The Tigers announced that they’ve signed outfielder Leonys Martin to a one-year, Major League contract for the 2018 season. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter) that he’ll earn a guaranteed $1.75MM with the opportunity to pick up another $1.1MM via incentives.
Meanwhile, catcher Derek Norris, right-hander Enrique Burgos and outfielder Jim Adduci have signed minor league deals that contain invites to Spring Training, per the team. The Tigers also confirmed their previously reported minor league deal with first baseman Edwin Espinal.
Martin, 30 next March, should have ample opportunity to pick up at-bats with the Tigers, who enter the offseason with a thin outfield mix. Mikie Mahtook, JaCoby Jones and Nicholas Castellanos currently sit atop the depth chart in Detroit, though Jones has yet to establish himself in the Majors while Castellanos is a trade candidate. Martin could supplant Jones, and at the very least the two will compete for regular at-bats during Spring Training this year.
In Martin, the Tigers are adding a left-handed bat and a fleet-footed defender that can handle all three outfield spots. The former Rangers/Mariners outfielder hasn’t hit much in recent years, but Martin has consistently drawn top-notch reviews for his defensive work — most of which has come in center field. Defensive Runs Saved pegs him at +46 in nearly 4500 big league innings, while Ultimate Zone Rating has him at 30 runs better than average. Detroit outfielders, collectively, drew marks of -10 and -7 from DRS and UZR last season, so adding Martin to the mix should prove to be a significant boon, even if it comes at the expense of some offense.
Martin’s struggles with the bat have indeed been pronounced over the past three seasons, during which time he’s twice posted an OPS south of .600. Overall, in his past 1024 MLB plate appearances, Martin has batted .228/.283/.345. At his best, Martin does show some pop, and he’s always a threat on the basepaths as well. Martin’s batted-ball profile has been increasingly fly-ball oriented in recent years, and while many in the league have had great success in that regard, it hasn’t worked out for him. Perhaps a return to a more ground-ball-based approach and some work to curtail his recent uptick in punchouts can at least return his bat to serviceable levels.
As a bonus for the Tigers, Martin comes with just four years, 161 days of Major League service time, meaning if he does turn things around at all, he’ll be controllable through the 2019 season via arbitration. That could help both in making him a multi-year asset for a rebuilding Detroit club or by making him more appealing to potential trade suitors in the event of a bounceback.
Norris, 29 in February, struggled to a .201/.258/.380 line in 198 plate appearances with the Rays last season. He hasn’t performed well at the plate since a solid run with the A’s and Padres in 2013-15, though he at one point in his career showed a penchant for drawing walks and the power to post double-digit homer totals. He’ll compete for a backup catching job, though with James McCann and John Hicks in the fold, it seems likelier that he’ll head to Triple-A to open the year.
Norris was released by the Rays this past June, and his season formally came to a conclusion on Sept. 1 when commissioner Rob Manfred placed him on the restricted list for the final month of the year “based on the results of” an investigation into domestic violence allegations made by his former fiancee. Notably, it does not seem as though there were ever any criminal charges brought forth against Norris. He’s not facing any punishment from the league in 2018.
The 27-year-old Burgos has shown the ability to miss bats at the big league level, averaging 10.8 K/9 in 68 1/3 innings across multiple stints with the D-backs, dating back to 2015. He’s averaged nearly 96 mph on his fastball but has also issued five walks per nine innings as a Major Leaguer. He’ll vie for a spot in an unsettled Tigers bullpen and, if he can eventually put things together, is controllable all the way through the 2022 season.
Adduci, 32, returned from a strong stint in the Korea Baseball Organization this year and made his way to the Tigers’ big league roster, where he batted .241/.323/.398 in 93 PAs. Adduci has just 241 big league PAs, which have resulted in a .209/.283/.302 slash.
Like both these moves. Martin is a speedy, plus defender in CF. Norris could be a serviceable backup/platoon if necessary. Minor league contract too. No risk.
Solid moves Detroit.
A couple guys who could have nice rebound years and get them done prospects at the deadline.
Number 1 pick in the rule V draft as well. Would be nice to see them snag Demeritte to slide into the 2nd base spot when Kinsler is eventually dealt.
Demeritte has never been able to hit. Still can’t at AA. Have fun watching Martin’s arm. Legit canon.
Could this allude to the possibility a McCann trade or is this simply depth.
While there’s certainly an open spot on the bench for Martin, I’ve gotten the impression that the Tigers are high on Hicks as the back-up.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just depth. McCann has been incredibly streaky, it’s always good to have catchers.
I mean, McCann only has 3 years of control left and the Tigers likely aren’t going to contend during those 3 years so if they are offered a fair trade they might as well.
Bc he’s only like 27, affordable, and has yet to have a truly breakout. He’s been close, but cold streaks have killed him. If they trade McCann it would only happen at the deadline if he’s on a hot streak.
I would love to see McCann paired with one of our middle infielders for a young catcher with starting potential. I think Det is too high on McCann, though. And we don’t really have anyone to take over that many games. Adding Norris might make it slightly more probable.
This is a good deal. Not a Tigers fan but Martin is a guy who has a little pop in his bat and can steal you some bases if he gets on. Solid move. Really can’t wait for these winter meetings to kick off so we can start seeing more action from teams. I think once Stanton gets traded (hopefully soon) and once Othani signs things will pick up significantly or at least I hope so.
I keep checking this website every day hoping I’ll see something significant. Guess I’ll wait until after the Winter Meetings…
I wouldn’t say Martin’s .111 ISO and .324 slg% over the past 3 seasons suggest that he has anything reminiscent of pop”
Minor league depth is always good…..maybe could catch lightning in a bottle, and if not, nothing lost. I expect more of these type of pretty typical signings.
Don’t understand this signing. The last time Martin was worth what he was being paid was 2014. The last 3 seasons he has hit .228 with a .283 OBP and negligible power.
They are paying 1.8mil for one year. He still has elite defense. It’s almost a minimum contract at this point. Little risk
Comerica Stadium’s expansive center field acreage will give Martin a opportunity to really shine defensively and up his value. I like this signing because its the first time the Tigers have taken center field defense serious in over a decade.
Those numbers may be uninspiring, but they are better than what Jones did last year, so it’s an improvement. With Castellanos set to play right, the ability to cover the gap will be vital.
That is sad because Martin has been atrocious.
Rajai Davis would had been better at this price .More SB’s and better OBP
I like these moves some of these guys could turn it around if they are coachable. It took Carlos Gomez a couple extra years to figure it out. If they hit you can flip them. These are the type of players that could take a year or two off your rebuild
Yep, I can hardly wait for Legendary Lloyd to work his magic on Martin.
These are good moves.
It would have been soooo much better if they also signed Kevin Maitan.
They’re gonna need some defense in the outfield in between Mikie and Nicholas., and Martin’s stats make him look like a HOFer next to JaCoby.
Det needed a CF that could cover some ground and they got that with Martin, whether or not he’ll hit much isn’t that much of a concern, but I hope Castellanos isn’t a “trade candidate”, same for McCann. It’s managements responsibility to field a major league team and it’s absurd and dishonest to do otherwise under the guise of “rebuilding”.
Of course they’ll trade them if they can get a fair return for them. They ARE rebuilding. Rebuilding teams don’t sacrifice long term gain in order to “put a good product on the field” and both guys will be free agents before the Tigers return to contention. You were posting this same hogwash all over the place like two months ago and clearly have no idea what you are talking about.
There’s no team that is looking for a Castellanos type player. He can’t play the field, which negates his bat. He’s young, and probably reluctant to move to DH before free agency, as that would kill his value even more. Other than the Nats, not many teams looking for a catcher. Sincerely doubt either gets moved this off season, as getting a reasonable offer is iffy.
The market for their positions will change eventually. They aren’t super close to free agency so there isn’t any urgency to just get rid of them YET, but they won’t be playing for the next good Tigers team so it would behoove the Tigers to get something for them before they are free agents.
Eventually? I thought we were talking the here and now. How their players develop, and how fast, will determine much for this team. The advantage they have is strong minor league pitching.
No because Castellanos and McCann have enough club control that they don’t have to be traded immediately. Tigers can wait until someone offers fair value. But when they do, it would be stupid of the Tigers to pass it up in some lame attempt to “put a good product on the field.”
Using your logic (such as it is), any team should trade any player, so long as they get “fair value”. You sound more like a leftist politician than someone interested in baseball.
So, it’s “hogwash” to suggest that MLB management should actually field a MLB caliber team? Your logic is convoluted and your attitude is adolescent; not a credible combination.
I hope the Tigers move Nicholas Castellanos to 1B. CF Leonys Martin and RF Mikie Mahtook are good defenders and Detroit’s pitching staff needs a hi range OF. They’ve gone the good hitter-poor defender route and it hasn’t worked out.
Castellanos playing anywhere on the field probably hurts ur team
In order to move Nick to first base…..Miggy needs to DH. Unless Victor retires or they somehow find a way to get rid of him….Nick is the right fielder…for better of worse.
At least JD won’t be the worst OF next year.
This is absolutely horrible as most Avila decisions are. Why would you bring in ANOTHER BUSHER in Martin we already have a busher in CF in Jacoby Jones neither will ever hit 200 and this is not an Gardenhire balanced type team. I feel sorry for the best Manager in baseball in Gardenhire. Also why would you get rid of Iglesias and Kinsler when they are Gold Glove candidate players? Candelario too is a defensive gem and you are going to try to replace Kinsler with maybe a 4-5 homer a year guy in Machado? More embarrassment from Avila CLUELESS he has no business being in the realm of these decisions. SInce we are pegged to lose as least make an effort of getting a few decent players as believe it or not this team isn’t that far away. I would bring in 2 SB guys in Eduardo Nunez AND Rajai Davis because in tough pitching match ups in 1 run games we have no plot .Either get a walk in could be a double or Triple we need this speed. I would trade for Justin Bour and DH Cabrera this gives us 2 switch hitters in Candelario and Nunez and a lefty in Bour ANOTHer issue WE do not have. SIgn 2 cheap relievers in Albers and Swarzak and do it now. Our fans do not deserve this garbage we just rid of 1 garbage in Ausmus.. Another 500 + pitcher is needed so get Jhoulys Chacin and we can win some games to at least give some hope in many games then this EXTREMELY HORRIBLE team. Be ashamed AVila you are without direction and really bad. Not being finished I would offer Arrieta a 4 yr 105 mil contract and would be at 140-150 mil. per yr team . Lineup would look like this : KINSLER NUNEZ BOUR CABRERA CANDELARIO CASTELLANOS MCCANN IGLESIAS DAVIS. …Rotation Arrieta Fulmer Chacin Boyd Zimmerman. Though we would not get Arrieta (too complicated for Avila) trade Norris Farmer and the supposed rookie closer for Manea of Oakland and it could be Fulmer Chacin Manea Boyd Zimmerman this is an affordable team. This is a BAD DIRECTION good Tiger fans do not accept this crap !
Haven’t you heard? The goal is to suck for the next 3-5 yrs, so buy your season tickets now!
what …we are rebuilding do you think any of these would make us better..the idea that you think we should sign arietta…shows you how no clue what your talking about