A reunion between the Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Russell Martin could be in the works as L.A. has emerged as one of the suitors to the free agent catcher.
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CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports that the Dodgers are interested in signing Martin, who was selected by the franchise in the 17th round of the 2002 MLB Draft and played for them from 2006-10.
Other teams that Los Angeles is vying with for Martin's services are the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are hoping to bring him back after a solid 2014 campaign.
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Martin, 31, hit .290/.402/.430 in 111 games for Pittsburgh last season and hit 11 homers while adding 67 RBI. On the defensive side, Martin threw out 39 percent of would-be base stealers last season.
The Dodgers are a deep-pocketed team, which could pose a threat to the other teams trying to court Martin. As for Pittsburgh, it made a trade with the New York Yankees on Wednesday to bring in Francisco Cervelli with the notion that he would be the team's starter if it can't re-sign Martin.
Los Angeles has A.J. Ellis in the fold behind the dish, but he hit just .191/.323/.254 last season and may find himself in a backup role if the Dodgers can land Martin.
Something that helps Ellis' case is the fact that three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL Most Valuable Player Clayton Kershaw is a big fan of his.
It's interesting that the Dodgers are going after Martin as he is the top catcher on the free agent market and will cost significant money while the team has been said to be looking to trim its $240 million payroll.
There are rumors that Los Angeles is looking to trade one of their outfielders in Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp or Carl Crawford as a way to not only fix their glut in the outfield, but to shed salary as well.
Martin played in Los Angeles until 2010 and then signed with the Yankees, where he remained for two years before spending the last two seasons with the Pirates.
Martin owns a .259 batting average in his nine-year career with 119 homers and 540 RBI. The catcher won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in 2007 and is a three-time All-Star.
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