Kuzul

The Yankees catching job is going to be one of the biggest focuses after the starting rotation this spring.

So it comes as no surprise that both Russell Martin and Jesus Montero have reported to spring training nearly a week early.

Both spoke to reporters today. Martin, who is recovering from both hip and knee surgery, admitted that he’s still not 100 percent, but added that he’s about 15 pounds lighter than he was last spring (ask a Dodger fan, they’ve heard that one before).

Martin isn’t taking anything for granted and realizes that he’s playing for a job. He plans on catching a little bit tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Montero seems like he’s all business this year.

If you don’t remember, last year he supposedly showed up to spring training out of shape and a few of the Yankees coaches made remarks about how he needs to step up before he’s big-league ready.

This year, it sounds different. Brian Costello of the NY Post reported that he looks like he lost weight (Montero, not Costello himself) and that he’s focused on making the majors this year.

Montero said his goal is to win the starting job, but more than that he just wants to prove to people that he can be a catcher. He was also asked about being involved in so many trade rumors, and he responded by saying that he wants to be a Yankee his whole career.

No word on whether or not Francisco Cervelli is there yet, but it doesn’t sound like it. He doesn’t have to report for six more days, but with all the question marks behind the plate and his up-and-down year last season (I’m being generous), it would be nice to see him in camp early. Maybe tomorrow.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had said earlier in the offseason that the starting job is Martin’s, but he did say previously that it would be an open competition.

For the backup spot, Cashman left it open that it will be a three man competition between Cervelli, Montero and Austin Romine.

Related Stories

• December 14, 2010 — What Signing Russell Martin Means for Yankees
• December 9, 2010 — Yankees See Martin As Starting Catcher, Make Offer
• January 30, 2011 — Cashman: Montero is Ready to Catch in the Majors
• January 27, 2011 — KLaw’s Yankees Prospect Rankings

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

No one said it was easy to get into the Major Leagues.  No one said it was any easier to stay in the Major Leagues.

But it is possible and you are about to see some of the once highly-touted prospects who have made it to the show.  The only problem is that their careers have not exactly blossomed in the fashion that was expected of them when they were first signed.

Jose Bautista was one such player before he exploded for 54 home runs a season ago.  So with that in mind, here are some players who are in dire need of a career turnaround soon, as their value continues to drop—perhaps to the point of no return.

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After five seasons behind the dish for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Russell Martin signed a lucrative one-year contract to suit up as the catcher for the New York Yankees.

Martin became the face of the franchise over the past few seasons for the Dodgers. Though injuries plagued him in 2010, Martin still established himself as one of the top backstops in the game.

Here are 10 reasons why the Dodgers will miss Martin in 2011.

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Being a baseball general manager is a thankless job. Every move that you make is second-guessed, critiqued and analyzed to death before a new player even steps out onto the field. Then there’s the separate issue of what to do with your hometown players, some of whom have evolved into local legends or fan favorites.

Every player has to become a free agent eventually, but the gut-wrenching question facing every general manager is when is the right time to let those players go? In the case of these 15 players, their GM’s let them go too soon.

For the sake of this list we’ll eliminate players who had no chance of resigning with their former teams (Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford) and players that teams made an effort to sign but were outbid (Cliff Lee).

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On the mound:

The Yankees will be fine without Cliff Lee. The Yankees don’t NEED Cliff Lee. Would they have liked to have signed him? Of course. Who wouldn’t have? Having C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, a young 19-game winner in Phil Hughes and possibly Andy Pettitte should be enough for the Yanks. They have a young pitcher in Ivan Nova who, if he fixes his sixth inning troubles, should be a solid pitcher.

And if Pettitte doesn’t come back, which seems to be the case, there are a few options for filling his spot in the rotation. According to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, “If spring arrived today, New York would head into camp with a group of largely unpredictable candidates to round out the rotation, headlined by Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre and followed by less likely choices among Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Hector Noesi and Manny Banuelos.”

Basically, the Yankees will go on with their plans without Pettitte. With the acquisition of Luis Vizciano looking to be a mistake in the making, fans need to remember that he only signed a minor league deal. No big deal. Speaking of minor league deals, the signing of former Cubs ace Mark Prior seemed to be a shock to a lot of Yankee fans. The signing of Pedro Feliciano looks like a good move, seeing as the Yankees were a bit desperate for a southpaw in the ‘pen. As a Mets reliever in 2010, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in 62.2 innings.

Off the mound:

The acquisition of catcher Russell Martin could be considered a good signing. Martin is a good defensive catcher, which the Yankees are desperate for with the lack of defense and power in Francisco Cervelli and with Jorge Posada moving to the full-time DH position. Martin had a 39 percent caught stealing percentage, as opposed to Cervelli’s 14 percent.

Martin’s defense behind the plate is a positive. But another thing the Yankees can look forward to is the two catching prospects in Austin Romine and Jesus Montero. Two guys that Yankee fans have been waiting, some say too long, to see. GM Brian Cashman is pretty much certain he will not give up Montero for anything.

Austin Romine’s 2010 numbers in Trenton: .268 BA, .726 OPS, 122 H, 31 2B in 115 games. Montero’s 2010 numbers in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: .289 AVG, .870 OPS, 131 H, 34 2B (third in the IL), 21 HR (fourth in IL) in 123 games.

The Yankees missing out on Carl Crawford isn’t a terrible loss, either. Brett Gardner has the talent. They both had 47 SB in 2010. Gardner matches Crawford’s speed. No doubt. But Crawford’s bat is a little better. Gardner is better at working the count and taking pitches than Crawford. Gardner had 79 walks to Crawford’s 46.

Just because the Yankees didn’t make big deals like they did in 2009 doesn’t mean it’s going to be an unsuccessful season. There is no need to panic, Yankee fans. They have the talent. You can’t get a Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett trio every offseason. The Yankees need to get another “core.” Say Cano, Gardner, Nova, Russo, Montero, Golson, Banuelos, Cervelli, Nunez, etc…? Take your pick. Unfortunately, the only “mistake” they seemed to have made this offseason was to put all their eggs in the Lee basket. But don’t count them out of next season. The Yankees will be fine. They are the Yankees after all.

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The New York Yankees have to divert whatever attention is left from all the Cliff Lee drama, but there is no denying the painful disappointment still lingers.

Losing Kerry Wood to the Chicago Cubs was unexpected, but the signing of former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin gave the first ray of hope thus far in this offseason.

Why is signing Russell Martin such a positive? For two reasons:

1.   From veteran Jorge Posada to top prospects Austin Romaine and Jesus Montero, as well as current back-up Francisco Cervelli, Yankees have a plethora of uncertain players to fill the catcher position. In 2009, Posada, with 16 seasons and 39 years of age under his belt, had it all catch up to him. Cervelli was a productive hitter at the start of last season, but like Posada couldn’t hold runners on base, throwing out 14 percent of attempted basestealers. That’s only one percent difference from Posada, who never was known for his throwing arm, but who made up for it with his power bat. Martin brings a big upgrade defensively, throwing out potential basestealers at a 31 percent clip for his career, and 39 percent last season. Adding Martin to the mix gives the Yankees necessary breathing room to bring up the two up-and-comers, Romaine and Montero, at an acceptable pace.

2.   Russell provides General Manager Brian Cashman room to dangle Romaine and Montero as trade bait; with the hopes to fill the spot left open by Lee. It is no secret that the Yankees need to attain another starting pitcher to finalize the rotation. Word is that Andy Pettitte is actually going to return in 2011. Pettitte’s return brings reinforcement because the Yankees can afford to wait for the best trade before the season’s July 31st trading deadline. A retired Pettitte would leave another vacant spot that could be Sergio Mitre’s–God-forbid. No matter what, Martin gives the flexibility and Pettitte allows for patience. This could result in a better option down the road, as there are always teams that want to unload by the All-Star Break.

Martin doesn’t come without concern. Even as a two-time All-Star with the Dodgers who ranked atop all NL catchers in 2007, hitting .293 with 87 RBIs and 19 home-runs, there is cause for worry.

Martin’s production declined in 2008, followed by a season-ending hip injury in August of 2009. He does tend to draw a lot of walks at the plate.

Martin seems determined to get back to the hitter he was at 25, making him a young 27, which means Cashman is bringing a baby to the Bronx. Plenty of room to grow considering skipper Joe Girardi and bench coach Tony Pena were both successful catchers during their playing careers.

GM Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner know that many things have to happen before and during the 2011 season to keep the team on top.

Cashman has asked Yankee fans to remain patient, a tall tale to petition for of such an eager group.

I don’t think Yankee fans have a better option. Still, a lot of trust has been earned with the recent 2009 season, and the Yankee fans always believe their team is good to go. That is because the players won’t accept anything else.

In the words of new Yankee catcher Russell Martin:

“Talent doesn’t go away. I know that I can hit. I just want to get back to that consistency.”

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The Yankees reportedly reached an agreement with free agent catcher Russell Martin, and with so many possible backstops already in their system, this raises some questions.

They have plenty of experienced and some not so experienced catchers available in Martin, Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero and even Austin Romine. So who starts?

Well, Posada is out. Early this offseason Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made that clear by announcing that Montero would be given a shot and that Posada was their full-time DH. Signing Martin only cements this idea.

Posada is 39 years old this year and really hasn’t been a capable starting catcher in two or three years. The DH role is right for him.

So Posada is out, and Montero was all but handed the role of starting catcher, but Martin does change things. What do the Yankees do with Montero now? They aren’t exactly going to shop him around, but if the right deal comes along, they would be willing to consider it.

If a great deal doesn’t come along, though, and it would have to be a great deal, the Yankees will hold on to Montero.

Going into the season with both Montero and Martin, two things could happen. They could just let them battle it out in spring training and the best one will win, while the other one becomes the backup.

Or more likely, Martin will be handed the role but will essentially share time with Montero, and Montero’s playing time will essentially be dictated by how well he adjusts to the majors. If he hits well, we could see Martin start about 80 to 100 games with Montero handling the rest. But if it takes some time for Montero to adjust, Martin could start more like 100 to 120 games. That would allow the Yankees to break him in slowly.

A lot will depend on how Martin plays as well. From 2006 through 2008 Martin was one of the better all-around catchers in the game, playing great defense and putting up a 109 OPS+. Over the last two years it has been a different story. His OPS+ is down to 86, and a hip injury last year could hinder his defense behind the plate.

Martin could potentially rebound though. He’s played in a ton of games for a catcher over the years and may come back rested after missing half of last season. He could get worse; hip injuries are not exactly great things to happen to players. He will likely remain the same though, and if he can provide good defense, his patience at the plate could mean he’ll easily have a .350 OBP going forward.

Two good things this does for the Yankees though is that it frees them up to trade Cervelli. Cervelli is not a great starting catcher for the Yankees by any stretch, but some teams could view him as one, and he would make a great backup for a lot more teams too. He doesn’t have amazing trade value, but he certainly does have a decent amount.

It also allows the Yankees to not rush Romine. He can play a full season in Triple-A, and even if Montero doesn’t succeed in the bigs right away, they don’t have to call Romine up. Montero and Martin should be able to handle the job, and as long as there aren’t major injuries, if they have to, Posada could catch 10 to 20 games as well. There should be no reason that the Yankees have to call up Romine.

Related Stories

• November 5, 2010 — Yankees Ready To Make Jesus Montero The Starting Catcher
• November 12, 2010 — Yankees Rumors: Cashman Won’t Close Door On Signing Another Catcher
• November 11, 2010 — Yankees Rumors: No Interest in Catcher John Buck
• November 6, 2010 — Yankees Making Right Choice with Montero

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Boston Red Sox effectively dominated the Winter Meetings, landing both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. 

Their lineup is loaded, and have a deep rotation looking to have a bounce-back year in 2011.  The Yankees, meanwhile have stood steadfast, and have yet to make a significant move besides re-signing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

With the AL East’s balance of power currently shifted in Boston’s favor, the Yankees will no doubt strike back, resuming baseball’s Cold War.  Here are 10 possible moves the Yankees can make to turn back the tide:

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Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee, Cliff Lee. Did I mention Cliff Lee?

If you’re Brian Cashman, a Yankee fan or anyone living in or near New York, you are probably beginning to get tired of hearing the name of someone who, as of right now, has nothing to do with the New York Yankees.

Sure, Lee is worth the hype. After leading the league with a 2.54 ERA and winning the Cy Young award in 2008, Lee has put on a show in the American League. Most recently, he carried the Texas Rangers through the postseason, giving up just three runs in three starts before falling apart in the World Series. 

But the Yankees have invested so much time and effort into signing a player that may not even want to come to New York. So what happens if he doesn’t sign in New York?

True, we were saying the same thing about C.C. Sabathia a couple years ago, but it’s not as though the Yankees have A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira as backups this time around. The Yankees have many problems to solve, and now they have created a situation where it’s Lee or nothing.

It didn’t have to be that way.

The Yankees expressed no interest in other pitching options such as Jorge De La Rosa, Scott Downs, George Sherrill and Ryan Rowland-Smith to name a few. Not to say the Yankees should have signed them, but they should have at least engaged some of them in conversation, ensuring that they would have a plan B if Lee did not sign.

In the case of Lee not coming to New York, the Yankees have very little breathing room. Joba Chamberlain and Ivan Nova would be the in-club options for starting pitcher, but in one case you lose a relief pitcher, and in both cases you experience a significant decline from Lee.

But before we go ahead and speculate, it is important to note that we have no idea what is going on in Lee’s mind. Income tax, commute to his home; none of these matter. In the end, it will likely be a combination of money, money, money and maybe a small hint of family issues that will influence Lee’s decision. But again, we just don’t know.

The sad truth is that both the Rangers and Yankees have gotten so caught up in signing Lee that neither of them has a clear plan B—as mentioned before—and that has led both of them to drive up the price, a risky move that they have forced themselves into.

While it’s easy for us to get caught up in what Lee has done over the last six years, we forget that there was also his career before that. 

Lee has had ERAs of 2.54, 3.22 and 3.18 in the last three seasons respectively. That’s pretty good, but why does he have a career 3.85 ERA? Because he had ERAs of 6.29, 4.40, and 5.43 in three of his six seasons before his breakout season in 2008.

Red flag, red flag!

I am a firm believer that pitchers can reinvent themselves, but I am also a firm believer that you don’t give a guy seven years just because he did well over one-third of his career. In any player’s case, there is an entire story to be told, but with Lee, nobody has spoken a word.

And for that reason, the Yankees and Rangers are swimming in their ignorance. Even if they realized three weeks ago that Lee was not worth it, it would have been too late. Poor planning has forced them both to put everything they have into bringing in Lee, who, despite some question marks, is the indisputable leader of an uninspiring free agent class.

In other words, New York and Texas, at this point, have no choice but to haul in Lee.

The Yankees, however, do have a little wiggle room. They still have A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and maybe even Andy Pettitte. So, if you are forced to start the season with Ivan Nova or Joba Chamberlain as your fifth starter, it’s not the end of the world.

If the Yankees don’t, in fact, sign Lee, they shouldn’t give up. Yes, it will be depressing, but the 2010 postseason revealed that the Yankees’ problems extend beyond pitching; there are always other places to improve.

If there is one thing that is more concerning than the Yankees’ pitching situation (which really isn’t all that bad), it is their catching situation. As it is now, the Yankees will go into the regular season with Jesus Montero, an unproven prospect, and Francisco Cervelli, a solid but mediocre youngster, as the starting catchers; not too inspiring.

Nevertheless, something has been whispered in the baseball world that should be ringing loudly in the minds of Yankee fans. According to the Daily News, the Yankees have offered a one-year deal to 27-year-old, former Dodgers catcher Russell Martin.

Martin would give the Yankees the best possible improvement they can get apart from, and possibly even including, Lee. He has a career .385 on-base percentage and can potentially hit around 20 home runs per season. He’s also a great defensive catcher, taking home a Gold Glove in 2007.

He has been on the decline the last couple of years, but he is a very solid player who is in the prime of his career. He would give the Yankees a spark behind the plate that they have not seen in a very long time. 

The Yankees have already made their mistake, and they shouldn’t prolong it. With no plan B, the Yankees’ future looks dark should Lee decide to pitch in the desert. With little time left, however, Martin could be the Yankees’ silver lining in a slow offseason. 

After all, if the Yankees didn’t mean it when they said Bubba Crosby would be the starting centerfielder in 2006, so what makes us think they mean it when they say Cervelli will be their starting catcher in 2011?

Listen to Jess on What’s on Second: The Seamheads.com Radio Hour Monday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Follow him on Twitter  @jesskcoleman or send him an e-mail at jess@jesskcoleman.com.

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The New York Yankees have made an offer to free agent catcher Russell Martin. They have made it clear to Martin and his agent that they view him as a “starting catcher.”

At the beginning of the off-season, the Yankees had told long-time catcher Jorge Posada that they would be moving him towards the role of DH and away from an everyday catcher role. The assumption was that top prospect Jesus Montero would be given a chance to earn the everyday catcher’s job during Spring Training.

Though he is considered weak defensively, Montero is an excellent hitting catcher and the Yankees’ top minor league prospect.

Last season in Triple-A, Montero, 24, hit .289 with 21 home runs and 75 RBI in 453 at bats. In four minor league seasons, Montero hit .314.

While the Yankees continue to compete with the Texas Rangers for prized free agent pitcher, Cliff Lee, they have made little progress.

It was assumed that the Yankees would land Lee simply because they could offer him the most money. But while their initial offer of six years, $140 million was later increased to seven years, $161 million following the signing of outfield Carl Crawford with the Boston Red Sox, Lee hasn’t given the Yankees any word one way or the other.

The Texas Rangers have also been able to keep up with the Yankees by offering Lee a choice of differently structured offers and met with Lee, his wife and his agent Darek Braunecker at Lee’s home in Arkansas on Thursday.

But now that the Yankees have made an offer to Martin and told him they view him as a starter, is this the making of a trade for a pitcher that could involve Montero?

If the Yankees feel their position is weaker than the Rangers’, they would need to have a Plan B should they fail to sign Lee.

The Kansas City Royals have expressed interest in trading their ace Zack Greinke and reports indicate that they would ask for a ton in any trade, and that would almost certainly include Montero.

The Yankees also have another highly-touted catcher in their farm system, Austin Romine. If the Yankees wanted to sign Martin to a one-year contract and trade Montero in a package for Greinke, they could perhaps use Romine as their starting catcher in the 2012 season and platoon Martin along with Francisco Cervelli next season.

Last season for the Royals, Grienke went 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA. But he won the Cy Young Award in 2009, going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts.

Greinke is due to make $13.5 million in each of the next two seasons, much less than the $23 million Cliff Lee would probably command should the Yankees sign him.

But Greinke also has a full no-trade clause, which reportedly includes 15 teams he would decline a trade to.

Greinke has also battled depression and anxiety disorder in the past and it is thought that performing on the biggest stage in baseball, New York, would be an issue.

But Greinke has also recently softened his stance on pitching in New York, so perhaps a deal could be struck should the Yankees lose out on Cliff Lee.

If the Yankees do sign Martin, it gives them the flexibility to package Montero in a trade for another starting pitcher.

Martin has seen his stats steadily decline over the last four seasons. After hitting .293 in 2007, Martin hit .280 in 2008, .250 in 2009 and .248 last season.

In each of those seasons, Martin played in 155 games or less and just 97 last season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also signed free agent catcher Dioner Navarro on Wednesday, making a return to the club unlikely for Martin.

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