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The trade deadline won’t be silent for the Tigers after all. After much speculation that the team would move no one, the Tigers have traded centerfielder Leonys Martin to the Cleveland Indians for shortstop prospect Willi Castro.
As we’ve already seen this season, the era of not trading between division rival teams seems to be at an end, and this trade between the Tigers and Indians solidifies that.
During his brief tenure with the Tigers, Martin has made some outstanding plays in centerfield and had shown signification offensive improvement over a very poor 2017. In 2018 thusfar he’s hitting .251/.321/.409 with 9 HR, 7 stolen bases, and 29 RBIs, while having also missed time due to a hamstring injury.
Additionally, the Tigers included RHP prospect Kyle Dowdy in the trade.
In return for Martin, the Tigers receive shortstop prospect Willi Castro.
Willi Castro is 21-year-old switch-hitting SS currently with Double-A Akron. Slashing .245/.303/.350 with 27 XBH and 13 SB over 97 games this season.
— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) July 31, 2018
The Tigers have been looking to develop infield position players so the acquisition of Castro makes sense, and in spite of unimpressive offensive numbers this season, he has a lot to be excited about.
Big Willi Castro fan. Was a thorn in the @wmwhitecaps side during his time with the @LCCaptains.
— Dan Hasty (@ThatDanHasty) July 31, 2018
Wiry athlete with power and the ability to hit from both sides of the plate. Still needs to bulk up, but a *very* solid skill set with a track record of production at a young age.
Seems like a good get for trading away a few months of Martin.