Tigers Reach Agreement With Victor Martinez
By Tim Dierkes [November 23, 2010 at 9:52am CST]
The Tigers added a middle of the order bat today, reaching an agreement with
catcher Victor Martinez on a four-year, $50MM contract. Martinez was widely
regarded as the best offensive catcher available, though he may see
significant time as Detroit's designated hitter.
Martinez, 32 next month, hit .302/.351/.493 in 538 plate appearances for the
Red Sox this year, earning his fourth All-Star nod. As a switcher-hitter,
Martinez provides the left side protection the Tigers craved. He also logged
904 innings behind the plate, a number that should decrease in Detroit due to
the presence of Alex Avila.
Though the Red Sox hoped to re-sign Martinez, they can take solace in
receiving the best available draft pick as part of their compensation. The
Tigers must surrender their #19 draft pick next year to the Red Sox, unless
Detroit also signs Jayson Werth later. Regardless, the Red Sox will also
receive a supplemental draft pick. According to Ignacio Serrano of El
Nacional, who broke the story, Martinez turned down a four-year, $48MM offer
from the Orioles and a three-year, $48MM contract from the White Sox.
Martinez is represented by Octagon.
The Tigers have been baseball's most aggressive team this offseason. Prior
to the Martinez agreement, they committed $39.25MM to Brandon Inge, Jhonny
Peralta, and Joaquin Benoit. In a November 10th poll, three of five MLBTR
writers correctly predicted Martinez would sign with the Tigers.
Serrano broke the story, while Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reported that an
agreement was in place.
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