According to James Schmehl of Mlive.com the Tigers are looking to make a “strong push” for soon to be free agent catcher Victor Martinez. This was originally reported by the Denver Post.
Schmehl also mentions that if the Tigers want to get involved with Martinez (31) there are a few guidelines that they would have to abide by. First he wants to be a full time catcher which could intrude on the development of Alex Avila who the Tigers said they would like to give more playing time to. Also, since Johnny Damon will not be returning to the team it may be possible, if the money is right, to have Martinez fill in at the designated hitter spot. Second, he is looking for a multi year contract with plenty of guaranteed money. Schmehl believes that a five-year, $50 million deal isn’t out of the question, though a three-year, $30 million deal seems more reasonable.
The downside to Martinez is he is a defensive liability behind the plate and is injury prone. He will also be 35 when he would finish the proposed contracts given by Schmehl.
Martinez has been regarded as one of the leagues better offensive catchers who hit .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs in 493 at-bats this season. He however has struggled at Comerica hitting only .225 which ranks last for him out of all ball parks that he has played at professionally throughout his career.
Project to be a type A free agent this off-season, which means any team that signs him would have to forfeit a draft pick, Martinez is expected to be courted by the Orioles and Rookies in addition to the Tigers and Red Sox of whom he played for this season.
Miguel Olivo, A.J. Pierzynski, John Buck, Ramon Hernandez, Yorvit Torrealba, Benjie Molina and Rod Barajas are all set for free agency following the World Series. Pierzynski and Hernandez are projected Type A free agents, but both would likely sign for less than half of Martinez’s asking price.
I’m not sold yet on Alex Avila taking over the catcher role full time. He seems to be developing into a good defensive catcher however his skills at the plate are still suspect. With all the batting problems that Tigers had this season it would be wise to make a run at Martinez to help solidify the catching position from an offensive perspective all while continuing to develop Avila.
