Cleveland Sports Forum

Victor resigned with Tigers. 4 yr, 68 mill

So much for him returning to the Tribe

Detroit had to sign him. Miggy is going to miss the beginning of the season.

Maybe we can get Kendrys Morales?

The Cabrera vs Ramirez comparison is misleading, as even the author noted Asdrubal has produced little since 2011 and he's been on a steady offensive and defensive decline.

Masterson could be a wise pickup at what will now be a much discounted price. He has a history of good years followed by bad years, and obviously vice versa. He could be ok in 2015 unless he isn't.

civ ollilavad wrote:The Cabrera vs Ramirez comparison is misleading, as even the author noted Asdrubal has produced little since 2011 and he's been on a steady offensive and defensive decline.

Masterson could be a wise pickup at what will now be a much discounted price. He has a history of good years followed by bad years, and obviously vice versa. He could be ok in 2015 unless he isn't.

Watch the Tigers pick him up and make him a closer.

That's an interesting possibility. But his inconsistency against lefties could make him just another failed Tiger closer.

Have to bet he is going to Boston and we might be shocked at how much he is going to get paid.

we might be shocked at how much he is going to get paid

I bet you're right about the contract terms. At least Justin has proved he can stay healthy and sometimes can be very good. No reason why he can't draw a deal nearly as good as Ubaldo did, if teams view him as a starter. Relievers earn much less.

Braves trade Heyward in a deal to Cardinals for a couple pitchers.

Jason Heyward traded to Cardinals
Updated: November 17, 2014, 1:40 PM ET
Associated Press



ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves dealt outfielder Jason Heyward and reliever Jordan Walden to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday for pitcher Shelby Miller and a minor leaguer.

More from ESPN.com

Keith Law offers his thoughts on Monday's trade between the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves which included Jason Heyward and Shelby Miller. Story Insider

The deal ends Heyward's tenure with his hometown team and lands a young pitcher to bolster Atlanta's rotation.

John Hart, the Braves' new general manager, signaled the start of a major overhaul after the team slumped to its first losing season since 2008. He dealt a player who was due to make $7.8 million next season and then become eligible for free agency.

The 25-year-old Heyward never lived up to expectations after a brilliant rookie season, when he homered in his first at-bat and was voted to the All-Star Game. This past season, he hit .271 with 11 homers, 58 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. He also won his second Gold Glove.

[+] EnlargeJason Heyward
Jason Getz/USA TODAY SportsJason Heyward will patrol right field for the Cardinals next season after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Braves.

Miller went 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA for the Cardinals, after going 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA as a rookie in 2013. He is not eligible for arbitration until after next season, so the deal represents a significant payroll savings for the Braves.

Walden made $1.49 million this past season and could have earned a raise in arbitration. He was 0-2 with a 2.88 ERA and three saves as a setup reliever for closer Craig Kimbrel.

The Braves also acquired right-hander Tyrell Jenkins, who pitched for Class A Palm Beach this past season.

Miller joins a rotation that could look significantly different next season without free agents Ervin Santana and Aaron Harang, who combined for 26 wins. Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy are both coming off their second major elbow operations, so a longtime strength of the team looked extremely thin heading into 2015.

Russell Martin, Blue Jays agree
Updated: November 17, 2014, 1:57 PM ET
ESPN.com news services



Veteran catcher Russell Martin has agreed to a five-year, $82 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, sources confirmed to ESPN's Buster Olney.

The deal, which had been earlier reported by Fox Sports, is pending a physical exam.

In 2014, the 31-year-old had an offensive season reminiscent of those at the beginning of his career, batting .290 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while also setting a career best in on-base percentage (.402).

Martin, who was born in Toronto, also led the majors by throwing out 37 attempted base stealers and finished fourth overall with a caught-stealing percentage of 38.5 as he threw out 37 of the 59 baserunners attempting to steal with him behind the plate.

In nine seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Pirates, he has hit .259 with 119 homers and 540 RBIs.

He was paid $8.5 million in 2014.

The Pirates made a one-year qualifying offer of $15.3 million to Martin for 2015, which he rejected, ensuring them draft-pick compensation. The Pirates traded for Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli last week.

The Blue Jays used four catchers in 2014. Dioner Navarro, Josh Thole, Erik Kratz and George Kottaras (who had three at-bats as a Jay) combined to rank 11th among MLB catching contingents with a .659 OPS.

Navarro, who hit .274 and logged 2.1 wins above replacement in 139 games, will make $5 million in 2015 in the final season of a two-year, $8 million contract.

Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman welcomed Martin to the team on Twitter.

Russell Martin has agreed to a five-year, $82 million deal

Sounds like a lot of money and maybe more significantly a long time for a catcher to me. Where did he rank on that Top 10 catcher list that was posted last week? Not far behind Posey I suppose

He was No. 4, repeating that assessment:

4. Russell Martin, free agent

He has gotten better and better as his career has progressed, and in 2014, he posted a .402 on-base percentage. The fact that Martin is drawing intense interest from the Cubs and other teams, and could be in line for a four-year or five-year deal, tells you how highly regarded he is in the market, even at age 31. The Dodgers are seemingly the greatest competitor for the Cubs in the bidding for Martin

Example of a team having to overpay to fix a huge mistake.

Think the Jays are tired of hearing about the Gomes trade ? I do .......