The rumor mills have the Pittsburgh Pirates pursuing catcher Russell Martin and as Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports, they are willing to give him a three-year, $25million deal.
However, the 30-year-old catcher is seeking a contract of four years somewhere around $36-$40 million.
The New York Yankees, the team Martin played for in 2011 and 2012, are not likely to match that number.
This past season, mixed in with clutch hitting, the Canadian hit 21 homers for a career high and made himself into a power threat in the bottom of the Yankee lineup.
Behind the plate, he wasn't all that amazing committing six errors and throwing out 24 percent of base stealers (20/83).
However, the Pirates could look competitive with Martin. He can hit for power and once upon a time even stole bases.
He could be a great veteran presence in Pittsburgh as the Pirates boast talented young hitters like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez.
The Pirates might be just a few pieces away from putting a contending team out on the field. They just somehow manage to slip up in the second-half of the season.
Martin has the playoff experience and can help the pitching staff greatly.
For the Yankees, Martin served as a the replacement for their longtime catcher, Jorge Posada. Martin has played close to 260 games in pinstripes.
The Yanks have offered Martin a two-year deal and no more than that. As Martin continues to look for the right price, if the Yankees were to add a year or maybe more dough, they could end up staying with the three-time All-Star.
His decision is expected to be made before the Winter Meetings, which are set to take place next week Tuesday.
The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers are two teams also in the hunt, but for now, unless some magical mystery team pops into the equation, the Yankees and Pirates are the likely destination for Russell Martin.
