Diamondbacks trade for outfielder JD Martinez

The Diamondbacks sent a trio of infield prospects to Detroit in exchange for Martinez: third baseman/shortstop Dawel Lugo, shortstop Sergio Alcantara and second baseman Jose King.

Of all the Tigers, Martinez was by far the most likely to leave, and the only drama involved had to do with which team was going to get him.

Martinez has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks as the Tigers slid from contention. He described being “scared” when summoned by Ausmus.

Martinez will become a free agent after the season, and because he’s been traded, he will not be eligible for the qualifying offer.

“Unlike what you might see reported, where you think there’s 29 clubs out there knocking the door down, it’s not like that”, Avila said.

In the top of the fourth inning, Martinez was taking his second at-bat when a pitch up and in from Reds starter Tim Adleman on a 1-2 count hit his left hand.

Of course, Martinez wasn’t traded for pennies.

“I took a deep breath”, Lovullo said. I wanted to be out here in first place.

Most Tigers fans, needless to say, were disappointed with the return. “For that, I thank them”, he said. At the surface, the deal is tough to judge: Martinez is a proven player and the prospects the Tigers received are little-known. Despite his limitations, he was still considered among the top 20 prospects in the Arizona system.

This year’s Tigers had their worst first half since that infamous group, led by Alan Trammell, 14 seasons ago. They play 17 games on the road and 11 games at home, can they make a last ditch run, even amid selling guys off? The Tigers have gone 9-7 since. “In another year or so he can be up in the big leagues”, said Avila.

“Go win yourself a ring”, Tigers pitching coach Rich Dubee said.

Martinez is hitting 0.305 with 16 home runs and 39 runs batted in.

“There’s no animosity to it”. I understand the idea of not giving up too much for mid-tier rentals.

According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Tigers are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -110 to win.

Martinez left the game in significant pain after his strikeout. “Maybe our paths will cross again”.