Victor Martinez Deal is Official

The Detroit Tigers announced this morning that they have reached a deal with free agent catcher and designated hitter Victor Martinez. The deal will pay Martinez $50 million over the span of four seasons. MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince reported on Wednesday that Martinez had passed his physical, the last possible barricade to clear before the news could be announced.

There’s been a great deal of speculation regarding how much time Martinez would spend as a catcher in Detroit. In signing with the Tigers, Martinez turned down offers from the Red Sox, White Sox, Orioles, and Rangers. In Boston and Chicago, Martinez would have been the primary catcher. In announcing the deal this morning via twitter, the Tigers noted Martinez as a catcher/DH.

Since the season ended, Dave Dombrowski has maintained that Alex Avila would see the bulk of the starts behind the plate. In announcing Martinez as a DH, the Tigers are making it clear that their intentions there have not changed.

If Martinez is limited to a part-time catching role, one would have to assume that Detroit will no longer be in the running for free agent Adam Dunn, whom they had been in talks with earlier in the month. Dunn is a liability in the field and it’s difficult to imagine the Tigers wanting him to put on an outfielder’s glove and patrol left or right. Detroit still has a vacancy in right field, where incumbent Magglio Ordonez is a free agent. The Tigers did not offer arbitration to Ordonez, but the remain open to bring him back to the team.

With the addition of Martinez, the Tigers must remove a player from the 40-man roster, which stood full before the signing. No corresponding move has yet been announced.

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