Martinez Leaves Door Open For Return To Tigers
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
J.D. Martinez will don a new uniform on Wednesday, but he doesn't plan on relinquishing his old one.
It's too much a part of him.
"I don't think I'm gonna let (clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel) keep the jersey," Martinez said on Tuesday, after being traded from the Tigers to the Diamondbacks. "I think I'm definitely gonna take it with me because Detroit always has a special place in my heart.
"It hurts me leaving it."
The Tigers signed Martinez prior to the 2014 season after he had been released by the Astros at the age of 26. He refined his swing, resurrected his career and then blossomed into a star.
"I love this team, I love this organization, I love the fans. I love everything in Detroit. That's home for me," Martinez said. "They were the organization that believed in me when everyone else passed, they were the ones that gave me the opportunity when everyone else didn't."
[RELATED: Why Tigers Didn't Get More For J.D.]
His connection to the Tigers was deepened by his relationship with general manager Al Avila. Martinez grew up in the same Florida city -- Pembroke Pines -- where Avila raised his family. He played for Avila's brother in Little League.
The two have known each other since Martinez was six years old.
Avila shed a few tears when he broke the trade news to Martinez on Tuesday.
"He's like family to me, as close to family as you can get in baseball," said Martinez. "I know it was hard for him, but I told him, 'There's no animosity. I know it's hard, but I get it. I understand the situation you're in, I understand what you have to do and I'm not mad about it.'"
The Tigers are six games under .500 and 4.5 games out of a playoff spot. Martinez is set to become an unrestricted free agent this winter and Detroit had little chance of re-signing him.
Trading Martinez now, even for an underwhelming return, was the right business move. Avila couldn't wait any longer for the Tigers to turn things around.
"Obviously, I wish I could have stayed here, I wish we could have been in first place. I'm glad that he even let it go this long and didn't do it before the season," said Martinez. "I look at Al as a father in this game. But there's always next year and the offseason, you never know what's gonna happen in this crazy game. Maybe our paths will cross again."
Asked if that means he's leaving the door open for a potential return to the Tigers, Martinez said, "Always. Like I said, I love Detroit, I'd love to finish my career here. But it is what it is. Al's doing what's best for this organization and I respect that."
The Tigers are longshots to sign Martinez this winter. The 29-year-old will be the most sought-after outfielder in free agency and will likely command over $20 million per year. That kind of expenditure is no longer in Detroit's budget.
Then again, "You never know what's gonna happen in this crazy game."
If Martinez has indeed played his last game as a Tiger, he'll always have a special affection for the fans.
"I feel like the fans really took me in in Detroit," he said. "For some reason, I don't know why, they always loved me. They never put me down, they never booed me. If I would strike out three times in a game, I'd be in the outfield and hear them, 'Hey, you're alright J.D! Get 'em the fourth at-bat.'
"It means a lot, and that's probably gonna be one of the hardest parts to leave."