing the atmosphere. the pirates clubhouse was just like the bluejays now and look what he did
And 2 years down the road, 16.5 MM may not look that expensive for a veteran catcher.
Ouch. Glad the Cubs passed on this one. That is just too much to commit to player like Martin. Good for him for getting a most money out of his career, but if I was a Jays fan I’d actually be a bit…well…not ecstatic over this signing. Have to give the Cubs credit for walking away at that price. My fear was that they would push hard to sign Martin and grossly overpay. Glad that money can be spent in other ways now. I wouldn’t mind Martin, but I think we all saw an overpay coming on this one and feared the Cubs would be the ones doing the paying.
Cubs won’t sign anyone if they don’t overpay. Cuz someone else will.
Of course, but to me this was a pretty heavy overpay considering the 5th year. I don’t see Martin putting up surplus value during the first few years of the deal to make it worth it. Granted Lester at age 35-37 might not be any better at 20+ mil, but I think Lester brings more upside than Martin, especially early in the deal. Plus as a PR move I think Lester would be a bigger boost as well for the money as fans in Chicago want Lester or at least another top arm BAD.
Who says the cubs passed? It might have been Martin that passed on the Cubs.
Well according to MLBTR Toronto was the only team to offer the 5th year. That seems to indicate to me that other teams decided to pass and not offer that 5th year. It was either Toronto offers that 5th year or Martin signs elsewhere. If that isn’t the case, why did Toronto have to offer that 5th year?
im confused, just a couple days ago cubs fans on here were saying pay him whatever it takes when it was reported the cubs offereed around 5 years 77 mil, now they all saying horrible contract with 5 years 82 mil with the bluejays?
It’s called sour grapes.
The ones who wanted him were making it known when it was looking like they would sign him and the ones who didn’t like the idea are here today. It’s not as though they all think the same way about every player.
true i should have stated that some cubs fans were saying it not all, my apologies sir
i’m a Cubs fan and i can’t ever remember saying give him what he wanted. when the reports were 4 years, 64 i was saying that’s an overpay and that 4 years was pushing the limits of his likely usefulness.
5 years, 82 is almost as much as McCann is making (on a bad contract) and more than Yadier Molina gets (who’s just all around better than Martin).
It’s possible for a fan to want somebody…. up to a point. The Blue Jays blew right past that point and i’m glad the Cubs didn’t try and outbid them.
I bet many thought Molina’s contract was an overpay at the time, and were worried about his age at the end of the contract.
Imagine if a guy like Jonathan Lucroy was a FA this offseason. He could have pulled in $100 million. Instead, this is the contract he’s in.
2015 Contract Status: Signed thru 2016, 5 yrs/$10.28M (12-16) & 17 team option
Wow! thats alot of money for a 32 year old catcher. Where were Heyman and Rosenthal on this one? No one even mentioned the Blue Jays being in on Martin.
Rosenthal reported that the Blue Jays were in the mix late last night (although he did say the Cubs were “leaders” for Martin).
The Blue Jays were in all along. As far back as at least a week ago, the four leading teams were the Dodgers, Pirates, Blue Jays, and Cubs.
The Jays have been listed as one of the four main suitors for Martin for about two weeks, along with the Dodgers, Pirates and Cubs.
Madness. Absolute madness. This contract is based on the contention that the real Russell Martin didn’t emerge until he turned 31. He’s a good, valuable player, and I wish the Yankees never let him go. But he’s a guy who was non-tenured at 27, allowed to walk at 29, and then given a two-year, $15 mil deal….and now, after a career year at 31, he gets this contract. Sheeh. Some GMs are unfathomably bad at their jobs.
I don’t think it’s that the real Martin didn’t emerge until 31, I think it’s that quantifying the value of catcher defense has come a long way in the past few years. Martin’s always been a guy who draws his walks, he’ll hit 15+ homers in Toronto with a solid OBP and baserunning that won’t kill you, which is rare for a catcher. And, he had the good fortune of being the only starting catching option on the market this year.
Not saying it’s a good contract for the team, but the Blue Jays wanted him for the first three years of the deal and probably were told he was going to another team (Cubs) unless they caved in and went to five.
Free agent contracts are always too large. It’s pretty rare that someone signs and it’s universally lauded as a good deal for the club.
All good points…still, this is a massive overpay, and I don’t think he gets that deal if he doesn’t suddenly hit .290 last year.
Martin emerged as a rookie, and was an all-star his sophomore year. A bad hip injury sidelined him for a couple of years. (and led to being non-tendered) Its like a shoulder injury to a pitcher, takes years to fully recover. Martin would of gotten this deal sooner if he would of stayed healthy.
He was a free agent two years ago coming off two healthy
seasons, and he didn’t get anything close to this.
And the fact that he does have an injury history makes the
deal even more questionable.
It suggests the Jays really regret losing him to Pirates and didn’t want to lose him again. After all, he was born in Toronto and that’s worth something, too.
He has a one injury history, the hip fracture in 2010. To my knowledge he’s never been on the DL for anything else. That said this contract is for at least one too-many years for a catcher.
Martin fractured his hip in August 2010 and missed only the balance of that season. Over the winter was non-tendered by the Dodgers and signed with the Yankees where he played in 2011.
I think it has to do with scarcity in the marketplace. He’s the only legitimate starting catcher in free agency.
Wow, that is a lot of money for a player who has real value, but that much value? He’s hard-working, fit, committed, and good at his job. But, still, wow. Toronto must have been inspired by Loria?
They better keep Navarro.
32 year old catchers don’t start playing MORE games each year.
Which is why a trade of Dickey/Thole makes some sense. Is it in the cards, or to the Cards?
Doesn’t seem like that long ago when AA was considered the games next elite GM. Wheels sure fell off that cart.
Just like everything else sports to come out of toronto (save the raptors last season)
As a Cubs fan I would be happy if we signed him to this same deal and weirdly just as happy we didn’t sign him to this deal. Sadly there is no better catching option available to us currently. But hopefully this puts the team on track to sign Lester.
Yeah, it’s true. Could have lived with this deal if it helped the Cubs take it to the next level but not that upset about not signing a 32 year old catcher to a five year deal. Whatever pitcher the Cubs sign will be too much money and too many years also, but they could really use a top of the rotation guy.
Good News: Blue Jays finally sign a major free agent
Bad News: Blue Jays sign a 32 year old catcher for 5 years
I thought this money was going to Melky
THIS money is only equal to what Morrow and Lind won’t be paid (as somebody else pointed out). They’ve got lots of budget room to sign more FA contracts, including mid and back-loaded ones. But it takes two to tango.
It’s not like all the other contracts are stationary. Reyes alone makes 6m more next year compared to last. That alone nearly wipes out the savings from Morrow. And it’s not like they save all of Lind’s contract, Estrada is projected to get about 4.5m in arb, so it’s like 2.5m in savings, not 7m.
Sad to see Russ leave Pittsburgh. He was instrumental in turning this team around. Hope he has good years ahead in Toronto.
As a Pirates fan, this is a bittersweet moment for me. I know there will be Bucs “fans” who will cry foul and say Huntington should have opened the checkbook, but for as much as I wanted them to sign him, this was too much. Sometimes the best move, is no move. I hope Russ plays up to the hype, but with his age and recent injuries, even if he plays DH, I don’t see him playing better than this past season in more than 2 years of this contract.
Wow. This is already one of the worst contracts in baseball.
5/17 for a 32yo catcher with one good season out of his last five.
Keep it up Toronto!
While I think the contract is bad, Martin has had two really good years out of his last 5.
Just wait, there will be a few more this offseason that might be worse. Hanley comes to mind.
I didn’t want to win the FA contest anyways.
Too many catchers on the 25 man roster (Martin, Navarro, Thole) I see a Dickey trade in the cards if Navarro or Martin cant prove to catch Dickey…
Awesome, I said yesterday that signing with the Jays would make sense since he’d likely make way more off sponsorships than anywhere else. Good signing, hopefully he knows how to catch a knuckleball so we can get rid of Thole.
Now let’s add a few more names now that the hype machine will be behind us like it was in the 2012-2013 off-season. We still need a proven hitter than can step up once Edwin or Bautista get hurt. Adding LaRoache, Cruz, or even re-signing Melky helps this team properly replace Lind’s bat.
I like Russell Martin even when he was Dodger. But after his first 3 seasons he really came back to reality. he had some key hrs with the Yankees and decent years with Pittsburgh and a team leader and presense in the dugout. Last time he had more than 20 doubles in a season was early in his career. Catchers productivity really plummets after 31.
Yikes, just shy of McCann
If they’re signing him based on his hitting numbers last year, bad call.
Yes that has to be it. They looked at his numbers from last year only and nothing else. Well said. Good call.
The Pirates may go with Diaz who could be rookie of the year.Who knows? I saw him play for Altoona and he looked super. As much as the catcher is important, the pitchers have to hold runners.
Let the castro bidding war begin.
That Jordan Zimmerman deal might not be dead yet.
ha. I’m wondering what the rate will be for a good receiver with a history of power- that’s under control. Sounds like it could demand something good in return.
Russell Martin would agree. Cubs need an upgrade pretty bad with not many options available. Wonder if they go to spring training with Castillo.
Yeah, the Pirates losing Russ is the least shocking thing ever. Once they traded for Cervelli the writing was on the wall. Only bright side is at least he didn’t go to the Cubs. And yeah, we lost one clubhouse leader but at least they brought AJ back to provide motivation and leadership.
As for the Bucs, I suspect they’ll muddle through with that Ex-Yankee platoon and then try to make a trade next season when it proves unfathomably bad.
as a Cubs fan i should be more disappointed by this than i actually am. Good luck to the Jays, but by the time this contract ends he’ll probably by the second coming of Vernon Wells in the eyes of the fan base….
a nice deal for both parties, maybe even a bargain for the Jays depending on how much you like your framing metrics. A massive upgrade and I would think this move gives the Jays clout with other FA’s or trade options with no-trade clauses, particularly pitchers.
This is the exact type of move the Jays would make, and it’s incidentally also the same type of move that will keep them from the playoffs for a continued period of time.
man, they have a DH for the last two years of that contract.
A DH that will likely not put up DH numbers. Martin’s value lies in the fact he is a catcher. Once you take him out from behind the plate, his value diminishes dramatically and by the last year or two of this deal, he likely won’t be putting up offensive numbers worthy of slotting as the DH.
Does this mean the Pirates get the 17th pick or just something after the first 30?
While I’m sad to see Russell Martin go (Were gonna miss his defense when the Brewers come to town), I’m a little happy he didn’t go to a division rival.
Thank you, Russell for tow awesome years in Pittsburgh. You gave the fans alot of memories!!
I originally thought that as well but I think it just means the Pirates get a “to be determined” pick after the first round and the Blue Jays just lose their first round pick 17th overall and all of the teams behind them just move up a spot. Anyone can correct me if I am wrong but that was my understanding.
I think they take over the Blue Jays first round pick along with a pick between the first and second rounds… I’m pretty sure that’s right.
Love this if we keep spending and increase our budget. Hate it if we just mortgaged most of our future for a 32 year old catcher.
Congrats Blue Jays, you have won the worst signing of the offseason!
I’m glad to see Martin didn’t resign with the Pirates. With Martin in Toronto and Heyward in RF, it makes it that much easier for my Cardinals to win the division again next year.
Being able to extend Yadier Molina for 5/$75M starting at age 30 is looking better and better every year.
Cubs package deal for Cole Hamels, Carlos Ruiz and maybe Papelbon now?
I was an AA supporter, then on the fence last year, but now I am scratching my head . This move is definitely a weird one. Let us throw out all that silliness about Martin being from Canada being a factor. This move reminds me of my first year in fantasy baseball. My genius AA move was to bid up to get two catchers hoping to corner the market at backstop. That fantasy move was a disaster. We could all be wrong and AA could be right but I think I should sell my remaining shares in Rogers, the owners of the Blue Jays. I thought Rogers was closely monitoring AA after the 60 million the Jays now owe to Reyes, and these two average pitchers Buerhle and Dickey in 2015.
This won’t end well. It may end up just like the McCann contract, where the player doesn’t even perform to the level of the contract in his first season. What Martin did last year is not his true level of ability. But if you’re going to have a season with a .336 BABIP, do it in your walk year.
Yikes, that’s some bad cheddar.
Heavily backloading Martin’s deal at $20 mill/yr for the last 3 yrs could really be problematic down the road. Paying him the most during the years he will be in decline makes him untradeable and gives the Jays less flexibility on the back end.
Contracts don’t make players untradeable. Big contracts for underperforming players get paid down all the time for the purpose of moving them. They only become truly untradeable if the player can no longer perform at the MLB level and no amount of paying down his contract will make him attractive to another team. That would be the risk to Toronto in Martin’s out-years.
Anyone know why this contract is so backloaded? It seems strange to pay a guy 7 million in a year he’ll likely be worth three times that and then 20 million in years you’ll be lucky if he’s worth half that.
It probably has a lot to do with owing Mark Buerhle 19 MM in 2015 and zero in 2016.
It could, but it seems like you’re making up for high payroll now by causing a potential issue later. Martin will turn into Buehrle in a few years (as far as contract amount and production level).
The Jays have Bautista, Encarnacion and Dickey coming off the books after 2016. For better or worse Reyes and Martin are the Blue Jays only guarantied contracts in 2017.
I’d guess the Blue Jays are looking at adding another significant piece or two in the near future. They probably look at 2015-16 as their best shot at contending, and those are the years they know Martin will be his most effective anyway. Plus with Buehrle coming off the books after the ’15 season there’s more cash available.
It’s a five-year deal, but the goal is clearly contending in the near-term, and they’re leaving themselves some immediate flexibility to do so.
This is a LOT for a catcher who’ll be 32 when the season starts. Hard to believe now that the Yankees got him for a paltry $4 mil four years ago.
Oh and to the Pirates, if Francisco Cervelli is the answer you’re not asking the right question.
Martin is being way overvalued. He’s very good defensively, and offensively he’s a shade better than say a Damian Miller was. To me that’s hardly worth $16+ million over 5 years. He was worth more like 4 years, $52 million.