One of Ned Colletti's biggest offseason decisions to make was what to do with Russell Martin. Bring him back in, or cut ties with the injured former star? Turns out the former beat out the latter.
Colletti has made up his mind, as Martin was non-tendered at Thursday's deadline. In his place will be Rod Barajas, who was acquired during last season from the Mets. Barajas signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal and will start behind the plate with A.J. Ellis the backup.
Despite the fact that Martin has had an alarming drop of production the last three seasons, and that he currently isn't even running because of a hip injury, Colletti called this one of the toughest decisions he's ever made. It's understandable, considering that Martin is a two-time All-Star who at one point looked like he was close to becoming the best catcher in the game.
But then a surprising free-fall came, in which his numbers tanked the last three seasons. In 2007, he hit .297 with 19 homers and 87 RBIs. In '08, it was .280 with 13 homers and 69 RBIs. In '09, .250 with seven homers and 53 RBIs. Finally, last season was cut short to 97 games, but his numbers were .248, five homers, and 26 RBIs. Wow.
After Martin was non-tendered, reports came out that Colletti was unwilling to pay Martin as much as he thought he deserved. The Dodgers and Martin tried to work out a contract before the deadline, but Martin's asking price of $5 million, even with that lowered from previous asking prices, was still too high for Colletti, who reportedly was offering $4.2 million. It was all she wrote once both sides couldn't agree on terms.
Now the question has been raised: Has Martin played his last game as a Dodger? Well, Colletti appears to be willing to let him come back, but only in a utility role. That could mean time at second, third, outfield, and even some catcher. Martin seems interested in doing so, according to a report. Still, I'd be surprised to see this happen. I think if another team guarantees him a spot behind the plate, he'll jump at it. And I can't blame him for doing so.
As for the new starter, Barajas raised some eyebrows when he came over from the Mets on August 22. He ended up playing in 25 games while hitting .297 with five homers and 13 RBIs. Believe me, five homers might not seem like much, but with the power-outage the Dodgers went through at the end of the season, they definitely were a bright spot.
Hitting one homer every five games isn't a likely pace to maintain, but he did hit 17 homers last season in 99 games last season, plus 19 the year before, so he's shown an ability to mash. Ellis improved his numbers in September of last season by hitting .455 with a .561 OBP in 15 games, so his playing time will be increased as well.
Overall, it'll be a strange sight not seeing Martin behind the plate on Opening Day in 2011. But, I have to agree with the decision to non-tender him. He doesn't deserve the money he was asking for based on the last three seasons and his broken hip. He was a great for a few years, but sadly, it's time to move on.
2 comments:
You're right, it's gonna be strange not seeing Russ behind the plate on Opening Day. It's hard to disagree with Ned's move though.
We got some nice production out of Ellis at the end of 2010, same with Barajas. Maybe the two of them can keep it up in 2011.
Although Ned overpaid for Barajas, it's only a one year deal,so if it doesn't work out, the Dodgers move on 2012
Bobble,
A lot of people are up in arms over Barajas getting "so much money." I'm not so sure a little over $3 million these days is even considered that much anymore. But at least the Dodgers know what they'll get from their catchers rather than Martin's uncertainty. I like the move.
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