"Russell Martin said he turned down an offer from the Dodgers earlier this month because he wanted to learn something.

How much did the Dodgers want him? Did they still believe in him?

Martin said he figured that if the Dodgers were convinced he could regain his old form, his rejection of their proposal wouldn't have resulted in their severing ties. They would have tendered him a contract, even if doing so would have locked them into paying him more than the $5.05 million he earned last season.

They didn't. And like that, the first member of the Dodgers' young nucleus to become an All-Star became the first to leave.

"They kind of gave me the answer I wanted," Martin said.

The split became official Thursday, when the New York Yankees announced they signed Martin to a one-year, $4-million contract that could be worth as much as $5.375 million, including performance-based incentives.

Martin conceded that the deal he signed wasn't significantly different from the deal he was offered by the Dodgers leading up to the tender deadline, which included a base salary of $4.2 million and the chance to earn another $1.1 million in bonuses.

But Martin said he had no regrets. He wanted his answer.

"The only way to find out how much a team wants you is to take a risk," Martin said."