When the Detroit Tigers made the decision to trade outfielder J.D. Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks this past season, many fans shook their head in disgust. After all, how in the world could GM Al Avila be dumb enough to trade away one of the best hitters in the game of baseball for unproven prospects?
Well, as we now know, dealing Martinez was just part of the plan as Avila looks to rebuild the Tigers from the minor leagues all the way up. Though J.D. is an amazing slugger who is still in his prime, he just did not fit into the plan, which includes shedding payroll before the 2018 season.
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News recently came out that Scott Boras, who is Martinez’s agent, is looking to get upwards of $30 million per year for his client. That is a number that the Tigers certainly would not be willing to spend at this time.
The J.D. Martinez asking price to teams at GM Meetings:
Seven years, $210 million— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 15, 2017
Wait…did you hear that? Hold on a second. Look, Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris has been crunching some numbers and has a message for Martinez.
I've been crunching some numbers… Come back @JDMartinez14 ? pic.twitter.com/xOQSSb6kf0
— Daniel Norris (@DanielNorris18) November 15, 2017
Apparently, Norris is now in charge of all monetary decisions regarding the Detroit Tigers!
Sorry, Daniel, we think your buddy will be playing elsewhere in 2018, but we will always have the memories.
BONUS CONTENT:
Detroit Tigers GM Al Avila seems content on passing on the ‘next Babe Ruth’
During his illustrious 22-year career, the great Babe Ruth led the league in home runs on 12 separate occasions, including 11 out of 13 seasons during his prime. Overall, the “Great Bambino” hit a whopping 714 Major League round-trippers and had 2,214 RBIs, all while posting a career batting average of .342.
Of course, “chicks dig the long-ball,” but what many overlook about Ruth is that he was also a dominant pitcher for a portion of his career. In fact, during his first six years in the league with the Boston Red Sox, he was 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA. During his most impressive season as a pitcher, in 1916, Ruth was 23-12 with a microscopic 1.75 ERA.
So, what if I were to tell you the next Babe Ruth is waiting in the wings and could become available to be signed by a Major League Baseball team as early as this offseason? What if I told you that player was still only 23-years-old? Would you be interested? Yes? Well, so would I.
Click below to read the rest of the article.
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-tigers-news/ddrysdale/tigers-gm-al-avila-seems-content-on-passing-on-the-next-babe-ruth/98275/
