What Does a Russell Martin Contract Mean?

Russell Martin. Defensive Wizard, Club House Leader, Heartbeat of Pirates. He's also a pending free agent. Most think he'll only see PNC Park in a visitors uniform in the future. I side with most. People will be quick to blame ownership. "Spend Nutting, Get Nutting." I believe was a sign once. But, in this instance, is it OK to spend nutting?

Russell Martin batted .291 with 11 home runs in 2014.

Yes, you're right. I would be insane to think Russell Martin would not help the 2015 Pirates. But, would Russell Martin help the 2018 Pirates. That may be the real question. If the Pirates were to resign Martin, he would probably run the Bucs at least four years and 60 million. That's a big chunk of change, especially for a catcher.

Martin would be 36 years old for the 2018 season. That's an old catcher, it's also an expensive catcher. $15 million committed to a catcher who's 36 is a risky investment for a small market team. That's money that could be committed to a starting pitcher. Money that could be committed to Neil Walker.

Small market teams can't be wrong when issuing big contracts. They hamper future decisions. Dedicating money towards players who can't play result in a restricted use of team payroll.

So, I'd love to see Russell Martin in a Pirates uniform. I'd also love to look at the crystal ball and see if he would be worth it four years from now.

Extra Link: Charlie Wilmouth of MLBTradeRumors wrote a great look at the Pirates Offsesson. Pirates Offseason Lookout

Colts vs. Steelers Preview

The Steelers are coming off of a big win against the Houston Texans. Granted, one could argue the Steelers looked bad for 50 minutes of the game, but they had a stunning three minutes of football that propelled them to victory. So, how do they size up against a top tier Indianapolis Colts?

Luck has the Colts on a 5 game winning streak
after losing the first two of the year.

Andrew Luck has quickly proven himself to be an elite quarterback in the NFL, which spells disaster for the Steelers defense. So far, the Steelers have been able to avoid supreme quarterbacks. (Hoyer, Flacco, Newton, Glennon, Bortles, Fitzpatrick) What's scary is Hoyer, Flacco, and Glennon torched the Steelers secondary. Badly. Add in the fact that Luck has thrown for over 2,300 yards, 19 TDs (only 4 shy of his seasonal record)
, and over 100 QB rating this year and it could result in a career day for Luck.

The Steelers aren't a push over though; not by any means. They are 4-3 and the offense has looked good at times, despite the controversy surrounds the play calling. With Ben Roethlisberger as the Steelers QB, anything is possible.

The Colts are the favorite to win, sitting around three point favorites. Which indicates the times the Steelers are going through. Very rarely were the Steelers ever the underdog at home. It's reached that point though this year. No one can trust this Steelers team; they could very easily lose by 14 and win by 14.

Either way, this is game two of the Steelers three game home stand. They are off to a 1-0 start. They need to make it 2-0 on Sunday.

Kickoff: 4:25
Heinz Field
TV: CBS

Colts favorite by 3.