Shopping at VMart

News came in earlier today that the Tigers have signed catcher Victor Martinez to a four year 50 million dollar deal. VMart will fill the role of catcher and fill-in at first base for Cabrera. Primarily, Martinez will serve as the Tigers desginated hitter batting behind Cabrera in the batting order.

Signing Martinez was an extremely smart move by the Tigers for many reasons. First, Martinez provides protection for Cabrera. The big cat was walked an American League high 34 times last season. This prevents pitchers from pitching around him or walking him as frequently. Second, Cabrera is a switch-hitter, which neutralizes any kind of pitching advantages oppononents may seek during games. I am not a big fan of Avila and think he is going to underperform offensively and defensively. When this happens, the Tigers will at least have an experienced catcher to assume that position. I realize that Martinez isn't masterful with his glove, but he makes up for it with his consistent offensive production.

I do have some concerns about the terms of the deal. Four years for a 32 year old ball player who is no longer in his prime is a bit much. But, I understand it. With the Orioles, Red Sox, and White Sox each making offers, that fourth year may have been the deciding factor. Also, the Tigers have several Latino and Venezuelan players (Cabrera, Guillen, Mags, Peralta, Gallaraga, and Valverde) on their roster. Surely Martinez will feel at home in the D.

If the season were to start tomorrow, this is what the batting order would look like:

C Jackson
2B Rhymes/Sizemore
RF Raburn
1B Cabrera
DH Martinez
SS Peralta
LF Boesch/Kelly/Wells (as far as I'm concerned, put their names in a hat and pick one)
3B Inge
C Avila

As you can see, this lineup has several holes in it leading me to believe that the Tigers will add another bat before the start of spring training. An outfield of Boesch, Jackson, and Raburn isn't going to get it done. Ideally, signing Jason Werth or Carl Crawford would propel this team instantly into World Series contention. But Werth and Crawford will command a hefty contract and I don't think the Tigers are going to even try to make a run at them. While there have been rumors that the Tigers are talking to Dunn, I really don't want his bat at the expense of his shaky defense.

What's Next?

The Tigers are finished making big free agent splashes. Any addition to the roster from here to spring training will be a lower profile move. Crawford will head to the Halos. Werth will ink a deal with the Red Sox. Dunn will sign with a National League team, which will leave us making a serious push for Magglio Ordonez. The Tigers have spent around 30 million dollars on Inge, Peralta, Benoit, and newly acquired Martinez. It should be interesting to see how much more money the Tigers are willing to spend in the free agent market this offseason!