From the beginning it appeared the marriage between Russell Martin and the Yankees would easily continue though that remains the way to bet it because the Yankees have no in-house options and the free-agent market for catchers is thin, there are signs that a divorce is possible.
According to an industry source with knowledge of the situation, the Pirates have increased a two-year offer to three for Martin, a deal that is worth upward of $22 million. And the deep-pocket Rangers are also very interested in having Martin as their catcher.
Martin made $7.5 million last year when he hit a career-high 21 homers, but batted a career-worst .211 and had to get hot to get there.
With Andy Pettitte signing yesterday and Mariano Rivera expected to follow, possibly by the weekend, the Yankees will be able to shift their focus away from pitching and turn their attention to catcher and finding Nick Swisher’s replacement in right field.
Because the Yankees don’t have a catcher on the roster or in the system capable of being a No. 1 catcher, it was widely believed they would ignore their mantra of not giving out multi-year deals to retain Martin.
Nevertheless, a three-year deal from the Pirates weighed against a possible one-year or two-year offer from the Yankees is something Martin, who turns 30 in February, would have to think about.
“They know they have to pay a little more and go a little longer,’’ the person said of the Pirates, who have had 20 straight losing seasons. “They like his competitiveness and leadership.’’
The Yankees have Francisco Cervelli, Chris Stewart and Austin Romine on the 40-man roster after designating Eli Whiteside for assignment yesterday to make room for Pettitte. Of the three, Cervelli is the strongest candidate to be a starting catcher, but the Yankees were so down on him last year they kept him at Triple-A all season. Stewart is strictly a backup and Romine missed most of last season because of a back injury suffered on the first day of spring training.
The free-agent catching class includes A.J. Pierzynski and Mike Napoli and the Yankees haven’t shown much interest in either.