Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Tigers acquire Lugo, two others for Martinez

Detroit also picks up No. 15 Alcantara, King in trade with Arizona
Dawel Lugo will be joining his third organization over six Minor League seasons. (Brian McLeod/MiLB.com)
July 18, 2017

The D-backs picked up a big bat for their outfield and the Tigers added some infield depth for their Minor League system Tuesday. Detroit acquired infield prospects Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcántara and Jose King from Arizona for All-Star outfielder J.D. Martinez, the clubs confirmed. Lugo was the D-backs No. 4 prospect

The D-backs picked up a big bat for their outfield and the Tigers added some infield depth for their Minor League system Tuesday. 
Detroit acquired infield prospects Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcántara and Jose King from Arizona for All-Star outfielder J.D. Martinez, the clubs confirmed. Lugo was the D-backs No. 4 prospect at the time of the trade, while Alcantara checked in at No. 15 and King was not ranked among the top 30 prospects in the system.

Martinez, who was hitting .305/.388/.630 with 16 homers in 57 games this season, is in the final year of a two-year contract extension signed before the 2016 campaign. Arizona could use the help, however, as it sits half a game ahead of the Rockies for the first National League Wild Card spot and six games ahead of the Cubs, the first team outside the playoff picture.
From a prospect perspective, Lugo is the main attraction of the deal. The 22-year-old batted .282/.325/.428 with seven homers, four triples and 21 doubles in 88 games with Double-A Jackson. He has played primarily at third base, where his plus arm is a big asset. The past two seasons, he's also played some shortstop.

The Dominican Republic native is perhaps most notable offensively for his ability to hit for a decent average while keeping the strikeouts low. (He's fanned in only 13.8 percent of his plate appearances this season.) The D-backs liked enough of what they saw from his 2016 season at Class A Advanced Visalia and Double-A Mobile to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft with a 40-man roster addition in November. This is the second time Lugo has been dealt since he signed in July 2011. He was also traded from the Blue Jays to the D-backs on Aug. 8, 2015 for Cliff Pennington.
Alcantara has much more of a glove-first profile than his fellow Detroit-bound prospect. The 21-year-old shortstop was given a plus-plus 70 grade for his fielding ability at the premium position by MLB.com last offseason, while his arm is considered a 60 on the 20-80 scale. A switch-hitter, he's shown some offensive value this season at Class A Advanced Visalia with a .279/.344/.362 line and 11 steals in 86 games, but his work defensively will push him up the Tigers chain. 

King was 13 games into his first season stateside before Tuesday's move. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in October 2015, he finished third with a .350 average and added 21 steals over 61 games in the Dominican Summer League in 2016. That was enough for Arizona to push the 18-year-old to the complex-level Arizona League, and he'll leave it having gone 12-for-46 (.261) with two triples, nine RBIs and two steals in 13 games. King split his time between shortstop and second base last season, but has made the majority of his starts at short this year.
The trio of Lugo, Alcantara and King should help a Tigers system lacking in notable infield prospects. Third baseman Zac Shepherd previously was the organization's highest-ranked prospect playing on the dirt at No. 20.

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.