What Francisco Cervelli Acquisition Means for Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates made some noise Wednesday evening with their first big move of the 2014-15 free-agency period.  

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman (via Chris Cwik) reported that the Pirates acquired catcher Francisco Cervelli via trade with the New York Yankees in exchange for lefty reliever Justin Wilson.  

That move may signify the growing possibility that general manager Neal Huntington and the Pirates do not go all-in, bringing back now-free agent catcher Russell Martin.  

The Pirates had initially expressed great interest in bringing Martin back.  After all, he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, batting .290 in 111 games in 2014.  

Although it was almost expected of Martin (no one has accepted it over the last two seasons), he rejected the Pirates' $15.3 million qualifying offer.  According to Jeff Blair of Sportsnet (via Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports), Martin is seeking a five-year deal in the $75-80 million range.  

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Already 31 years old, it wouldn't make much sense for the Pirates to sign him to a deal longer than three or four years.  The deal that he is seeking would put him under contract until he is 36 years old, which Huntington probably would not be thrilled about on the back-end of that contract.  

While Martin was outstanding in the games he played, he did miss 51 regular-season games. His 111 games played during the regular season was the lowest single-season total of his career since 2010, when he played in only 97 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  

It has often been the case that athletes play to the best of their ability in contract years, which is likely partially the reason Martin did so well at the plate in 2014.  After all, he batted only .226 in 2013 with the Pirates and just .211 as a member of the Yankees in 2012.  

If Martin is not willing to budge on his five-year contract demand, an American League team would best suit him, as he would be given the opportunity to serve as a designated hitter on days that he needs to give his legs a rest.  

While it was short, Martin's run with the Pirates was great, as in 2013, he helped lead the club to its first postseason appearance since 1992, and in 2014, he was a difference maker both behind the plate and on offense.  

For Martin and the Pirates, it looks like that run may have just come to an end.  

Another Catcher from New York

The acquisition of Cervelli Wednesday evening marks the third time in the past three offseasons that the Pirates reached a deal to acquire a Yankees catcher.  

Following the 2012 regular season, Martin hit free agency, and the Yankees were largely expected to sign him to a new deal.  However, the Pirates swooped in and offered him a contract he couldn't refuse: two years, $17 million.  

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

That's a nice payday for a man who was coming off a season in which he batted just .211 and posted the lowest single-season on-base percentage of his career at .311.  

The deal turned out to be one of the best that the Pirates organization has made in recent history, and the hope around Pittsburgh is that the trade for Cervelli will pay huge dividends as well.  

Cervelli has had the unfortunate reality of playing for the Yankees throughout his career, as there was always a big-name free agent the Yankees were looking to sign while Cervelli was serving as the backup.

In 2010, he did play in 93 games, as former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was nearing the end of his successful career.  He finished that season with a .271 average and 38 RBI.  

After that season, however, the Yankees went out and signed Martin to a two-year deal, putting Cervelli right back into his role as a backup.   

Things changed for Cervelli again in 2013 when Martin left the Yankees, and they were without a proven starting catcher.  However, both injuries and a 50-game suspension for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal limited him to just 17 games that year.  

After watching him mature throughout his seven-year career, however, it is safe to say that the 28-year-old Cervelli undoubtedly has the potential to be an everyday catcher at the Major League level.

As of now, the Pirates' two catchers are Cervelli and Tony Sanchez.  Given the fact that Sanchez has only played in 48 Major League games and has batted .252 in them, a competition for the starting job during spring training is foreseeable.

While platooning the two of them probably would not be the most effective option as a quality ballclub needs stability behind the plate, the Pirates are nevertheless bringing a younger, talented catcher to their organization in Cervelli.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball Reference.