As the Cleveland Indians front office looks forward to 2007, I have looked at their roster and needs as well. One thing this ballclub needs is a proven right handed hitter to protect Travis Hafner. More and more teams are pitching around Pronk to get to Victor Martinez, who is a good hitter, but doesn’t have a lot of home run power, nor does he run well. The best spot in the lineup for Martinez might very well be lower in the order, perhaps in the #6 hole.
Couple this with the defensive weaknesses, mostly in regards to throwing, and you have to wonder about the catchers’ future with the Indians. Yes, he has been playing some 1B since Kelly Shoppach was returned to the big club, but is Martinez’ bat good enough to play that position on a contending team? Unless he can jack the number of home runs per season to 25+, the answer is probably no.
Yes, I realize that the Tigers went with Chris Shelton and Sean Casey, and the Yankees played Andy Phillips at first for most of the year. Power isn’t a prerequisite to play 1B on good teams. However, Martinez’ power numbers are starting to drop. After belting 23 HR’s and 108 RBI’s in 2004, his numbers dropped to 20 dingers and 80 ribbies last year. This year, the HR number will drop to 16 to 18. Maybe playing 1B most of the time will give his power numbers a boost, since the wear and tear of crouching behind the plate will be reduced, if not gone. As a catcher, his impact as an offensive player is starting to diminish.
So, it might be the ideal time to trade Victor Martinez. He is the type of player who should bring considerable return for the franchise. The Indians need a power hitting corner outfielder, preferably a right handed hitter. It needs a second baseman, and a lot of help in the bullpen. Dealing Martinez might fill two of those holes. I understand that the switch hitter is a core player, but it appears he is starting to decline a bit, perhaps due to catching around 140 games the past two seasons.
Remember what Branch Rickey said, it’s better to trade someone a year too soon, than a year too late. This is a huge decision for GM Mark Shapiro. Remember that Shapiro dealt Roberto Alomar, who never had a very good year after leaving here. He took a lot of flak, and the return from the Mets wasn’t what was expected, but the GM’s evaluation of Alomar was correct. If Shapiro has those feelings about Victor Martinez, he should pull the trigger and fill some holes in return.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 