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The Cleveland Indians have acquired center fielder Leonys Martin from the Detroit Tigers. They also acquired Triple-A reliever Kyle Dowdy in the deal, per Jon Heyman.
Can confirm per sources that Indians have deal in place to acquire CF Leonys Martin from Tigers for SS prospect Willi Castro (added to 40-man this past offseason).
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 31, 2018
Martin and dowdy go to Cleveland for willi Castro, a fine ss prospect
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2018
The move came after a solid day of rumors flying around about which outfielder — if any — the Indians would get to supplement an injury-plagued position. They went with one of the safest, cheapest options.
Martin is a 30-year-old defensive wiz in center field who is arbitration eligible in 2019 and will become a free agent following next season. So he has some control, a little bit of offense (98 wRC+ this season, which could be improved with a little platooning), and is a heck of a defender in center field.
The Indians will send shortstop prospect Willi Castro to Detroit in return for Martin. Castro, a 21-year-old switch-hitter, has some interesting potential as a shortstop with pop, but with Francisco Lindor firmly cemented as the Indians’ future, he doesn’t have much of a spot on the big-league club. As such, he was an easy player to deal away when the time came.
It’s not the most exciting move in the world, but it’s the most Indians move in the world: A solid addition of a player who can contribute this year and beyond without jeopardizing the future.