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Victor Martinez The Only Option For The Detroit Tigers

By Tony Fischer

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Victor Martinez has been a hot topic for Tigers fans and players since he became a free agent 4 days ago.  Rightfully so considering that the 35 year-old designated hitter was the heart and soul of the Detroit Tigers offense last season.

As the Hot Stove season starts to heats up, Tigers fans are considering the cost of keeping V-Mart on the team and options to replace him on the free agent market.

The Desire

Victor Martinez has reportedly told outfielder J.D. Martinez that he would like to return to the Detroit Tigers next season.  But there is a catch.  Martinez will only return to the Tigers is they are able to come up with an offer close to the any offered by other clubs.  It is not clear if V-Mart will take slightly less to stay with Detroit but certainly any deal for Martinez will have to include a fourth year.

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Call to the Pen

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    • The Need

    Unfortunately, The Detroit Tigers have little choice but to lock up Martinez for the next four years.  Miguel Cabrera’s status to start next season is in question after an off-season ankle surgery and no one knows if JD Martinez can repeat what he did in 2014.

    Nick Castellanos should continue to progress next season but he can’t be counted on to replace Victor Martinez’ presence in the line-up,  The Tigers need victor to further bridge the gap until the teams developing prospects are ready.

    The Cost

    Here is where it get sticky.  The Tigers definitely don’t want to add to the payroll number.  With extensions of David Price and Miguel Cabrera on the horizon they will need to leave some room in the budget.  It has been speculated the Victor Martinez will require upwards of $60 million over 4 years to sign.  If a bidding war starts that number could reach $80 million.

    Replacement Options

    There are a few replacement options on the trade market but all have their question marks.  Miguel Montero, Troy Tulowitski, Carlos Gonzales are all said to be available through trade and could provide a comparable bat in the lie-up.  But each one of those trades will require premium prospects close to major league ready, something the Detroit Tigers are a little short on at the moment.  Each one of the player mentioned also have their own questions about their age and injury.

    The Devil You Know…

    As the cliché goes: sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.  It may be better for the Detroit Tigers to gamble on the aging veteran with a recent track record of performance than another player with recent injury and/or performance issues. Although there is a lot of buzz about this years free agent class much of that buzz has been created by Victor Martinez. The Detroit Tigers need to lock him up now before other teams get serious about signing him.

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