DETROIT -- The list of remaining Tigers veterans dwindled once more when Ian Kinsler was traded to the Angels last month. It still, however, includes Victor Martinez, who turned 39 on Dec. 23. Barring an unexpected move in the next five weeks, it'll still include Martinez when the Tigers open Spring Training in mid-February.
Martinez ended last season inactive, limited to 435 plate appearances thanks to a pair of incidents with an accelerated heartbeat that required hospitalization before a cardiac ablation procedure in September. His .255 batting average and .697 OPS marked his second-lowest production of any season in which he played at least 50 games, just slightly better than his 2015 numbers.
Between the age, the struggles and the heart issue, Martinez's future seemed very much in question at season's end, even with one more season at an $18 million salary remaining on his four-year contract. Martinez lost his father to a heart attack when he was a young boy, and he has already made post-baseball plans with a cattle ranch in central Florida for whenever he retires.
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If not for the contract, that time might be now, with the rebuilding Tigers moving on and furthering their youth movement, something general manager Al Avila readily acknowledges. But as long as Detroit is paying Martinez, it's going to see what he has left in Spring Training. The reports the Tigers have received so far this offseason suggest he's healthy physically and eager mentally.

"It's easy to say, 'Just throw away $18 million,'" Avila said before the holidays. "I think it's a whole lot better [to wait and see] knowing that he's actually working hard right now. [Tigers medical director] Kevin [Rand] has been in touch with him and has kept me informed. [Martinez] is working, he's making progress, he feels good. He hasn't had any heart issues, and he wants to come back and actually play and be part of it. So he's into it.
"You have to play that out and see how that works. Because hey, you still need a guy to get in there and give you quality at-bats, and I think maybe if he stays healthy, he'll be a viable guy in the lineup. And that's not bad to have at this point."
That's something the Tigers don't have in abundance as they rebuild. While they have the parts for their next rotation already in the system, their next-generation lineup is a work in progress. Aside from Jeimer Candelario, who ended last season as a lineup fixture, nobody is expected to make the jump from the Tigers' farm system to the Opening Day lineup at Comerica Park on March 29. Depending on the development of Christin Stewart and Dawel Lugo -- Detroit's Nos. 6 and 15 prospects per MLB Pipeline, respectively -- it's possible no young hitters will be ready until late in the year. For now, a Martinez return wouldn't block any youngsters.

Still, Martinez is certain to have a positive impact, both at the plate and in the clubhouse, even if he's no longer at the heart of the order. Avila, who spoke with Martinez near season's end, believes the veteran is prepared for that.
"Last year, obviously, it didn't end well for him, with the heart problem and all that, and he had a lot of those issues," Avila said. "But I think at the end of last year, he actually did come to terms with everything, and he really turned himself from a mental perspective. And unfortunately, that's when the heart problems started. I think when I talked to him at the end of the year when he left, he was prepared to work hard and get back to health and come in with a fresh new start and hopefully have a good year."
If that happens, Avila suggested, it's not out of the realm of possibility Martinez could become a trade chip near the non-waiver Trade Deadline. If it doesn't, the Tigers can move on, either in camp or during the season. Their commitment is the same either way.
"This is a very real possibility," Avila said of a bounceback. "He could come back healthy, have a decent first half, and all of a sudden he's hitting the ball. For a short period of time, a team might want him to go in and DH for them or be a bat, and it could be his last chance to be on a winning team. Maybe they don't pick the entire rest of his salary, but who cares? So there is upside there."