Los Angeles Dodgers: Grading every significant move of the offseason
By Jason Reed
3. Trading for Russell Martin: A+
Some fans were disappointed when the Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Russell Martin. Those fans were expecting the Dodgers to go after J.T. Realmuto, the elite catcher from Miami that has a pretty high asking price from the Marlins.
And while Realmuto would have a big impact on the Dodgers, it does not seem like it is going to happen. That does not make the Martin trade any worse and judged in a vacuum, this might be the best move the Los Angeles Dodgers made all offseason.
The Dodgers only took a $3.6 million luxury tax hit for Martin with the Toronto Blue Jays covering the other $16.4 million of his contract. That is pennies for a catcher nowadays and especially cheap for a catcher that will play a role on this team.
Not only does Martin bring a veteran presence and great fielding but his performance at the plate is much better than the numbers might suggest during a first look. While Martin’s average is down, he still ranks fifth among all catchers in on-base percentage over the last three years.
Better than Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal.
Only paying $3.6 million and a low-tier prospect for Martin, who could perform even better while playing for a contender, is an absolute steal with no risk and a great potential reward.