Detroit Tigers

Ryan Raburn caught fire towards the end of the season, hitting .340 with 13 HR, 38 RBI and 37 R over the final two months of the season.  Obviously, he’s not going to maintain those types of numbers, especially when you look at the peripherals that led to them:

With the ungodly signing of Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract the cost of outfield help has gone through the roof. The Tigers are most likely working pretty hard to get a deal in place with Magglio Ordonez to be the right fielder in 2011. However, because of the lack of outfield depth on the free-agent market, Ordonez might be able to land a ridiculous deal. If that happens the Tigers may be forced to look to the trade market.

The Detroit Tigers have already made a big splash in the 2010 offseason. Victor Martinez and Joaquin Benoit were key signings for Detroit. 

Detroit has said it would like to have a lower payroll than it had in 2010. After adding $29 million in new contracts (Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Martinez and Benoit), Detroit still has room to add another contract or two and still remain under the $60 million it dropped.

Detroit Tigers General Manager, David Dombrowski, has already signed two free agents to help the team that finished at .500 in 2010, which was a huge disappointment.

You had Jim Leyland as the manager, so it was even a bigger, busted team.

All-Star catcher Victor Martinez was signed to be the middle of the order guy, and help protect slugging Miguel Cabrera in the lineup.

Victor Martinez is officially off the free agent market as the Detroit Tigers signed him to a four year $50 million contract, and Detroit is sure to benefit from the offensive strength he brings to the team.

But is this catcher's batting power worth $50 million when his defense behind the plate leaves quite a bit to be desired?

And could his age pose problems for the Tigers?

Some would say that Victor Martinez is being paid far too much, but he isn't the first player in the MLB to sign a contract larger than his actual talent.

The Detroit Tigers continued their aggressive offseason approach today by adding Victor Martinez to their roster for a reported $50 million over four years. 

Martinez is obviously a huge upgrade for the Tigers over Gerald Laird and Alex Avila, although Avila will have a chance to approach 300 at-bats again in 2011 with Martinez sure to see some time at DH.  The real question is whether the move to Detroit upgrades Martinez’s fantasy value in 2011.

The Detroit Tigers are about to sign free agent Victor Martinez to a four-year deal worth $50 million. Martinez is listed as a catcher, but will primarily earn his keep via the designated hitter position.

The Detroit Tigers have signed free agent catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to a four-year, $50 million deal.

Martinez spent last season as a Boston Red Sox and had a productive year swinging the bat. He hit .302 with 20 home runs and finished with 79 RBI in 127 games.

Detroit had high expectations heading into the season, but they didn't pan out, as the Tigers finished third in the AL Central with an 81-81 mark.

The best hitting catcher on the free-agent market, Victor Martinez, was a good fit with the Boston Red Sox, a team with which he spent the past year and a half. Theo Epstein, their general manager, said he was one of their main priorities this offseason.

Free agent catcher Victor Martinez has become another name on the dotted line for the quickly revamping Detroit Tigers. According to reports, the Tigers have signed the switch-hitting Martinez for a four-year deal worth $50 million.

Last season for the Boston Red Sox, Martinez hit .303 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI, the only catcher to hit .300 or more with 20 home runs last season.