Detroit Tigers: Victor Martinez struggling in (likely) final season

Now in the final season of a four-year contract, Detroit Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez appears to be stumbling towards the finish line of his career.

Although the Detroit Tigers have played mostly respectable baseball throughout the first three months of the season, they have been going through a rough stretch as of late. They have now lost eight games in a row.

With the non-waiver trade deadline a little over a month away, many are beginning to wonder which Tigers might be available in trade talks. One player who seems unlikely to be moved, however, is designated hitter Victor Martinez.

Now in the final season of a four-year contract, Martinez is slashing just .241/.299/.329 with four homers and 26 RBI so far this season. As a player whose job is to hit, it is needless to say that those numbers may not exactly grab the attention of a team that is looking to add a bat.

According to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, manager Ron Gardenhire recently implied that Victor Martinez is still the best choice the Tigers have for a DH and cleanup hitter. The Tigers clearly have a huge hole in their lineup after losing Miguel Cabrera for the remainder of the season. The Tigers have used Nicholas Castellanos as a cleanup hitter, but he has also performed quite well in the No. Three spot.

McCosky also points out that Martinez is likely in the final season of his career. He is now in the last season of a four-year, $68 million contract, a deal he signed after a 2014 campaign in which he finished second in the AL MVP voting.

Aside from a 2016 campaign that saw him hit .289/.351/.476 with 27 home runs and 86 RBI, Martinez’s contract hasn’t worked out that well for the Tigers. Going by both fWAR and bWAR, Martinez was a below replacement level player in both 2015 and 2017.

Barring a miraculous second-half turnaround, Martinez will almost certainly grade out as below replacement level once again in 2018. He currently has a -1.0 fWAR and a -1.1 bWAR.

Despite his struggles in recent seasons, Martinez has still had an excellent career. He currently has a lifetime .296/.361/.457 batting line with 2,096 career hits and 241 home runs.

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Martinez was also a huge part of the Detroit Tigers teams that dominated the AL Central between 2011-14, though he missed all of the 2012 campaign.

It’s unfortunate, but it appears that injuries and age have taken a toll on someone who was once one of the league’s premier hitters.