DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
LATROBE, Pa. — Sign Russell Martin!
Hang on, let’s try that again with the appropriate gusto: SIGN RUSSELL MARTIN!
Much better.
Honestly, I couldn’t type that sentence with any more conviction if I pounded the keys through my Macbook with a mallet. And if there’s anyone following Pittsburgh sports, intensely or informally, who doesn’t share that sentiment with the same pulse, I’m unaware of them. The retaining of the Pirates’ catcher has become the cause celebre of the summer, from social media to talk shows to that one bigmouth the other night screaming from PNC Park’s upper deck, “Sign Russ now, Buccos! Do it!”
Again, consider that seconded.
At the same time, though, let’s consider whether that’s wishful thinking or holds any basis in reality.
I drove out to Latrobe on Wednesday to cover the Steelers’ joint practice with the Bills and was plenty surprised to see Neal Huntington at Saint Vincent College. I probably shouldn’t have been. He’s admirably joined Clint Hurdle in reaching out to Pittsburgh’s other teams for advice and, in this case, “just wanting to observe an elite organization.” Set aside for a moment being ticked off by the Pirates’ middle relief imploding again later that night in Detroit — largely Huntington’s fault, if you ask me — and I’ll bet you agree that’s pretty neat.
Just before Huntington was escorted to the practice fields by Kevin Colbert, his counterpart with the Steelers, I seized the chance to ask about Martin. In particular, I sought clarification for comments made by Huntington to reporters Sunday that made Martin’s departure after this season, when his current contract will expire, sound like fait accompli.
If you missed those, this was Huntington on Sunday: “If the market goes where we think the market is going to go on Russ Martin and we’ve got to become creative, then we’ve got an internal option in Tony Sanchez. But, we’ll see. We’re still working through that.”
Awful, right?
Well, here’s what I can share from our talk Wednesday, which was more conversation than formal interview: Huntington has not, by any stretch of the imagination, given up hope of signing Martin. He made that point emphatically and more than once. Rather, the point he was attempting to make was that, as he put, “All it takes is one team. This is about the market as a whole, not just Pittsburgh.” When I then cited Brian McCann, who was given an absurd five-year, $85 million contract by the Yankees this past winter, he nodded and repeated, “All it takes is one team.”
Now, here’s what I can share from other talks I’ve had with the team: The Pirates have not, by any stretch of the imagination, given up hope of signing Martin. In fact, not long ago, there was an organizational meeting precisely to that effect. They’re serious about it. They’d love for it to happen. I was asked not to share potential term and money, and I’ll respect that, but the term and money I heard sounded potentially like fair offers. Maybe more than fair, depending on how one feels about committing to a very long term for a 30-year-old playing the baseball position where the body breaks down the fastest.
That said, hey, it takes two, right?
The Pirates have no policy against discussing extensions during the season, and they’d have no reluctance, from what I’m told, to approach Martin at any point. But Martin himself has made clear — publicly, no less — that while he’d “listen” to any offer made by the Pirates, he’d prefer to play out this contract, then see how it all develops.
That began the day he was signed, Nov. 30, 2012, when he told us at his introductory press conference at PNC Park that he signed the Pirates’ two-year, $17 million offer, one, because it was for the most money and, two, because, “I didn’t want a long-term contract, especially coming off the season I had.” He batted a career-low .211 in 2012. “I feel I can play much better, improve myself, and go at free agency again in a couple of years.”
In February of the following year, Martin elaborated that he chose the Pirates because their offer was “hands-down the best deal available. It was hard to decline that or to be patient for another offer when that was available. It’s the business side of it, and I’ve got no problem with it.” The best offer from the Yankees, his previous employer, was three years for $20 million.
Add those two up, and there should be no doubt what will sway Martin this winter.
And this year into the here and now, he’s reluctant to get too deep talking about his contract status — striking considering his general candor — other than to say, as he did last week, “My focus is on the here and now and what’s going on with this team. I’ll deal with the rest after the season.”
I’ll help with the translation: He will test the open market.
Heck, he’d be nuts not to.
Martin is 31 and having the season of his life to set himself up for the payday of his life: He’s batting .288 after his RBI double in the 8-4 loss in Detroit, his on-base percentage is an exemplary .411, he’s got six home runs and 47 RBIs and, oh, yeah, he just might be the best defensive catcher in the game not named Yadier Molina. He will be, beyond a doubt, the best catcher available on the open market.
Studies abound regarding what Martin might command — I’ve seen three years and $40 million, even four years and $50 million-$60 million — but the cold fact is that, to quote Huntington again, “all it takes is one team.”
Exactly. The Pirates could theoretically prepare an offer in the range of either of those two I just mentioned, and a team such as, say, the Dodgers could dip into their multibillion-dollar local TV deal and up the ante with the bat of an eyelash. Teams in the Los Angeles category have pretty much endless wells of money anymore.
Based on what you’ve already heard and read from Martin, do you think he’ll stay in Pittsburgh if the Pirates’ offer is slightly less?
Here’s what I hope: I hope that everyone in the Pirates’ organization, from Bob Nutting on down, comes up with the best, most competitive offer they feel they can offer Martin. Then, I hope they write that number down on a piece of paper, fold it up, unfold it again, and add a little more. Because if my gauge on payroll is correct, they can afford it. They’ve got it to spend.
From there, I hope they take that offer to Martin before this season’s done, even if he insists he wants to wait for the open market. And I hope Martin looks at it, considers it and finds that it’s worth his while to stay and someday be seen as maybe the greatest catcher in franchise history.
Don’t laugh at that. Try to come up with an all-time team, and you’ll put Manny Sanguillen or Smokey Burgess behind the plate. Martin is better than both, better than Jason Kendall, better than Tony Pena, better than anyone in the black-and-white days.
I do, indeed, hope that the Pirates sign Russell Martin. And soon, because it doesn’t sound like later will be an option.
August 13, 2014
Column: The truth on Russell Martin
by Dejan Kovacevic • Columns • Pirates
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
LATROBE, Pa. — Sign Russell Martin!
Hang on, let’s try that again with the appropriate gusto: SIGN RUSSELL MARTIN!
Much better.
Honestly, I couldn’t type that sentence with any more conviction if I pounded the keys through my Macbook with a mallet. And if there’s anyone following Pittsburgh sports, intensely or informally, who doesn’t share that sentiment with the same pulse, I’m unaware of them. The retaining of the Pirates’ catcher has become the cause celebre of the summer, from social media to talk shows to that one bigmouth the other night screaming from PNC Park’s upper deck, “Sign Russ now, Buccos! Do it!”
Again, consider that seconded.
At the same time, though, let’s consider whether that’s wishful thinking or holds any basis in reality.
I drove out to Latrobe on Wednesday to cover the Steelers’ joint practice with the Bills and was plenty surprised to see Neal Huntington at Saint Vincent College. I probably shouldn’t have been. He’s admirably joined Clint Hurdle in reaching out to Pittsburgh’s other teams for advice and, in this case, “just wanting to observe an elite organization.” Set aside for a moment being ticked off by the Pirates’ middle relief imploding again later that night in Detroit — largely Huntington’s fault, if you ask me — and I’ll bet you agree that’s pretty neat.
If you missed those, this was Huntington on Sunday: “If the market goes where we think the market is going to go on Russ Martin and we’ve got to become creative, then we’ve got an internal option in Tony Sanchez. But, we’ll see. We’re still working through that.”
Awful, right?
Well, here’s what I can share from our talk Wednesday, which was more conversation than formal interview: Huntington has not, by any stretch of the imagination, given up hope of signing Martin. He made that point emphatically and more than once. Rather, the point he was attempting to make was that, as he put, “All it takes is one team. This is about the market as a whole, not just Pittsburgh.” When I then cited Brian McCann, who was given an absurd five-year, $85 million contract by the Yankees this past winter, he nodded and repeated, “All it takes is one team.”
Now, here’s what I can share from other talks I’ve had with the team: The Pirates have not, by any stretch of the imagination, given up hope of signing Martin. In fact, not long ago, there was an organizational meeting precisely to that effect. They’re serious about it. They’d love for it to happen. I was asked not to share potential term and money, and I’ll respect that, but the term and money I heard sounded potentially like fair offers. Maybe more than fair, depending on how one feels about committing to a very long term for a 30-year-old playing the baseball position where the body breaks down the fastest.
That said, hey, it takes two, right?
The Pirates have no policy against discussing extensions during the season, and they’d have no reluctance, from what I’m told, to approach Martin at any point. But Martin himself has made clear — publicly, no less — that while he’d “listen” to any offer made by the Pirates, he’d prefer to play out this contract, then see how it all develops.
That began the day he was signed, Nov. 30, 2012, when he told us at his introductory press conference at PNC Park that he signed the Pirates’ two-year, $17 million offer, one, because it was for the most money and, two, because, “I didn’t want a long-term contract, especially coming off the season I had.” He batted a career-low .211 in 2012. “I feel I can play much better, improve myself, and go at free agency again in a couple of years.”
In February of the following year, Martin elaborated that he chose the Pirates because their offer was “hands-down the best deal available. It was hard to decline that or to be patient for another offer when that was available. It’s the business side of it, and I’ve got no problem with it.” The best offer from the Yankees, his previous employer, was three years for $20 million.
Add those two up, and there should be no doubt what will sway Martin this winter.
And this year into the here and now, he’s reluctant to get too deep talking about his contract status — striking considering his general candor — other than to say, as he did last week, “My focus is on the here and now and what’s going on with this team. I’ll deal with the rest after the season.”
I’ll help with the translation: He will test the open market.
Heck, he’d be nuts not to.
Martin is 31 and having the season of his life to set himself up for the payday of his life: He’s batting .288 after his RBI double in the 8-4 loss in Detroit, his on-base percentage is an exemplary .411, he’s got six home runs and 47 RBIs and, oh, yeah, he just might be the best defensive catcher in the game not named Yadier Molina. He will be, beyond a doubt, the best catcher available on the open market.
Studies abound regarding what Martin might command — I’ve seen three years and $40 million, even four years and $50 million-$60 million — but the cold fact is that, to quote Huntington again, “all it takes is one team.”
Exactly. The Pirates could theoretically prepare an offer in the range of either of those two I just mentioned, and a team such as, say, the Dodgers could dip into their multibillion-dollar local TV deal and up the ante with the bat of an eyelash. Teams in the Los Angeles category have pretty much endless wells of money anymore.
Based on what you’ve already heard and read from Martin, do you think he’ll stay in Pittsburgh if the Pirates’ offer is slightly less?
Here’s what I hope: I hope that everyone in the Pirates’ organization, from Bob Nutting on down, comes up with the best, most competitive offer they feel they can offer Martin. Then, I hope they write that number down on a piece of paper, fold it up, unfold it again, and add a little more. Because if my gauge on payroll is correct, they can afford it. They’ve got it to spend.
From there, I hope they take that offer to Martin before this season’s done, even if he insists he wants to wait for the open market. And I hope Martin looks at it, considers it and finds that it’s worth his while to stay and someday be seen as maybe the greatest catcher in franchise history.
Don’t laugh at that. Try to come up with an all-time team, and you’ll put Manny Sanguillen or Smokey Burgess behind the plate. Martin is better than both, better than Jason Kendall, better than Tony Pena, better than anyone in the black-and-white days.
I do, indeed, hope that the Pirates sign Russell Martin. And soon, because it doesn’t sound like later will be an option.