The Detroit Tigers’ interest in free agent Victor Martinez is close to becoming the worst kept secret in baseball. (That title might actually belong to the New York Yankees’ desire for Cliff Lee.)
According to a report by Gordon Edes, the Red Sox are already looking at other catchers on the market because they’re convinced the Tigers will go hard after Martinez.
The Red Sox are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of free-agent catcher John Buck in the likely event that Victor Martinez signs elsewhere, according to two baseball sources.
The Red Sox, according to one of the sources, expect the Detroit Tigers to make a major push for Martinez, who could share catching duties with second-year man Alex Avila while also sharing first base and DH duties with Miguel Cabrera.
As you might expect, the Tigers will have some competition for Martinez’s services. A report in the Boston Globe indicated that six teams (including the Tigers and Red Sox) have shown interest. Other clubs presumed to have inquired on Martinez are the Rockies, Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers and Orioles.
(Okay, that’s actually seven teams. So one of them must not have officially made contact.)
Perhaps the Tigers should look into Buck, as well. (That is, if they haven’t already.) He’d make a nice right-handed complement to Avila at catcher, if another team ends up making Martinez a better offer. All signs seem to indicate Detroit intends to push a lot of money at him, though.