The catching market is weak this year, and the top free agent is Russell Martin. Ken Rosenthal has an update on the interest in Martin, and notes that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the teams who are interested. He notes that Martin is drawing “significant interest” from the Pirates, Rangers, and Mariners. The New York Yankees are the favorites to sign Martin, although the Rangers could offer him a big deal.
It would be unlikely that the Pirates land him. Rosenthal notes that the Yankees might not be willing to risk losing Martin over a difference of “$2 million per season”. The Yankees and Rangers could both offer more than what the Pirates could. Those spots would probably be more appealing to Martin since those two teams would have a better shot at contending next year. I’d be surprised if anyone but the Yankees or Rangers ended up with Martin.
