Chicago Cubs to target Russell Martin this offseason

Just days after introducing Joe Maddon as the team’s next manager, the Chicago Cubs are making headlines again – this time with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reporting the team will be targeting free agent catcher Russell Martin this offseason as it moves out of a multi-year rebuilding effort and into contention in coming years.

"The Cubs, expected to be a big player in the market with hopes of contending as they blend in their impressive stash of top positional prospects, surely appreciate Martin’s superb performance for the Pirates this past year, when he was one of the few players in baseball with a .400-plus on-base percentage, and also caught and threw with the best in the game behind the plate."

Martin, 31, is coming off a career year in which he batted .290/.402/.430 and threw out 39 percent of would-be base-stealers. He has always been regarded as one of the game’s top game-callers, while showing a proficiency in his ability to reach base, with a career on-base percentage of .354.

More from Chicago Cubs

• Stock Up, Stock Down: Braves, Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox
• Chicago Cubs face a conundrum in 2024 when it comes to Cody Bellinger
• Stock Up, Stock Down: Two teams rising, two falling post-trade deadline
• Chicago Cubs: The 4 players who are on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Stock Up, Stock Down: MLB trade deadline winners and losers

In addition to the Cubs, who currently have Welington Castillo as their starting backstop, several other teams are interested in Martin’s services. Pittsburgh recently extended a qualifying offer to their catcher for the past two years, which he will surely decline, but interest remains high in bringing him back to the Steel City in 2015 and beyond.

"Pittsburgh, which extended the $15.3 million qualifying offer that he will surely turn down, is said to be quite interested in bringing back Martin to the point of going to unusual lengths for them to try to make it happen. The Pirates, as was reported here, made a multiyear proposal during this his walk season, and while such a late try was a long-shot, it is believed to have been a serious effort on their part."

According to Heyman, other potential suitors could include a pair of American League East teams – the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays – although other clubs will no doubt be interested in his services, as well. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that drafted Martin back in 2002, is also said to be interested.  He could fetch a contract anywhere from $60 to $80 million (based on previous catchers’ deals) and he is said to be looking for a five-year contract, which could scare off some interested parties.