Filed under: Dodgers, MLB Injuries
Like most of the Dodgers, Russell Martin had a rough go of things in 2010. He didn't find the power that he lost in 2009 and in August he suffered a hip injury that cut his season almost two months short. There is some good news, though; the torn labrum in his hip is healing and his agent told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday that he expects Martin to be completely ready by the time spring training starts in a few months. The reason Martin's health is such an important issue is that he's arbitration eligible and due a raise on his $5.05 million salary. The Dodgers already have to be concerned about his huge drop in power in recent seasons (from 2006-2008 he slugged .433 with a career-high of .469 in 2007, in 2009 and 2010 he's slugged .330 and only hit 12 homers total in 240 games, fewer than he hit in either 2007 or 2008) and if his health is going to be an issue, the club may see his potential salary as prohibitive.
If the Dodgers do decide to trade or non-tender Martin, they don't exactly have a ton of options behind the plate, though. A.J. Ellis was his primary backup in 2010 and he's only got 56 career big league games to his credit. He didn't hit well in his 44 games this year, nor did he grade out as strongly as Martin defensively (catcher defense is still very difficult to quantify, but sabermetric site Beyond the Box Score rated Martin as exactly average in 2010 with Ellis a bit worse in less playing time). With Brad Ausmus retiring and Rod Barajas filing for free agency, the Dodgers will likely want to shore up the catcher's spot via free agency whether Martin is coming back or not.
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