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| AP Photo / Kathy Willens |
Yesterday, Russell Martin signed a two-year deal worth $17 million to catch for the Pittsburgh Pirates. It had been reported for a while that the Pirates were "going hard" to get Russie, but I really believed that the Yankees would never let that happen.
As a great a catcher as he's been defensively, it made sense to me, and I'm sure many of you, that he'd be back in pinstripes in 2013. Now, he'll be sporting a bee-themed uniform, catching curveballs from AJ Burnett. Unbelievable.
So it's no guess now what move the Yankees will be looking to make next week during the Winter Meetings. The hunt will be on for a catcher; if the Yankees weren't enamored enough to give Russell the contract he was looking for with his talent, I doubt that they would be willing to start Chris Stewart, Francisco Cervelli or Austine Romine with their limitations, although, I still believe that given a chance to improve offensively, Cervelli should be given top consideration.
But there is no telling which way Brian Cashman will go here. He's a maverick, and I'm almost inclined to believe that it was never really his intention to re-sign Martin. Keep in mind, Mike Napoli and AJ Pierzynski are still on the market. Pierzynski improved his power numbers in 2012 with 27 homers; making both catchers viable power options. Both are also seasoned vets that have experience catching big-game pitchers on contending teams.
Stay tuned...
Follow Rasheeda Cooper on twitter: @ra_cooper
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