At least, that’s the only reason I can see for them to pursue Luis Martinez, the catcher recently designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres.
Martinez, 26, is right-handed, has no power whatsoever, and can hit for a decent average and control the strike zone, particularly against lefties. He’d make a perfect platoon for Thole, is what you wanted is a guy who had exactly Thole’s skills, no more, no less, just in mirror image.
I still don’t really understand why nothing was budgeted toward getting the Mets a backup catcher with a little power who could crush lefties, but Jon Rauch was deemed more important, so there’s no money left for a Kelly Shoppach-type. (That was only $1.35 million to the Red Sox, incidentally. Oh, well.)
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4 Comments
While he has similar hitting skills, he’s not a clone.
(1) As a righthander, he’s potentially a complement to Thole.
(2) He’s a superior defender, named by Baseball America before 2011 as the top defensive catcher in the Padres organization, and named by the organization as their top defensive player.
(3) He has options, and is store-able at Buffalo.
(4) Designated for assignment, he may cost them very little more than a 40-man roster spot, perhaps Chris Schwinden’s.
Smart teams watch out for these sorts of opportunities.
Edgy DC, you are absolutely right. Thanks for adding this.
Martinez should be insurance for another backup at the MLB level, but that is no reason to dismiss the potential pickup.
They don’t need a Thole clone. They need a Johnny Bench clone.
They just today signed another catcher, a LIFETIME .197 hitter, so all is well. Get your tickets while you can.