Toronto--Russell Martin--$85 million, 5 years

[Mark68]

The Marlins actually exercised Mathis' team option to keep him on the team for 2015.

 

Here are the remaining options in free agency, slim pickings to try to replace Conger at this point:

 

Catchers

J.P. Arencibia (29)

John Buck (34)  -- Angels actually non-tendered him, so we're likely out

Ryan Doumit (34)

Chris Gimenez (32)

Brett Hayes (31)

Nick Hundley (31)

Gerald Laird (35)

Wil Nieves (36)

A.J. Pierzynski (38)

David Ross (38)

Geovany Soto (32)

Out of this list, I think we'd end up not hating Doumit for, like, two years or Ross for one. Or Buck for a couple, if he'd be willing to overlook the whole non-tender thing.

[Brent Maguire]

i figured you were placing the real value at the first 3 years. you said two, but i give him credit for having a good shot at 3. here's how i look at it, if they win a world series, then all contracts are worth it or forgiven. as it would be with any team. if they don't, then you have to look at the value you are getting. i think almost everyone would agree that 5 years is too long a term for a 32 year old catcher, considering how catchers crap out around 34 or 35, but the FA market has it's own demands. 

 

i figure they can get 3 starting catcher years out of him, 32-35, which leaves 2 backup catcher years, in regards to performance. an experienced backup catcher's market value is around 1, maybe 2, million per year, based off of existing backup catcher contracts.

 

that means if they get 3 really good years of starting catcher out of him, which places him at 35 years old with 2 backup type seasons ahead of him, then he has to be worth 27 million per year the first three years. considering most good starting catchers are making around 5+ million per year, that's quite a discrepancy.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/blue-jays-commit-to-playoff-race-sign-russell-martin/

 

That article brings up some great points. The Jays have never had a catcher post better than 3.4 WAR in a season. I believe they're tired of having mediocrity behind the plate. Martin is a monstrous upgrade and helps the pitching staff immediately. 

 

I totally agree about your point about the playoffs too. If getting those few extra wins helps the Jays make it into October and helps make baseball in Toronto relevant again, it's hard to argue against signing Martin. I think it's a good move for a team that really needs to make the playoffs in 2015. 

[Stradling]

Local boy Gerald Laird will be our back up catcher, that's my guess.

[moccasin]

Martin is legit and very valuable, but the question is, did they really have to pay that much to get him?

Couldn't they have signed him for like 4/56 or something?

[ukyah]

Out of this list, I think we'd end up not hating Doumit for, like, two years or Ross for one. Or Buck for a couple, if he'd be willing to overlook the whole non-tender thing.

 

doumit's not a catcher anymore, and he was a bad one when he was. i would be truly shocked if the angels were even looking at him.

 

i like hundley, ross and soto in no particular order, but i think the angels may be perfectly comfortable using the recently acquired houston catcher as the backup.

Edited November 19, 2014 by ukyah

[Coachbulldog]

wonder if Mathis was available........

 

There was no way Miami was going to let Mathis get away. His option was exercised weeks ago. Giancarlo Stanton is a very talented ball player, but there is no doubt that Jeff Mathis is the face of the Marlins franchise. 

 

Marlins exercise $1.5 million option on Jeff Mathis