Via George King and Hardball Talk, the Yankees have made an offer to Russell Martin and apparently want him to start if the joins the Bronx Bombers. This is big news.
If true, it apparently signals a shift from the mindset that Jesus Montero was going to get the starting catching job out of Spring Training. Of course that doesn’t mean Montero won’t be on the Yankees in 2011, but we can see a path developing here.
It would seem that the Yankees are waiting on Cliff Lee, to whom they’ve apparently made a seven year contract offer. What does this have to do with Montero? Like we’ve all said all off season, if the Yankees don’t sign Lee, it’s possible that they go out and trade for a starter. If they do, Montero is likely to be part of the package. It will be very hard for the Yankees to get an impact starter like Zack Greinke or Francisco Liriano without giving up Jesus Montero.
If the Yankees don’t trade Montero–regardless of signing Lee or not–they could still give Martin the starting job, while starting Montero in AAA. This would give him more seasoning time, which never hurts, and delay his arbitration clock. I doubt the latter is the intention, though, since the Yankees will more than likely be able to afford Jesus’ arbitration raises.
I’m of the opinion that the Yankees will probably land Lee, making it unnecessary to trade Jesus Montero (unless they feel they could use the depth if Andy Pettitte retires). I think there’s a small chance they sign Martin to be the stater. If that’s the case, I hope they just stash Montero in AAA until they feel he’s ready. On another Montero note, the latest round of CAIRO Projections from Replacement Level has Montero projected as a .337 wOBA hitter in 2010. That is something I would most definitely accept.
Re-switching gears back to Martin.
There is always the possibility that what was said was not true. The starting catcher comment came from Martin’s agent, Matt Colleran. King’s article doesn’t have confirmation of that from the Yankees, so it’s possible that Colleran is doing his job and trying to get some leverage on his client’s side.
It’s also possible that the Yankees said that to Martin as an empty promise. Of course, they could give him the starting job out of Spring Training (if they sign him) then find countless reasons to take that job away from him.
Until we see a confirmation of this from the Yankees–or see it happen on Opening Day–I don’t believe Russell Martin will be the Yankees’ starting catcher. I do think, though, there’s a good chance he’ll be a Yankee anyway.
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8 Responses to Martin to Start if Signed?
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I think this is a terrible idea. Russell Martin hasn’t hit all that better than Francisco Cervelli in the last 2 years. He’s attractive because he could theoretically bounce back and play solid defense. To me, that spells, “We’d give him the opportunity to hit his way into the starting role”, not “Let him start”. Montero is never going to break in if the Yankees give a big multi-year deal to a young starting catcher, and this one isn’t all that good right now.
No one said anything about a multi year deal where did you read that? I have read that a mystery team has offered a multi year deal but the Sox, Jays and Yanks haven’t, in fact all Martin does is help us establish a bridge from Posada to Montero/Romine in 2012 and if he does really well we can keep him or extend and trade him, win-win.
Terrible idea? How is he going to break in? You act like he is some 24 year old trying to make the club with no options and if he fails this time his dream is over or something, this kid just turned 21 years old you don’t think it would benefit him to start out a month to two months in the minor leagues before being called up and splitting time hitting at DH and catching with Russell?
Russell Martin threw out 39% of baserunners last year before his injury, he has thrown out 31% of baserunners in his entire career and in that career he has failed to throw out more than 30% just once, no one on our team has the ability to throw out 30% of anything and with Crawford and Ellsbury we need something to stop speed.
On the multi-year deal: Its been the thing for catchers this off season. I have trouble imagining Martin not getting it.
Jesus Montero needs to catch full time or nearly full time. I think that’s the #1 lesson we learned a few years ago – catchers don’t improve while playing 3 days a week. He’s made significant progress since he was separated from Romine. He’s got nothing left to do on the hitting side in the minors. Letting him rot in the minors will do him no good. And it won’t do the team any good to promise that slot to some light-hitting bounceback candidate who probably won’t hit nearly as well as Montero, and isn’t a long term solution at the position.
Hitting has little to do with being a CATCHER and I would much rather Jesus spend all of next year or most next year in the minors working on how to defend behind the plate better and how to throw out runers better which is not something he needs to learn to the boos of Yankee stadium fans everytime he has a passed ball.
Once again you keep coming back to hitting, if Martin even hits average he will be an upgrade over last year because he can defend and throw out runner 100x better than Cervelli and Posada.
Once again Montero is 21 and far far from a major league CATCHER…. he isn’t “rotting” anywhere that is a huger over-reaction and as Joba taught us it’s much easier to learn in a learning enviorment which New York isn’t, let the kid become a catcher and then next year give him the reigns in the mean time let Martin actually be a CATCHER.
You act like Montero is already advanced past triple A… Maybe with the bat but that was probably true when he was in double A let’s not rush the kid for no reason, if we don’t sign Martin there is no guarantee Montero willl be the starter anyway they only said he “would compete” not be handed the job. In your “prefered” scenario Montero could still start the year in triple A and Cervelli and Chad Moeller could be the Yankee starting catchers since Posada is DH no matter what.
BTW the 9th hitter in a lineup doesn’t have to rake and whether it’s Montero, Cervelli or Martin they will be hitting 9th.
I have read an article confirming the Yankee offer as a 1 year deal only.
It makes more sense for Russell to sign a 1 year deal, if he has this must interest now (off major injury) how much interest and money can he garner next year after a starting season if he has a good year in the AL East? Not to mention he has a chance to get a ring before cashing in on the multi year next year and if he plays well enough he may earn the multi year from the AL East team he chooses (unlikely with the Yanks but who knows).
I’ve said it before — I’m not sure that even if Montero starts the year in New York that having the pressure of being the starting catcher is a good idea. Let him catch 60 games under the tutelage of Posada and Martin if necessary, so he can learn how to catch in the major leagues. Jeter may be the captain of the team, but the guy behind the plate still runs the show. Giving Montero the starting gig from day one is setting him up for failure.
You’re right it’s way too much pressure to catch a full year on a kid like that… Too bad Buster Posey didn’t just win the World Series and rookie of the year.
Posada will not catch many games with or without Martin and if we have a team with Joe Girardi, Tony Pena and Russell Martin the last one I want Montero getting tutored by is Jorge.
I really don’t see why catching 60 games isn’t stressful but 40 more are?
Can anyone believe the crowd at Riv Ave Blues? Almost every post over their on the subject says this means they are trading Montero and there is no way they’d sign Martin without telling him they will trade Montero, that is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard.
If anything it makes sense for Russell to come to the Yankees on a 1 year deal with Montero on the team because he knows behind the plate he can win the job, all he has to do is play well for 1 year and then next season when he’s not coming off injury he can sign a multi year deal for more money.