Victor Martinez Doesn’t Need Second Knee Surgery; Could Play In 2012

For more on Martinez and the Tigers, please visit Bless You Boys and SB Nation Detroit.

Though it’s far too early to speculate on when Martinez will return, it’s probably pretty safe to assume that he’s caught his last game. And if you’re thinking that the Tigers will just trade him when he returns to solve their roster logjam, this injury will almost certainly hurt any chances of that happening. Martinez is still owed $25 million after this coming season.

And the other teams in the Central suddenly have a month or two to make moves that they might not have if the Tigers opened the season with the roster they were supposed to.

I’ve been trying to put players on the Royals for this entire offseason without the slightest bit of shame. They can use another starting pitcher, I’ve mentioned one or sixteen times. They could probably use two or three. But they should at least get one. If they had any doubts at all, the Martinez injury should make them a little greedy. They aren’t supposed to be contending yet. The window isn’t all the way open. But if they can find a pitcher they can control for a couple of years, the new circumstances in the Central might make them a little friskier.

Naturally, in response, the big question now is: how do the Tigers replace what they’ve lost? Many have offered different solutions. Here’s a solution from Eno Sarris at FanGraphs:

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But the smart money is on the Tigers getting someone from outside the organization. They’ve invested too much in the 2012 season to fix this with bandages and popsicle sticks. MLB Daily Dish looks at some of the options the Tigers might have: