Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers Close to a Deal: A Look Back at His Career

It appears as though Victor Martinez is ready to sign a four-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $50 million.

A reporter from Venezuela, Ignacio Serrano, reported the deal on his blog.

Serrano also notified his readers that Martinez was offered a four-year, $48 million deal by the Baltimore Orioles and a three-year, $48 million deal by the Chicago White Sox.

That means that he's passing up $16 million a year with the White Sox to be paid $12.5 million a year by the Tigers.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal has since confirmed that this deal will happen.

In honor of the new deal, let's take a look back at Victor Martinez's stellar career.

2001-2002: A Minor League Star

After winning the minor league MVP award in both 2001 and 2002 to go along with his pair of batting titles, Martinez was called up to the big leagues in September of 2002 for the first time.

He debuted on September 10, 2002 and went on to play in 12 games that season.

In his 32 at-bats, Martinez batted .281 and launched one home run.

All in all, he failed to leave a huge impression on his team and was sent back down to the minors for the next season to be tuned up a little bit more.

2003: Last Year in the Minors

Martinez played most of this season at Triple-A for the Buffalo Bisons but was called up towards the end of the year to play the final 49 games for the Indians.

In the Major Leagues, he batted only .289. He only added one home run and 16 RBI to his career totals. Martinez did bat .349 in August and September though.

When you look at his stats combined with the minor league ones, they're much more impressive. His combined average between the two levels was .315, and his strikeout totals dropped significantly, in large part due to an improved contact rate and plate discipline.

He drove in 47 runs in the minor leagues and was invited to participate in the All-Star Futures Game. Little did they know how soon he'd be a real All-Star.

2004: The Breakout Year

2004 was Victor Martinez's first year playing exclusively for the Cleveland Indians, and he definitely made it count.

Playing in 141 games, Martinez batted .283 and had an OPS of .851. He hit 23 home runs and drove in 108 runs throughout the season. The 108 RBI set the all-time record for Cleveland Indians catchers.

Martinez was also selected to the All-Star team for the first time in his career, finished 21st in the MVP voting and shared the Silver Slugger Award with Ivan Rodriguez. That was the first time since 1980 that there was a tie for the award at any position.

His best game came on July 16th, when he went 5-for-5 with three home runs, a single, a walk and seven RBI.

2005: The Incredible Second Half

It seemed as though 2004 was going to be a fluke when Martinez was only hitting .207 in June, but his second half redeemed all of that.

After the All-Star break, Martinez hit .382, the highest second-half average in MLB. He finished the season batting .305 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI.

The catcher also finished slightly higher in the MVP voting, placing 18th after last season's 21st-place finish.

2006: Offensive Success, Defensive Struggles

Victor Martinez had another stellar offensive year in 2006. 

He batted .316 with 16 home runs and 93 RBI. The catcher also walked 71 times and finished with his highest OPS yet: .856.

However, he struggled defensively, leading the Indians to occasionally play him at first base. Martinez allowed 100 stolen bases to opposing teams, the most allowed by any catcher in baseball.

Martinez for the first time in three years didn't receive any votes for MVP and failed to win a single award.

2007: Another All-Star Season

2007 was probably the best season for Victor Martinez in his still young career.

He hit .301 for the Indians and drove in a career-high 114 runs while launching 25 home runs. Both of those numbers still stand as the best in their respective categories for his entire career.

His OPS improved once again, making this the fourth straight season he improved it. In 2007, the number was .879.

With by far the gaudiest numbers of all the catchers in MLB, Martinez received enough MVP votes to finish seventh, the highest finish of his career.

2008: Injuries

2008 wasn't a great year for Martinez, primarily because of the right elbow inflammation that caused him to only play 73 games.

Even when he played, though, he wasn't fully healthy, and his production suffered because of it. Martinez only hit .278 with two home runs and 35 RBI. His OPS dropped precipitously to .701.

His list of injuries included a left hamstring injury, a neck injury, a finger injury, right elbow inflammation and five games' worth of suspensions (they injured his psyche).

2009: Traded to the Red Sox

In 2009, Martinez hit .284 for the Cleveland Indians with 15 home runs and 67 RBI. He was selected to appear for them in the All-Star Game on July 5th but was traded shortly after.

The Indians shipped him off to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price on July 31st.

On the Red Sox, Martinez played incredibly well. He split time between catcher and first base, hitting .336 with a .912 OPS. He also slugged eight home runs and drove in 41 runs, bringing his season totals to 23 and 108 respectively.

Martinez would finish 21st in the MVP voting.

2010: Another Great Year

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 13: Victor Martinez #41 of the Boston Red Sox bats against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on September 13, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

After the 2009 season, the Red Sox exercised a $7.1 million option for 2010. Martinez made it worth their while despite suffering a fractured left thumb in June.

Martinez made the All-Star team once again. He batted .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBI. His OPS was once again stellar at .844.

It would be his last season in a Red Sox uniform.

The Future

It looks as though we'll be seeing Martinez in a Detroit Tigers uniform next year and for the years following that.

Martinez has an opportunity to help make the Tigers offense into one of the most potent units in the league. With Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez potentially leaving, Miguel Cabrera will dearly need Martinez's bat to help him out. 

Martinez has enjoyed a stellar career thus far, and at only 32 years of age, he should continue to produce for quite some time.