Tearful departure: Tigers trade J.D. Martinez joins Diamondbacks
Kansas City, Missouri. There were tears. Of course, there were tears.
On Tuesday, the Tigers moved one of their most popular players, whom general manager Al Avila compared to one of his own children.
So when he called J.D. Martinez into manager Brad Ausmus’ office just a few hours before the game and told him he’d been traded to Arizona for three infield prospects, he was in tears.
“It was a very difficult process for me,” Avila explained. “We cried because this was not what you intended to accomplish. Everyone wanted to win. We all wanted to keep our guys. But, at the moment, this is the best option for this organisation.”
Martinez, who was hitting.305 with a.630 slugging percentage, 1.018 OPS, and 16 home runs, will become a free agency this offseason. And, with the Tigers in the process of rebuilding and reducing their payroll, he was unlikely to be re-signed to a long-term contract.
“I don’t think he was surprised, but I think he hoped it wouldn’t happen,” Avila told me. “I did not want this to happen. I wanted us to come in first position. It was difficult for him. This is his residence. This is where he received his opportunity. This is when he became J.D. Martinez, and we had a wonderful relationship.
“It was very hard to do.”
After bidding goodbye to his now-former teammates, Martinez, still dressed in Tigers uniform, attempted to articulate the flood of emotions that were coursing through him.
“Definitely difficult,” he remarked. “It’s one of those things where you know what’s going to happen but don’t know how you’re going to feel. It doesn’t hit you until they say so.
“I adore this team. I adore the organisation. I adore the fans. I loved everything about Detroit. This is my house. They were the only organisation that believed in me while all other teams failed. I had a hunch something was coming, but I wish things had turned out differently.
He said he knew he was going to be traded while the team was in San Diego and on an eight-game losing skid.