John Perrotto: Execs Think Somebody Will Give Martin 4-5 Years
PITTSBURGH (KDKA 93-7 The Fan)- The Pirates have several players entering free agency this offseason, with one of the key players being catcher Russell Martin.
CBS Sports Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reported that Martin turned down a contract offer from the Pirates during the season.
John Perrotto of USA Today told Bob Pompeani that the money offered was not close to what he could get on the open market.
"I don't have the exact figures, but I know that it was nowhere close to what he'd get on the open market," Perrotto said. "A lot of executives think that because there are so many teams that are in need of a good catcher, and really good catchers are hard to find in the game right now, they think somebody's going to go four, maybe even five years for him, and there's just no way I see the Pirates doing that."
Pompeani asked about if there have been any talks between the Pirates and Neil Walker on an extension. Perrotto said that he has been told that there haven't been talks for a long time, and that the two sides will likely go to arbitration this winter.
"I know other people close to him have told me he was pretty upset that they took him kind of for a fool when they offered him only $15 million for six years (in 2011), and I think that's kind of stuck in his craw ever since," Perrotto said.
Perrotto added that Walker takes into account that he's a player rep with the union and doesn't want to hurt other players' causes.
Perrotto identified Brett Anderson and Justin Masterson as starting pitchers the Pirates could identify in free agency.
"(Masterson)'s also another sinkerball pitcher, a guy that keeps the ball on the ground, and really the type of pitcher that fits their pitching philosophy," Perrotto said.
