Getty The Diamondbacks improved their lineup significantly by trading for right-handed hitting J.D. Martinez
The Arizona Diamondbacks made one of the biggest trades of the season, by acquiring outfielder J.D. Martinez from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for three infield prospects on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks lineup was already one of the best in baseball, but should only get better with the addition of the often underrated right-handed hitting Martinez.
The Diamondbacks head into Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds in second place in the N.L. West. They hold a half-game lead over the Colorado Rockies for the top wild card spot. They have the third-best run differential in the N.L. As good as the Diamondbacks’ lineup has been, they have struggled this season against left-handed pitching. The right-handed Martinez should give them a boost in that department.
Martinez, 29, missed the first six weeks of this season, but has hit .305/.388/.630 with 16 home runs in 200 at-bats since his return. Martinez won a Silver Slugger award in 2015, after batting .282 with 38 home runs, 102 RBIs and a .879 OPS. Martinez missed some time due to injury in 2016, but still managed to hit .307 with 22 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .908 OPS in 460 at-bats. Over the past four seasons, he has hit .300/.361/.551 in nearly 1,700 at-bats.
Here’s a look at the Diamondbacks lineup for Martinez’ first game:
LF Peralta
CF Pollock
3B Lamb
1B Goldschmidt
RF Martinez
SS Owings
2B Drury
C Mathis
P
It’s official.
@JDMartinez14 will make his #Dbacks debut in right field tonight. #OurSeason
The Diamondbacks go against right-hander Tim Adelman on Wednesday. The lineup will probably change a little against lefties. Peralta hasn’t gotten many starts against lefties this season, although he has faced more as of late.
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. Lugo, 22, is the most accomplished of the trio. He entered the year as the club’s No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America. He was hitting .282/.325/.428 for Double-A Jackson.