J.D. Martinez is officially heading to Arizona, as many had expected based on an increasing number of rumors over the past few days. The news of Detroit moving its right fielder was first reported by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, with Fox’s Ken Rosenthal and Yahoo’s Jeff Passan confirming the deal shortly after.
The Tigers officially trade J.D. Martinez to the Diamondbacks for prospects
Detroit finally made the move many expected would happen.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Martinez is set to be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Tigers are getting prospects Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara & Jose King from the Diamondbacks, according to Tigers PR. Lugo and Alcantara were Arizona’s number 4 and 15 prospects, respectively, while King wasn’t in any top-30 rankings of its farm system at the time of the trade.
The Diamondbacks have been looking for help in their outfield, and Martinez is just the trick in the short term. He fills a need against left-handed pitchers, which his new team has struggled with this year. Other teams had also expressed interest in Martinez, including the Rockies, Dodgers, Red Sox, Royals, and Cardinals.
Arizona will absorb the entire balance of Martinez’s $11.75 million salary on the season, which amounts to about $5 million at the moment.
Martinez is currently hitting .305/.388/.630 in 232 plate appearances this season, and boasts an OPS+ of 167, with 16 home runs and 39 RBI. As far as rentals go, Arizona almost certainly came out on top here as they secure one of the best hitters on the market right now for a veritable pittance.
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