On Sunday morning, ahead of the Cubs’ series finale with the Reds, the Cubs pulled the trigger on a trade and acquired OF José Martínez from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Cubs will send up to two players to be named later or cash considerations.
As noted above, C Josh Phegley was designated for assignment.
Martínez has been in the majors as a regular since 2017. The INF/OF debuted in 2016, playing 12 games for the Cardinals. He was traded from St. Louis to Tampa Bay this past offseason in the deal that sent prospect Matthew Liberatore to the Cardinals.
Martínez has a career slash line of .294/.361/.815 with 43 home runs and 182 RBI’s. This is a solid acquisition for the Cubs, as they add another solid bat who can hit for average and some power. Martínez also has success against lefties, which really helps the Cubs’ roster depth.
