When news spread that the Dodgers had re-acquired one-time fan-favorite catcher Russell Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays last Friday for the final year of his current five-year / $82 million contract that will net him $20 million in 2019 in exchange for minor league infielder Ronny Brito and minor league right-hander Andrew Sopko, it was met with mixed reviews.

…and mixed emotions.

I mean let’s face it, when the soon-to-be 36-year-old (on February 15) East York, Ontario, Canada native and Dodgers 2002 17th-round draft pick (out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida) left the team as a free agent on December 2, 2010, it left a sour taste in the mouths of many – perhaps even most – Dodger fans, who fully expected him to re-sign with their beloved team.

Instead, Martin began what would end up being an eight-year journey that took him through the Evil Empire of New York (for two years), Pittsburgh (for two years), and eventually Toronto (for four years) before finally returning to the team that had drafted him as a then 18-year-old second baseman.

“It’s kind of hard to describe, I don’t know if I had just like one emotion,” Martin said, during a telephonic press conference shortly after the trade went down. “It was like ‘Wow, like I get to go back to where it all started’ kind of feeling, and at the same time I was actually training at the Blue Jays complex on the minor league side.

“So, you know, I had all the buddies, it wasn’t like it was a hundred percent concrete yet that the deal was done, I was kind of like in between, so there were some real emotions there,” Martin added. “But overall, I’m super excited for this opportunity and a chance to get back where it all began for me. I always felt that there was some unfinished business when I left there, so I’m definitely glad for this second opportunity.

“There’s something about putting on that Dodgers uniform that can bring out the magic in you,” said Martin. “I hope to get some of that magic this year. It’s a big year for me. I need to have a good year or nobody’s going to want to have me. The motivation is there.”

It’s no secret that the veteran catcher, who figures to serve as a back-up to just-turned-29-year-old (on December 28) Fullerton, California native Austin Barnes, is not the same offensive threat that he was when he departed the Dodgers following the 2010 season, having compiled a respectable slash-line of .272 / .365 / .396 for an OPS of .761 during his five seasons in LA. In fact, he slashed a dismal .224 / .317 / .405 / .723 in his two seasons in New York, a slightly better .256 / .362 / .401 / .764 in his two seasons in Pittsburgh, and an equally dismal .225 / .336 / .399 / .735 in his four seasons in Toronto.

“Last year was obviously a down year, but digging into it more, the quality of at-bat is elite and the batted ball profile is still strong,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, in what appeared to be an attempt justify the signing. “We’ll bet on him at the plate beyond what he did last year. At that position, the offensive bar isn’t extremely high and there’s obviously a lot more that goes into a catcher having value.

“We feel between he and Barnes, we’ll get good offensive production and good production behind the plate,” added Friedman

As every Dodger fan on the planet knows, Barnes’ “good offensive production” during the 2018 World Series consisted of a team-worst 0-for-11, with one walk and five strikeouts.

For those looking for a silver lining to all of this, there indeed is one … two, in fact.

Waiting in the wings are 20-year-old Dodgers number one overall ranked prospect Keibert Ruiz and 23-year-old Dodgers number five overall ranked prospect Will Smith, both of whom are catchers. Now granted, the thought of a 20-year-old catcher whose highest level in the minors to date is Double-A making the Dodgers 2019 Opening Day roster is a bit of a reach, but he and Smith could (and probably will) see MLB action at some point during the 2019 season; perhaps sooner rather than later, should Martin and/or Barnes struggle out of the chute.

But until that happens – if it happens – the Dodgers will have Austin Barnes and Russell Martin behind the plate … both of whom have some ‘‘unfinished business’ to attend to.

Play Ball!

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