After much speculation about Victor Martinez landing with another American League team, the Detroit Tigers retained their free agent on a four-year contract. The Yankees need to keep some free agents of their own, but they first executed a trade with the Pirates to fulfill a need in the bullpen.
The 35-year-old Martinez put up career numbers in 2014, slashing .335/.409/.565 with 32 home runs and 103 RBIs. Tigers' general manager Dave Dombrowski said re-signing the designated hitter was the team's top priority, which explains the approximate $70 million the deal is worth. Martinez is expected to earn $17 million per season compared to the $12 million he was earning from 2011-2014.
The five-time All-Star missed all of 2012 with a knee injury, but has put up tremendous numbers for Detroit in 2011, 2013 and 2014. In those seasons combined, the switch-hitter is batting .321 with 58 home runs and 298 RBIs. Throughout his 12-year career with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Tigers, Martinez owns a stat line of .306/.373/.475 with 1,668 hits, 189 home runs and 927 RBIs. In addition to Martinez, outfielder Torii Hunter and starting pitcher Max Scherzer remain a priority for the team's front office.
Also in the American League, the New York Yankees have pulled off a trade during the General Managers' Meetings. New York sent catcher Francisco Cervelli to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. The Yankees filled a need in their bullpen while the Pirates did the same at catcher, since they're likely expecting to lose Russell Martin in free agency. New York has three bullpen pitchers - David Robertson, Josh Outman and Rich Hill - hitting free agency as well and there was little need for Cervelli with Brian McCann behind the plate as well as reliable backups John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine.
In seven seasons with New York, Cervelli batted .278/.348/.381 with 10 home runs and 92 RBIs in 250 games. He was suspended for 50 games last season for his involvement in the Biogenesis Scandal, which was the biggest performance-enhancing drug bust in MLB history. As for Wilson, the 26-year-old owns a career 9-5 record with a 2.99 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 138 1/3 innings with the Pirates. His best season came in 2013 when he posted a 6-1 record to go along with a 2.08 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 73 2/3 innings. His success against right-handed batters likely attracted New York, since he's held them to a .206 average throughout his career.
The General Managers' Meetings end on Thursday morning, so we'll keep up with any news that comes out in the next few hours.
