Kansas City, Mo. — Whatever emotions the Tigers players and coaches felt Tuesday when word came that J.D. Martinez had been traded to the Diamondbacks — sadness at losing a beloved and productive teammate, frustration at the organization for weakening the team, concern over their own immediate future — had to be tempered with one cold, hard truth.
It’s partly their fault. They were given a long stay of execution and could have at least delayed general manager Al Avila’s sell-off plans.
“I knew that with J.D. being a free agent and by us not winning, we were backing Al into a corner,” manager Brad Ausmus said.