Victor Martinez

One of the few bright spots of the Red Sox' 2010 season was Adrian Beltre's triumphant return to stardom.

In 154 games with Boston, Beltre hit .321 with 28 homers, 102 RBI and a .919 OPS. He combined his newly rediscovered offensive prowess with his Gold Glove defense for a whopping 7.1 Wins Above Replacement. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Red Sox might have finished below .500 without him.

It's official: free agent catcher Victor Martinez has signed a 4 year, $50 million deal with the Detroit Tigers, leaving a noticeable void behind the plate for the Boston Red Sox.

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.

Victor Martinez will receive a four-year deal for $50 million with the Detroit Tigers, according to Venezuelan reporter Ignacio Serrano of El Nacional, who first reported the agreement.

The Associated Press reported that the deal is pending the results of a physical. Martinez made $7.7 million last season.

The contract is a good one for Detroit, who needs offense. They did not have any player with an OBP over .350.

If he could also catch on a fairly regular basis, his value would be even greater, as his offense is rare for a backstop, but not as great for a DH.

Reports are saying that Victor Martinez, the free agent catcher from the Boston Red Sox, signed with the Detroit Tigers.

This could be detrimental to the Red Sox, who were hoping to re-sign the 31-year-old Venezuelan catcher.

Considering his great numbers and value to the team, how will this affect the Red Sox next season?

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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 Detroit Tigers have agreed to a contract with free agent catcher Victor Martinez, according to multiple reports. Martinez's deal is for four years, and they will pay the switch-hitting catcher roughly $50 million.

Martinez may catch less often with Detroit than he has in previous seasons, seeing more time at designated hitter as he ages.

For the Tigers, Martinez is a coup.

He batted .302/.351/.493, and launched 20 home runs in 538 plate appearances for the Red Sox in 2010, a pretty typical season for the four-time All-Star.

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.