Unfortunately for Detroit, the J.D. Martinez Trade Makes Sense

The expectations were so much higher than the result, which is fitting for baseball.

Alex Alvarado
Jul 20, 2017 · 2 min read
J.D. Martinez (photo credit: Duane Burleson/Getty Images)

Economics, as far as I’m willing to understand, is just supply and demand. American capitalism works that way. A transaction takes place when the demand meets the supply. Detroit was caught on the end of a negotiation where the return for J.D. Martinez didn’t meet the expectations from earlier in the season.

If you haven’t read Dave Cameron’s piece on Fangraphs.com about Detroit’s trade with Arizona, I recommend it. If you’re too lazy for the effort, here’s the abridged version: there just weren’t enough teams that needed a corner outfielder like Martinez, even if he’s an elite bat.

Boston does not need a corner outfielder. Houston does not need a corner outfielder. The Dodgers don’t need a corner outfielder. Milwaukee isn’t in a position where it wants to trade for a corner outfielder as a rental. Washington has Bryce Harper. Colorado just needs Carlos Gonzalez to have a better second-half.

Cleveland could use Martinez. Jon Morosi tweeted that Cleveland was the only other team besides Arizona to show serious interest in trading for Martinez. But Detroit and Cleveland are in the same division, so the return may have been lesser than Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcantara and Jose King.

Months ago, it seemed like Detroit would be the supplier in trading J.D. Martinez for prospects. But the market flipped those plans on its head. Detroit turned itself into the demanders for lottery tickets. When you demand to sell, the buyer can force the seller’s hand.

The trade deadline isn’t for another couple of weeks, but by then, three lottery tickets could’ve been two.

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Alex Alvarado

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Football writer, mostly on MACProspectus.com.

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