Russell Martin began his MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers what seems like a lifetime again, and the catcher will now be reuniting with his former team.
According to baseball reporter Arash Madani, the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to trade Martin to the Dodgers.
BREAKING: Per MLB sources, the Blue Jays are trading Russell Martin to the LA Dodgers.
More to come…
— Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) January 11, 2019
Martin will turn 36 in February, and he is coming off a 2018 season to forget in which he batted just .194 in 94 games. The catcher is owed $20 million next season and has steadily declined in each year since signing a five-year, $82 million deal with the Jays. Not surprisingly, Toronto will be eating a large portion of his salary.
#Dodgers getting cash to cover significant portion of Martin’s $20M salary in 2019 and parting with two minor leaguers. https://t.co/meG6Ay6ORF
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 11, 2019
While Martin hit below .200 last season and just .221 the year before, he still walks plenty and had a respectable .338 on-base percentage. The Dodgers had a need at catcher after losing Yasmani Grandal in free agency, so Martin should pair with Austin Barnes behind the plate.