If you are to believe ESPN's Buster Olney, it's certainly a possibility.
After a couple seasons in a row where his stats have gone South, the Dodgers may look to move their young catcher rather than overpay him. He's arbitration-eligible this year, so he'll earn more than the $3.9 million he got last season.
The reason is simple: the Dodgers will look to trim payroll just like nearly every other team. As Olney points out, with nine other players looking at arbitration and the McCourts going through a divorce, the time could be right to pull off a trade.
Keep in mind that this might not even be on the Dodgers' radar, but it's still an intriguing thing to think about. Martin won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2007 with a .293 average, 19 homers, 87 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. He looked like the best young catcher in baseball by far.
It's not like he's fallen off a cliff, but he hasn't matched those numbers since then. Across the board, his major numbers fell in 2008, and even more in 2009 with a .250 average, 7 homers, 53 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.
He'll only be 27 next season, so if the Dodgers do dangle him, plenty of teams would be interested. However, I can't help but think of Martin's situation as being very similar to Paul Lo Duca. Lo Duca was once the catcher of the future after a great start, then sputtered. Is Martin heading down that same path?
For Martin's sake, a rebound in 2010 will be important.
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