There are literally a handful of elite catchers in the league. Martin is second tier to them. When all is said and done, he's an upgrade, yes, but at what cost? I don't see the upside in Martin based on his past performance, but rather I do see a bit of downside at this point in his career. He is an upgrade, don't get me wrong, but I really wish that money was spent elsewhere. Now if they got Victor Martinez, I'd have been through the moon.
Anyway, relating to this even though there may be a market for catchers, do you really think AA will get an above average 2nd basemen or a 3 starter for Navarro? I highly doubt it. So what does this mean? IMO, Navarro either stays as a backup or gets dealt for a bullpen pitcher.
So that then leaves a LF, CF, 2nd and a 1-3 rotation SP they have to get. For both the outfield positions, I hope they really don't weigh too heavily defence. That doesn't mean you get a fatty out there, it just means that a guy like Cabrera was serviceable as his bat more than made up for some defensive liability. The bat is key or you're getting a bench player and BSing the public into thinking they're starters. I'd take Cabrera over Markakis any day of the week. At 2nd, AA has to work his magic to get someone. Or get a SS and move Reyes to 2nd. Now for SP, IMO they gotta break the bank for Lester. Pitching is what wins championships more often then not, and they just have to take the chance on a 4 year deal with him at $20M per if you have to. The window is only so large for this team before they have to re-tool.
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