| Douglas Benton. 24th November, 2010 - 2:38 am
 Finding catchers who are middle of the order hitters is a difficult proposition. Finding ones who are also switch hitters are worth locking up. The Detroit Tigers went about that in signing Victor Martinez away from the Boston Red Sox with a four-year, $50 million contract.
Contract Details
It is a four-year contract worth a total of $50 million. Martinez will be 35-years-old when the contract ends. It is being reported by ESPNBoston.com that he had offers from three-years for $36 million and four-years for $42 million from the Red Sox before deciding on the Tigers.
The Good
Martinez is still one of the best hitting catches in baseball. He is a .300 hitter who has surpassed 100 RBI three times in his career. His best year was in 2009 when he hit .303 with 23 home runs and 108 RBI and despite seeing his season cut short last year, he appears to be holding steady in his production.
Position versatility is a strength for Martinez, who will see most of his time at catcher. He logged 110 of his 120 games behind the plate in 2010. This fills a glaring offensive hole for Detroit and in handling a still inexperienced staff outside of Justin Verlander. Martinez was in Cleveland when it had a talented rotation.
Martinez has familiarity with the American League Central and seems best fit to play outside a big market like Boston. He slides in well alongside Miguel Cabrera in the middle of the order for the Tigers.
The Bad
Can Martinez handle the burden of catching as he moves deeper in his 30s? The always reliable switch to first base could be blocked by Carbrera and leaves manager Jim Leyland in a constant shuffle with the line-up.
As the game revisits the speed aspect, it is important to have a catcher that can help control the running game. This isn?t Martinez?s strong suit as he was just 21 percent in throwing out runners, worst among qualifying catchers in baseball.
The Verdict
Detroit: The Tigers needed another hitter in the middle of the order and got it with Martinez. He also addresses a positional need at catcher as Detroit tries to retool its line-up for the coming years. I think the money is a little too much, but a solid signing.
Grade: B
Boston: Devastated by injuries in 2009, the Red Sox offense should be fine this year without Martinez if they can get contributions from the younger players. Still, the loss means more pressure on guys like Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Lars Anderson and might force them to overpay for Adrian Beltre.
Grade: C+
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