Victor Martinez to Tigers: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

In 2014, Victor Martinez had the best offensive year of his career at age 35. That good timing just made him a far richer man, as Martinez and the Detroit Tigers reportedly agreed on a four-year, $68 million contract Wednesday.    

Continue for updates.

Friday, Nov. 14

Tigers Confirm Martinez Deal

Matthew Mowery of The Oakland Press has the latest on Martinez's deal:

Martinez, Tigers Reportedly Agree to Four Year, $68 million Deal

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports broke the story:

Joel Sherman of the New York Post shared the following regarding V-Mart's deal:

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Detroit wasn't the only team to make a run at Martinez:

The five-time MLB All-Star spent the last three seasons with the Tigers. Making a transition away from the field on almost a full-time basis, Martinez has stayed (mostly) healthy while emerging as one of the more reliable hitters in baseball. He's hit over .300 each of his last five seasons and become the rare player to peak in his mid-30s.

Grantland's Jonah Keri explains why this move may have made sense for Tigers owner Mike Ilitch:

Martinez hit .335/.409/.565 with a career-best 32 home runs and added 103 RBI. Despite the Tigers being eliminated by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series, Martinez entered free agency as by far the best hitter on the market.

The Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays emerged as early contenders for Martinez's services, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, with both needing an elite bat and having some extra television money lying around to spend. Seattle was able to outspend the monolith New York Yankees last winter for Robinson Cano using that same tactic.

While Martinez was never going to approach Cano's $200 million-plus deal, all parties knew he wasn't coming cheap. Heyman reported Martinez was seeking a four-year deal in October and certainly at a price that exceeded the $13 million annually he made with Detroit on his previous deal. Money remained the top bargaining chip throughout the process—doesn't it for everyone?—but his teammate J.D. Martinez indicated Victor might give the Tigers a discount if the numbers were close.

"He's definitely indicated that if he's got a legitimate offer and it's close enough to everybody else, he definitely wants to stay in Detroit," Martinez told Jim Bowden and Casey Stern on MLB Network Radio's Inside Pitch, per Fenech. 

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The biggest sticking point all along had been contract length. Martinez's 2014 campaign was impressive, but it's also an outlier. He hit 26 home runs combined in 2011 and 2013 and missed the entire 2012 season due to a torn ACL. The knee injury isn't something that's likely to recur as long as he's being used as a designated hitter, but a four-year deal for someone who turns 36 in December is a risk.

Martinez is a good enough player to make it worth it, and if the Tigers even get 75 percent of his 2014 production, it'll be a worthwhile contract. But if he's closer to his 2013 production, this might wind up looking like an overpay in a couple years.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter