Blue Jays: Offseason catching market dwindling quickly

The Blue Jays have made it relatively clear that they’d like to trade catcher Russell Martin, who has an absurdly large albatross contract that will continue to haunt the Blue Jays for the entirety of the 2019 season. Even if they really want to, is Ross Atkins going to be able to find a trade partner for Martin?

Let’s face it, Russell Martin’s 2018 season was one to forget. Having finished up the season with an almost unreal .194 batting average, Martin’s .663 OPS was the lowest of his 12-year major league career. He struck out 82 times in 289 at-bats and was an offensive liability whenever he was factored into the lineup.

The Blue Jays have, evidently, taken notice, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reported in November that the team is willing to eat some of Martin’s salary in order to get a deal done. With Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire waiting in the wings, and a suddenly improved Luke Maile ready to take on 40 to 50 games in the regular season, Martin’s roster spot is clearly obsolete.

Okay, so it’s been established that the Blue Jays should seriously be looking to trade Martin, who, unbelievably, will be making $20 million in 2019. If, as Passan has suggested, the club is willing to eat the majority of that salary, who should take him?

At the beginning of the offseason, it seemed as though the Atlanta Braves would’ve been a perfect spot for the East York native, but they’ve already inked veteran catcher Brian McCann to a one-year contract. Atlanta also has Tyler Flowers, who put up a decent .700 OPS in 2018 in 82 games. Though the Braves were, at one point, a logical fit for Martin, it’s unlikely they’ll take the plunge at this point.

While no sources had suggested it outright, the Washington Nationals also appeared to be a possible fit at the offseason’s outset. Since then, though, they’ve signed Kurt Suzuki and have acquired Yan Gomes via a trade. Previously considered a legitimate player for J.T. Realmuto, Mike Rizzo and company are probably done adding backstops this winter.

Speaking of Realmuto, other teams that are considered serious suitors for him might also see themselves removed from the catching market, and quickly. The Houston Astros, desperately in need of some catching, have long been connected to Realmuto, while the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers are also linked to Realmuto.

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Should either one of those teams come away with the forever-revered Miami Marlin, that’ll be one other team removed from the equation. Add that to the likely omission of the equally wealthy New York Yankees (who have catchers Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine for next season) and the Boston Red Sox (who’ll likely be content in sticking with the trio of Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart going forward) and you’ve got a rather narrow market within which to trade an aging, offensively impaired backstop.

The free-agent market is also stocked with affordable, short-term options. Though Robinson Chirinos, Wilson Ramos, and Jeff Mathis have already been signed away, Martin Maldonado, Jonathan Lucroy, Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera still remain. With more low-key options such as Drew Butera, Nick Hundley and Caleb Joseph ripe for the taking, a significant portion of teams looking could probably see their needs satisfied by signing a free-agent catcher instead of trading.

If the Blue Jays are indeed serious about opening up a roster spot ahead of the 2019 season, they should do it fast, as the free-agent market, anchored by some more impactful position players, is poised to get moving soon.

While Russell Martin will not be wildly attractive to any organization in desperate need of catching, he could net a lottery ticket prospect if the Blue Jays are willing to swallow a large portion of his exorbitant salary.