Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that the Yankees and Dodgers had serious discussions about a Russell Martin-for-Francisco Cervelli trade last night. It got to the point where the teams were exchanging medical information and everything, but it fell through. It’s unclear if Martin’s health -- he’s had issues with his hip -- was a factor, but ultimately talks broke off and Martin was non-tendered. Though nothing happened, we can glean a couple of things from this non-trade.
- First, the Yankees really have no intention of letting Posada behind the dish that much. If they did, they’d be fine in letting him be the fallback position if Jesus Montero can’t hack it. Going for someone like Martin shows they’re not fine with that.
- Second, it shows that they likewise only see Francisco Cervelli as a backup. Yeah, he had some moments last year and yes, there is a certain brand of Yankees fan who thinks he’s all that, but the Yankees clearly don’t.
- Finally, it suggests that Martin’s health may still be a problem. This is just speculation on my part -- and Martin’s agent said last night that Martin’s hip is fine -- but it’s not likely that this trade was derailed by three component players, cash and a player to be named later.
In other news, between Dunn, Rivera, A.J. Pierzynski, Jose Lopez and the other assorted rumors, I think more stuff happened between 4PM and midnight last night than happened in the two weeks leading up to last year’s Winter Meetings. There’s definitely a thaw in baseball transactions this year compared to years past, so fasten your seat belts these next couple of weeks.