Martin Bolting to the Bucs

    Fox News has reported that former Yankees catcher Russell Martin is headed to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The details of his deal are unknown but Martin is reuniting with old Yankee teammate AJ Burnett. What does this means for the Yankees? A lot. This is not good news for the Yankees and their fan base. Martin was a tremendous defensive catcher for the Bombers. He worked very well with the pitching staff, ultimately leading the staff to becoming a top rotation. He was tough and gritty, the type of player Joe Girardi coveted. Martin’s offense is the complete opposite. He will not hit for average but does have some pop and gets on base with walks. He is also a very patient hitter, a guy who fit very nicely into the Yankees lineup.     

The Yankees can replace his offense but can the Yanks replace his defense and leadership? As of right now, Chris Stewart is the Yankees starting catcher with Francisco Cervelli the backup. They do have youngsters Austine Romine and Gary Sanchez but neither seems to be ready to take over full time. Soon to be 36-year-olds AJ Pierzynski and Mike Napoli are the only other two free agent catchers worth talking about. AJ is an average defender with a solid bat. His power would go great at Yankee Stadium and his personality would fit in New York. The only problem is, is that Pierzynski is most likely going to get a multi year deal and the Yankees do not seem keen on giving a 36-year-old a multi year deal because the Steinbrenner’s want to get the payroll under $189 million. Mike Napoli is not an everyday catcher and will not fit in with what Girardi wants. The Yankees do not even seem to be interested in him. So what can they do? Cashman always seems to surprise everyone and now he has to think of what to do to replace Martin. It will not be easy but what will be easy about this Yankees offseason? These Yankees will definitely have their work cut out for them because this offseason just got a little bit harder.  

On the other hand, good news came out of the Yanks camp today, they have announced that Andy Pettitte (1 year, $12 million) and Mariano Rivera (1 year, $10 million) will both be back with the team next season.