Catcher Russell Martin leaves New York for Pittsburgh – MLB News
Former New York Yankees’ catcher Russell Martin agreed to a two year $17 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Martin tweeted on Thursday that he had a great time in New York and he will miss the city and people.
“I had a great time in New York,” Martin said by phone from Montreal, his hometown. “It was probably the best baseball experience of my life. But this is the business, and it was time to move on.”
Martin’s signing has left the Yankees without a starting catcher, reports nytimes.com. Martin produced several match winning performances for the Yankees last season, belting a career best 21 home-runs. In addition to being an excellent hitter, the 2011
All Star catcher is one of the most durable and reliable players in the game. Martin hardly missed any games in his two years tenure with the Yankees, making 258 appearances.
“I understand, and I wish them the best,” Martin said. “We both made decisions that we thought was for the best.”
The contract is pending a physical, which is expected to take place on Friday, Martin revealed in an interview with a leading sports website. According to source, the Yankees did not want to retain the catcher as they did not have the funds to meet his contractual
demands. General Manager Brian Cashman did not see Martin as a player worthy of making $9 million per year. Therefore, he decided to let him go.
“I’m really looking forward to going to the Pirates,” Martin said. “My boy A. J. Burnett is there, and I really like the direction they are going with a lot of good young talent. It’s going to be fun.”
Yankees will now be looking to find Martin’s replacement before the Winter Meetings begin next week. Chris Stewart, Eli Whiteside and Francisco Cervelli are some of the options the Yankees may consider this offseason.
Austin Romine has shown promise in the Minor League but he missed most part of the season because of a back injury. Gary Sanchez, one of Yankees’ top prospects, can also get a chance to make his big league debut but at just 19-years-old, he seems to be a
few years away from the Majors.
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