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MLB Detroit Tigers

Re-signing Victor Martinez Was The Right Call For Detroit Tigers

By @Brad_Faber

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Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday, any fears that the Detroit Tigers would lose Victor Martinez to free agency were officially laid to rest when the team and the soon-to-be 36-year-old designated hitter finalized what was reported to be a four-year, $68 million deal. It was simply a move that needed to be made.

Obviously, there are some concerns given Martinez’s age and the size of the contract. However, even though there may indeed be a certain amount of risk involved, looking at the 2015 season without Martinez would have made for a very long winter for many Tigers fans.

There may have been a few intriguing backup plans the Tigers could have explored, but they would have been hard-pressed to find a player who would have been capable of completely filling the void losing Martinez would have created.

Since joining the Tigers in 2011, Martinez has been nothing short of spectacular, slashing .321/.381/.487 with 58 home runs and 289 RBIs over three seasons (he missed all of 2012 with a knee injury). He had a career year in 2014, putting up a line of .335/.409/.565 with 32 homers and 103 RBIs in a 4.4 fWAR campaign, which ultimately earned him the honor of runner-up in this year’s AL MVP race.

One of the reasons re-signing Martinez was absolutely essential is because having his bat in the No. 4 spot provides ample protection for Miguel Cabrera.

It should also be noted that the switch-hitting Martinez was by and large the Tigers’ only consistent threat from the left side of the plate in 2014. Sure, Alex Avila hit 11 home runs and drove in 47 runs, but he also batted a mere .218 and struck out 151 times.

The Tigers seemed to be banking on the return of injured outfielder Andy Dirks to give them an additional left-handed stick, but he ended up missing the entire season and Detroit has now lost him on waivers to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Heading into 2015, the Tigers’ lack of left-handed bats is still an issue, and GM Dave Dombrowski has already spoken of it. The Tigers do have a pair of young, left-handed-swinging outfielders in Steven Moya and Tyler Collins, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are ready to consistently produce at the big-league level. Newly-acquired center fielder Anthony Gose bats from the left side, too, but he is a lifetime .234 hitter through parts of three MLB seasons.

Therefore, having Martinez back in 2015 should certainly help to balance the Tigers’ lineup. Even if the power he showed in 2014 is unsustainable, as many seem to believe, he can still be counted on to hit for a high batting average and provide a more-than-sturdy bat from both sides of the plate.

If Martinez can stay healthy, he will likely join the ranks of players such as Paul Molitor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz on the list of players who were able to provide steady offense from the DH position into their late 30s or even early 40s.

Brad Faber is a Detroit Tigers writer and Sabermetrics columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.

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