Russell Martin to the Yankees, Bad Analysis Follows

The Yankees signed Russell Martin with full knowledge that he would need knee surgery.  They've appropriately been criticized in the media, giving $4M to a catcher with a hip issue that needs additional surgery for his knee isn't necessarily the greatest news but Wallace Matthews (as usual) takes it a little to far: 

what does the revelation that the Yankees went ahead with the signing of Martin, at a reported $4 million, despite the fact he will need surgery to repair a torn meniscus before he ever squats behind a plate, say about their faith in Montero?

Well, probably one of two things.

The first is that, despite their public pronouncements to the contrary, the Yankees are not at all convinced the 21-year-old Montero is anywhere close to being ready to assume everyday catching duties for a major league team.

The second is that, despite their public pronouncements to the contrary, the Yankees are probably quite willing to include Montero in a trade package to acquire a starting pitcher now that Cliff Lee has remembered how much he loved Philadelphia.

And the third is that when Cashman issued his "Plan B is patience" proclamation on Tuesday, that patience may not have extended to waiting for Montero to be ready.

As convenient as it would be to have the Russell Martin signing signal revelation as to the Yankees thoughts of Jesus Montero, it's simply nothing more than a minor signing.  Jorge Posada won't be the every day catcher next year and instead of completely relying on a 21 year old who could use some extra seasoning in the minors (as well as the added benefit of preventing his arbitration clock from ticking) the Yankees decided to give a former all-star catcher a chance to redeem himself.

The fact that the Yankees signed Russell Martin does not mean that Montero isn't "anywhere close to being ready", that the Yankees are "quite willing to include Montero in a trade package" or that they suddenly have no more patience in Montero.

Minor knee surgery included, the Yankees were smart to give Montero an insurance policy in Russell Martin -- in case he isn't ready, not because he isn't ready.

As much as Wallace Matthews would like you to think otherwise, a one-year contract to Russell Martin just doesn't undermine Montero's development and everything the Yankees have said about the matter.  In general I am a fan of the local ESPN sites, but in general Wallace Matthews is often wrong.