Cleveland Indians acquire Leonys Martin for outfield depth

DETROIT, MI – JUNE 10: Leonys Martin #12 of the Detroit Tigers celebrates a solo home run in the sixth inning of the game against the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park on June 10, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Cleveland defeated Detroit 9-2. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

The Cleveland Indians went within their division to answer their need for depth in the outfield

The Cleveland Indians had to give up one of their better prospects to make a trade in their division for an outfielder that helps meet their need for depth. As the MLB Trade Deadline neared, they traded top prospect Willi Castro to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Leonys Martin and pitching prospect Kyle Dowdy.

Who the Cleveland Indians acquired

For a player with so much raw talent, Leonys Martin has bounced around the league plenty since he was signed out of Cuba. He made his debut with the Rangers, but he’s never been able to make consistent contact to allow his power to play up to its potential.

After three-plus seasons in Texas, Martin was traded to Seattle, where he had his best season in 2016. He struggled mightily with performance and injury in 2017, traded by the Mariners as a defensive replacement to the Chicago Cubs for the Cubs stretch run in August.

He’s rebounded in 2018 on a one-year deal with the Tigers, hitting .251/.321/.419 with 9 home runs and 7 stolen bases, totaling a 97 OPS+, which would be his highest OPS+ of his career. He’ll fill a need for the Indians in their outfield after they’ve lost multiple players to injury in 2018.

A 12th-round pick in 2015 by the Tigers, Kyle Dowdy has moved quickly through the Tigers farm system, and he’s showing the ability to be a solid inning-eater and/or swingman this year, though he’s likely not a frontline guy. He has tossed 95 innings in 24 appearances, 14 of them starts.

Who the Cleveland Indians gave up

Willi Castro is a player that many in the Indians organization have been excited about for some time. He is tremendously talented with the glove.

The work Castro has done with his bat came through in 2017, but he has struggled to show that again in 2018. With Lynchburg in 2017, he hit .290/.337/.424 with 11 home runs and 19 stolen bases. This season, with AA Akron, he is hitting .245/.303/.350 with 5 home runs and 13 stolen bases.

His high-level talent is certainly what brought back an extra player in Dowdy for the Indians in the deal.

Next. Trade Deadline Guide. dark

The Cleveland Indians may not be done pursuing outfielders, but Martin can certainly give them a guy who helps their team defensively and gives some dynamic on offense that can be useful.

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