Russell Martin, believe it or not, is headed to Pittsburgh. (Getty Images)

Is it possible the Pirates of all teams have out-bid the Yankees for a notable free agent? Maybe so: Pittsburgh has agreed to terms with free-agent catcher Russell Martin, who spent the last two seasons in the Bronx. CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman confirms the original report b y FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. Heyman also reports the deal, once finalized, will be for two years at a total cost of $17 million.

Martin, 29, batted just .211 last season, but his substantial secondary skills (21 homers, 53 walks in 485 plate appearances) lifted his OPS to an acceptable .713. As well, as a right-handed batter, Martin didn't benefit overmuch from playing his home games at Yankee Stadium. In parts of seven major-league seasons, Martin owns a career line of .260/.352/.399. He's also regarded as a skilled handler of pitchers.

Getting out of the AL East and into the NL Central also won't hurt in terms of Martin's performance.

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Last season, Pittsburgh catchers combined to hit .217/.299/.385, which, as OPS goes, ranked 11th in the National League. No more Rod Barajas goes a long way toward addressing that problem, and a combo of Martin and Michael McKenry behind the plate constitutes a significant upgrade.

As for the mighty Yankees, they're obviously now in need of a new starting catcher.

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