Yankees and Red Sox In Bid War for Russell Martin

According to this tweet by Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Yankees are apparently going head-to-head with Boston to acquire LA Dodgers catcher Russell Martin. The Yankees are probably looking to shore up a back up in case they fear Jesus Montero may turn out to be another Ian Kennedy.

Montero is an excellent hitter, but his defense has been described as questionable. Yankees might want him to tighten it up a bit. Getting Martin would give Montero more time and cool any reservations the Yankees may have.

Martin has been with the Dodgers since 2006. He is a 2-time All-Star (2007-08) and has both a Gold Glove (2007) and Silver Slugger Award (2007). He hit .248 with 5 homers and 26 RBIs in just 97 games in 2010. His season ended in August due to a torn labrum in his right hip. The Dodgers did not offer him arbitration for 2011 and so he became a free-agent.

This will go down to the wire. While the Yankees have a need for Martin, Boston's is even greater. They no longer have Victor Martinez to catch and although they exercised their option for Jason Varitek, his decline will limit his time behind the plate. They have Jarrod Saltalamacchia slated to start, but he saw very little action in 2010. Stands to reason that they'd prefer and need a more seasoned presence behind the plate to complement Varitek, and they'll have that in Martin. 

Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper