Russell Martin Heading To The Pirates

From Erik Boland:

Add catcher to the list of offseason needs for the Yankees.

In a move that came as a surprise to many, a club source said Russell Martin agreed to a two-year deal with the Pirates early Thursday night. The deal is reportedly worth $17 million.

While there were reports the Yankees had made their own two-year offer, the source said the club never made an offer of any kind.

...

Currently, the Yankees have Francisco Cervelli, who spent the majority of last season at Triple-A, light-hitting Chris Stewart and Austin Romine as their options. Romine, once one of the organization's blue-ribbon prospects, missed most of 2012 with a back injury. His defense is considered major league-caliber, but his bat is suspect

The free-agent market is thin, led by Mike Napoli and A.J. Pierzynski. But both are likely to command dollars similar to what Martin did, dollars the Yankees have made clear to this point -- at least at catcher -- they're not willing to commit.

I can't say I'm surprised the Yankees let him walk with that kind of money being offered. Honestly, he's just not worth it. That being said, the catching market is pretty non-existent so it's going to be interesting to see who they can replace him with.


However, Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees did offer Martin 2 years for somewhere around $12 to $14 million. Also, the Dodgers have emerged as a potential suitor for A.J. Pierzynski so his name may come off the board pretty soon as well.

Yankees Interested in Mike Napoli

If they do lose Martin, Napoli would be a pretty good replacement. After a great 2011 campaign, Napoli fell off a bit last season hitting .227/.343/.469 with 24 HR and 56 RBI in 108 games for the Rangers. Not great, but better than the numbers Martin put up the last two years.

Sabathia Wants Martin Back in 2013

Here's a little more CC Sabathia related news, though this time it's not related to anyu injuries. Here's the story from Mark Hale:

Two Yankees pitchers voiced their support yesterday for free-agent catcher Russell Martin.

“I think it’s important. He’s been a great addition to our team, on and off the field,” CC Sabathia said of re-signing Martin. “That’s not in my department, though. But we’ll have to just wait and see what happens. But he’s been great for us.”

Derek Lowe, who also is set to be a free agent, is unlikely to return to The Bronx. But the veteran righty raved about Martin, whom he has known since the two were teammates with the Dodgers. Lowe pointed out the value of Martin’s power, the defensive improvement he has made and the significance of Martin having proven he can handle playing in New York.

“I had him in L.A.,” Lowe said. “He’s actually probably gotten a little bit better as far as catching because of experience, and with [bench coach] Tony Pena here being a catching guy. There’s not many catchers that are going to hit you 20 home runs and drive in I don’t know how many he had, call a great game, throw guys out. From that standpoint, he’s a guy that’s only getting better. Again, I can say that because I’ve played with him back in L.A., and I’ve seen the progression in a positive way.

“I know this, and you guys know this, it’s hard to bring guys in here that maybe you don’t know how they’re going to perform. And once you have people here that you know can perform here, in my opinion, you’ve got to keep them. Because you know what you’re going to get.”

It's always good to get an endorsement from the ace of the staff, but remember, we're talking about a guy who sat at or under the Mendoza line all season so if they do bring him back I hope it's on a relatively inexpensive deal.

If you were wondering, here is a list of catchers who may be available next season via MLB Trade Rumors:

Rod Barajas (37) - $3.5MM club option, no buyout
Henry Blanco (41) - $1.24MM mutual option
Gerald Laird (33)
Russell Martin (30)
Brian McCann (29) - $12MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jose Molina (37) - $1.5MM club option with a $300K buyout
Mike Napoli (31)
Miguel Olivo (34) - $3MM club option with a $750K buyout
Ronny Paulino (32)
A.J. Pierzynski (36)
Humberto Quintero (33)
David Ross (36)
Carlos Ruiz (34) - $5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Brian Schneider (36)
Kelly Shoppach (33)
Chris Snyder (32) - $4MM mutual option for 2013 with a $500K buyout
Yorvit Torrealba (34)
Matt Treanor (37)

Not a lot of great names on there, so Martin may actually end up being their best option.

Cashman: Martin is our Catcher

From Marc Carig:

The Yankees have no plans to trade for a new catcher.

Despite starting catcher Russell Martin's horrendous first half, general manager Brian Cashman said today that he has no plans of wading into the trade market for catching help.

"We have our catching," Cashman said. "I believe in Russell Martin, period."

There's no doubt that Martin has been awful at the plate for most of the last season and a half, but he's a solid defensive catcher and the Yankees haven't seemed to be too hurt by his struggles. I'd rather them stick with what they have instead of dumping a bunch of prospects for a catcher they don't really need.

Yanks Have No Plans To Talk Extension With Martin

As Heyman says, this is standard practice for the Yanks. In other Martin-related "news", he doesn't hate the Red Sox anymore. Well, actually he never did:  

Damn it, Russ! At least lie.

Martin Avoids Arbitration

From David Waldstein:

Just hours after Jorge Posada, their catcher of the past, announced his retirement, the Yankees said Tuesday that they had agreed on a contract with Russell Martin, their catcher of the present.

The deal, worth $7.5 million deal for one year, lets the sides avoid an arbitration hearing. Martin can also earn another $100,000 in performance bonuses.

Martin Wants To Stay In The Bronx

From Andrew Marchand:

"My situation is I"m still arbitration eligible," Martin told me and one other reporter today outside of Yankee Stadium. "So either I'll get offered a contract or I won't get offered a contract. It is the same situation I was in with the Dodgers last year. Now, it is up to the Yankees to make a decision. For me, I would like nothing more than to be here."

...

"I obviously want to play as much as I can, but my main goal is just to be on a winning team and win a championship," Martin said.

Marin was a very solid pickup for the Yanks this season and I'd have no problems with the Yanks giving him another one or two-year deal.

The main issue is whether or not the Yankees have confidence Jesus Montero's defense. I don't think the Yanks will give any catcher a multi-year deal if they plan on giving Montero most of the games back there. If their plan is for Montero to DH or split time behind the plate, then Martin should be back.

Martin: "I hate the Red Sox"

Montero Likely to Catch, Romine to Back-Up

LoHud on Montero, Martin, and Cerveill:

X-rays are negative on Russell Martin’s thumb, but Joe Girardi said he’ll be out a day or two. Girardi also doesn’t want Jorge Posada to catch back to back games.

“Montero will probably catch (tomorrow),” Girardi said.

Francisco Cervelli is going back to New York for tests and Girardi indicated that a catcher will likely be called up. He hinted at Austin Romine.

LoHud confirming the Romine rumor:

Francisco Cervelli’s locker was just cleared, and his nameplate was replaced with a hand drawn tag for Austin Romine.

Looks like Romine will be here today, wearing No. 71.

No word on a move to make room on the 40-man.

While it is quite the shame to see Martin and Cervelli hurting, I can't help but be a bit excited to see Montero don the tools of ignorance ... though, I'm not quite sure if it's more morbid curiosity, given the almost universally poor reviews of his catching skills.

Update: Steve Garrison was DFA'd to make room for Romine.

Martin Leaves With Hand Contusion, Posada Catching

The Yankees stretch of seemingly injury after injury after injury continued tonight in Anaheim, when catcher Russell Martin left the game with a right hand contusion after taking a foul tip off his right thumb. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

And the guy who replaced Martin behind the plate is none other than Jorge Posada, catching for the first time since Game 6 of the ALCS last October. And the first batter who got on, Howie Kendrick - Posada got him out trying to steal.

Hip Hip, Jorge!

Where is Jesus?

I present to you a series of triple-slash lines:

.279/.355/.467
.280/.385/.560
.229/.320/.385
.234/.308/.313

The first two lines illustrate the reasoning that many believe is keeping Jesus Montero and his 7 home runs and .900+ OPS in the month of August toiling away in Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. Jorge Posada's line against RHP comes first, and Andruw Jones's demolition of LHP is second. Essentially, the Yankees DH platoon is more than adequate when utilized properly. This allows the Yankees to prevent the inevitable can of worms that would be opened from an actual permanent benching of Posada without being disingenuous ... he really is getting the job done against righties, and Jones is more than doing his part against southpaws.

That doesn't tell the whole story, however. The third line is Russell Martin since his incredible April, which is significantly bolstered by the last week or so. Last is Brett Gardner over the last five weeks, a similar downturn to last season (which was attributed to his injured wrist). Both Martin and Gardner have played nearly every day when healthy, so it may simply be a matter of their bodies breaking down in the heat and humidity of the summer.

How does this apply to Montero? It's simple, really. By calling up Montero the Yankees could rest Martin against tough righties, allowing the defensive stalwart to rest a couple of times per week. Against lefties, Gardner could take the day off, Jones can shift to left, and Montero could shed the tools of ignorance and focus on swinging the stick. All told, this would likely provide Martin and Gardner with two days off per week, rejuvenating them for the stretch run and postseason. It would also allow the Yankees to see what sort of player they have in Montero, both behind the plate and at the dish (while also relieving him of the rigors of catching everyday in the minors).

To provide for this strategy, the Yankees need only send Cervelli down ... a minor loss, if a loss at all. Is this a perfect solution? That's impossible to know without any action - but it certainly seems reasonable and simplistic.

Yanks Set Record With 3 Grand Slams in One Game

Is Russell Martin Headed For The DL?

From Brian Costello:

A few hours before last night's 1-0 loss to the Indians, Russell Martin sounded optimistic about his aching back.

"It will be fine," the Yankees catcher said. "I can tell. It's something I'll play through."

His tone must have changed because 90 minutes later, the Yankees announced Martin was scratched from the lineup with back stiffness, with Francisco Cervelli taking his place as the starting catcher.

...the Yankees have to be getting concerned with the back problem Martin can't shake, and a trip to the disabled list has to be considered. The 28-year-old had missed four consecutive games with the back problem before returning to the lineup Sunday. He underwent an MRI exam on Thursday that showed no problems.

Costello argues that a few weeks might be the best thing for Martin, who has been struggling. Since May 1st, he's hitting .183/.309/.301 and he's just 2 for his last 31. Long believes the injury is to blame.

"He's been so beat up," Long said. "It's really unfair to judge. He basically busted up his toe twice. He's basically swinging without his legs. Anytime you do that, you get into some funks

If he does land on the DL, it'll be interesting to see what the Yankees do.

Personally I'd like to see Jesus Montero get a shot. Even if he's here for just a few weeks, the experience will help him and he could be a bolt of energy that this team will need to overcome these injuries and catch the red-hot Red Sox.

If not Montero you're looking at Francisco Cervelli and his .191 (and dropping) batting average getting most, if not all of the innings behind the plate. Besides the lack of hitting he's already racked up 5 throwing errors behind the plate-in just 16 games-tying him for 2nd most in all of baseball.

With Cervelli starting everyday, I assume the Yanks might let Posada get a game or two back there as well, but at this point I'm kinda scared to make him start catching again. With the luck this team has had lately it looks like another leg injury in the making.

Anyway, we don't even know if he's going to go on the DL so this could all be pointless. But if he does, what would you like to see the Yankees do?

EDIT: Thank you to SIH reader Liam for reminding me about Gustavo Molina. He is also an option.

More Injury Updates: Hughes, Martin, Feliciano & Soriano

From George A. King III:

Russell Martin's back still was barking when he woke up yesterday morning, so the Yankees catcher went for an MRI exam that revealed no structural damage.

After going through another day of treatment, Martin said the back felt a little better before last night's game with the Red Sox, but he still could not play for the second straight night. The Yankees training staff told Martin they believe he has a slight strain in the back.

Other than treatment, the only thing Martin can do is wait.

"Right now, I'm just taking it day to day and see what happens," Martin said. "I really don't know. Maybe I wake up [today] and feel great. If I feel great [today] I don't see why I couldn't play."

...

"Hughes threw 30 pitches [yesterday] and they said he looked good," manager Joe Girardi said. "His velocity was 90 to 92 [mph], a lot of 92s they said. He will make a start next Tuesday for the Gulf Coast League."

Figure Hughes to need five minor-league starts and no setbacks with the inflamed right shoulder that landed him on the disabled list in mid-April.

Girardi also mentioned in the article that Pedro Feliciano has started playing catch while Rafael Soriano has not. No word on when we should expect either to return.

Heyman on the Yanks: Silva, Martin

From Jon Heyman:

The Yankees' signing of Carlos Silva might seem like a reach. But it's at a good cost (only the major league minimum for when he's in the bigs) for a team concerned about its rotation. Their concern has grown with the troubles of Phil Hughes, who has had velocity problems beginning in spring. The Yankees say Hughes isn't hurt but it's still troubling for them to see the pitcher who regularly pitched in the 92-94 mph range as a starter (and 96 plus as a reliever) rarely crack 90 mph. New Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild's connection to Silva (who was 10-6 for the Cubs last year when Rothschild was the pitching coach) was another key to the Yankees' interest.

...

The Yankees' signing of red-hot Russell Martin is looking better by the day. He admittedly lost focus his last two years with the Dodgers, when he was a shadow of his former self. The Dodgers still made him an offer of about $4.4 million to return. But Martin declined it, and wound up signing for $4 million with the Yankees. They are reluctant to use their backup, Gustavo Molina, who hasn't played yet, or Jorge Posada, who has won four rings as their main catcher but who they won't use under almost any circumstance.

New York Post: Martin Still Not 100-Percent

As per Brian Costello:

New Yankees catcher Russell Martin said Tuesday he is not quite 100 percent yet after right knee surgery, but he'll be ready for Opening Day.

"I think I'll be ready for the season, for sure," Martin said at the Yankees' minor-league complex. "I can't predict the future, but I feel pretty good right now."

The Yankees signed Martin to a one-year, $4 million deal in December to replace Jorge Posada as the starting catcher. During his physical with the team, they found a slight tear in his right meniscus. He had surgery just before Christmas, and said he still does not have a full range of motion.

He plans on catching for the first time since the surgery Wednesday to test the knee. The knee problem came after a hip injury ended his 2010 season in August. Martin said he has not been able to test the hip, but it already felt better before he had the knee surgery.

"My goal from now is until the season is to strengthen that right side of my leg," Martin said.

Martin, who turns 28 next week, is coming off two disappointing seasons with the Dodgers. Martin changed his offseason training routine this year, doing an MMA-style workout. He feels like the work has paid off and said he is 15 pounds lighter than he was last year.

"I feel in shape," Martin said. "Last year, I was trying to gain a little bit of weight and have more power. This year, I feel like I lost weight and I have more power. I'm really not even thinking about hitting home runs. I just want to make solid contact and simplify my approach. I'm just having fun out there. I think this year I'm going to have a little bit more fun than I did the last couple of years."

The Yankees immediately named Martin the starting catcher when he signed, but he still feels like he has to earn the job.

"They said I was going to come in and be the starter or whatever, but whether they say that, you have to prove yourself out there," Martin said. "I have to prove myself to the pitchers. The guys are going to have to like throwing to me. If they don't like throwing to me, I'm not going to catch. That's the way I see it. My goal is to just study them, study the hitters we're going to be facing. That's the big thing for me is coming in this year and having to catch a bunch of guys I haven't caught before."

This may does not strike me as terribly newsworthy, simply due to the fact that it was sort of expected. The season is still nearly two months away and it seems as if Martin is working very hard to get in-shape, and that's what really matters - a healthy and motivated Martin will make the offense and defense significantly better.

Martin on Two Down Years: I Was Distracted

From The Canadian Press (hat-tip to WasWatching):

The two-time all-star catcher from Chelsea, Que., attending Baseball Canada's annual awards banquet Saturday, attributed his consecutive off-years with the Los Angeles Dodgers to poor preparation.

That's all changed now, and he says "this year I'm looking to be better" than ever.

"Probably some frustrations, probably not training as hard as I should have in some ways," Martin said in explaining his 2009 and '10 seasons. "That's always been my strength, is training my butt off, doing all those things in the best way possible. And I think I had some distractions that maybe led me not to have that same drive that I've had in the past. Really, that's all it is, I trained hard, but before nobody trained as hard as I did.

"This year I feel like I'm back. Just mentally, I feel better."

Asked about the distractions, he said, "there are some things that you keep for yourself, and those distractions are personal."

As far as his decision to join the Yankees he said this:

"The Yankees were a little bit more aggressive and a little less concerned with the injuries I had," said Martin. "I was told by my agent that (the Blue Jays) were willing to match the Yankees' offer but in my mind it was where do I have a chance to win the World Series the most next year.

"My opinion was I had the best chance with the Yankees."

...

"The Yankees were just like, 'Hey, we want you to catch as much as possible, we want you to be our guy,'" said Martin. "That helped my decision as well."

You gotta wonder how Jorge Posada is feeling about losing his job is being taken by a guy who admits he took the last two years off because of "distractions". Also, New York is the city of distractions so Martin will need to learn how to handle that stuff pretty damn quickly if he's going to survive here.

Another thing he may want to learn is that sometimes it's better not to tell the truth to the press. Remember Russell, unlike sports fans in La-La Land, New Yorkers read, retain that information, and then will hold it against you.

Russell Martin Deal Official

The Yankees have completed their deal with catcher Russell Martin. He will get a one-year $4 million deal. A pretty good deal considering his upside.

His first act as a Yankee?

Surgery.

Luckily, it's not a big deal--They wouldn't have signed him if it was. Here's more from George A. King III:

The newly signed catcher has a small meniscus tear in his right knee and will have arthroscopic surgery Monday.

Martin passed his Yankees physical making the deal official Thursday.

"It's a three-week recovery period,” GM Brian Cashman said. “We can take time with this. He will be full-throttle when called upon. We don't want it to become a problem. It's not a serious surgery at all."

CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada, who is moving to DH and being replaced at catcher by Martin, have undergone similar surgeries earlier this offseason.

"As long as he's healthy he will be the everyday catcher," Cashman said of Martin.

Scout Says Yanks Should Start Martin, Not Montero

From Andrew Marchand:

This scout had the usual criticism of Montero's game. He is not good enough defensively. He said he had concerns about Montero's defensive mechanics and that is why he thinks Montero could be at Triple-A. Ultimately, the scout thought that if Montero remained a Yankee he eventually could be a couple of days a week catcher and a DH.

The scout also thinks Montero could be a first baseman, which why the Yankees may ultimately trade him. The Yankees say that Montero has improved defensively, but that could be designed to try to hike his trade value.

The scout projected Montero to be a .265 hitter with 25 homers one day. We'll see.

The scout thinks Austin Romineis the Yankees' future catcher because of his better defense.

With the Yankees signing Martin it signaled one of two things to me: either the Yankees are very open to trading Montero, or their scouts are saying similar things as the scout above.

Yanks Have Agreed to Terms With Martin