Russell Martin is heading north.
Martin agreed to a five-year, $82 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, a source told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on Monday. The catcher’s deal is the largest the Jays have given to a player during Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure as general manager.
Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com reported minutes before that Martin was joining Toronto for “McCann money.” CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman then reported the deal was for five years.
Brian McCann, of course, signed a five-year, $85 million contract with the New York Yankees last offseason. Martin hands-down was the best catcher available in free agency this offseason.
Martin, who turns 32 in February, is coming off an excellent season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The three-time All-Star hit .290 with 11 homers, 67 RBIs and a .402 on-base percentage in 111 regular-season games. He also emerged as a leader in Pittsburgh and finished 13th in National League MVP voting this season.
Martin rejected the Pirates’ one-year, $15.3 million qualifying offer at the beginning of free agency. The Blue Jays thus lose their first-round pick (17th overall) by signing Martin.
Martin’s deal does not include a no-trade clause per a Blue Jays policy, according to Heyman.
The Chicago Cubs were considered by many to be the front-runners for Martin before the Blue Jays emerged.
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