After a bit of a delay, free agent catcher Russell Martin has indeed signed a one-year contract with the Yankees. And Dylan Hernandez has details on the deal.
Russell Martin Contract With Yankees Worth $4 Million
During the 2011 season, Martin will earn a base salary of $4 million - down from the $5.05 million he earned with the Dodgers last year. However, the contract also includes $1.4 million in incentives, based on games caught. Martin will earn the maximum of $5.4 million if he catches 120 games.
Additionally, even though Martin signed a one-year contract with the Yankees, he is under team control through 2012, as he will be eligible for arbitration after the 2011 season.
The 27-year-old Martin posted an OPS of .679 last year and .680 the year before that, but he was a strong offensive player for the first three seasons of his career, and the Yankees will be looking for him to re-discover a bit of what he lost. He’s signing with New York to be the starter behind the plate, pushing Jorge Posada to DH. Top catching prospect Jesus Montero remains close to being big league ready, but there are questions as to whether he will stick behind the plate.
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