MLB Trade: Diamondbacks add a big bat, acquire J.D. Martinez from Tigers
The D-Backs have been connected to Martinez for a few days now
One of the top rental sluggers is heading west.
The Diamondbacks acquired outfielder J.D. Martinez from the Tigers for three prospects on Tuesday. Detroit has announced the trade, so it's a done deal. Officially official.
The Tigers have acquired INF's Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara & Jose King from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for OF J.D. Martinez.
— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) July 18, 2017
Martinez was originally in Tuesday night's lineup for the Tigers, which indicates this trade came together fairly quickly. Had the two sides been nearing a deal, Detroit would have held him out of the lineup to avoid a potential injury.
The 29-year-old Martinez missed time with a foot injury earlier this year, but since returning, he's hit .305/.388/.630 (167 OPS+) with 16 home runs in only 57 games. Martinez has averaged 35 home runs per 162 games since joining the Tigers as a free agent for the 2014 season. The D-Backs are assuming the remainder of his contract.
Trade official. No cash in deal. #DBacks assume balance of Martinez’s $11.75M salary.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 18, 2017
Martinez will become a free agent after the season, and because he's been traded, he will not be eligible for the qualifying offer. The D-Backs will not be able to recoup a draft pick should he sign elsewhere over the winter. This is very clearly a win-now move for the 53-39 D-Backs, who are 10 1/2 games back in the NL West but have a six-game lead on a wild-card spot.
With Martinez now on board, Arizona's regular lineup figures to look something like this:
- CF A.J. Pollock
- RF David Peralta
- 1B Paul Goldschmidt
- 3B Jake Lamb
- LF J.D. Martinez
- SS Chris Owings
- 2B Brandon Drury
- C Jeff Mathis
- Pitcher
The top five spots of that lineup are as good as any in the National League. As an added bonus, Martinez's right-handed bat will help against all those NL West lefties like Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner, Alex Wood, and Kyle Freeland.
Here's how SportsLine sees Martinez's improving Arizona's bottom line:
Wins | Win% | Division Odds | Postseason Odds | |
Before Martinez | 88.8 | 54.8 | 0.7% | 68.2% |
With Martinez | 90.5 | 55.9 | 1.4% | 76.7% |
Impact | +1.7 | +1.1 | +0.7% | +8.5% |
Adding roughly two wins with a two-month rental is a pretty nice addition. The D-Backs already have a nice wild card cushion, but Martinez makes them that much better.

Prior to the trade MLB.com ranked Dawel Lugo as the fourth-best prospect in Arizona's farm system. Sergio Alcantara ranked 15th and Jose King did not rank among the team's top 30 prospects. Here is a snippet of MLB.com scouting report on Lugo:
Lugo has a quick bat and is very direct to the ball. He doesn't walk much, but he rarely strikes out and has a natural ability to hit the ball through the middle of the field and to right-center ... Lugo had been a shortstop for the first several years of his career but made a nice transition to third in 2016. He has a very strong and accurate arm from different angles, showing an ability to make plays on the run ... Lugo looked like a future utility man, but the progress he's made points to a potential everyday job in the big leagues. Some of that might depend on if his bat profiles at the hot corner, but that's seeming more and more like a possibility.
With Martinez now traded, it's only a matter of time until the Tigers unload lefty reliever Justin Wilson. Justin Verlander and Michael Fulmer are trade candidates as well, though the chances of a deal are small for different reasons. Verlander is owed a lot of money and Fulmer is very good and very young. He's someone the Tigers figure to build around going forward.
















