The other day I wrote that Detroit Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski had a tough job on his hands at the trade deadline because the Tigers need so many different things. They need a third baseman, a middle infielder, a starting pitcher, and a right-handed reliever out of the pen.
Peralta is headed to Motown
Dombrowski decided to fill one of those needs on Wednesday by getting a third baseman. The Tigers acquired 3B Jhonny Peralta from the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher Giovanni Soto. According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney via Twitter , the Indians will pick up most of the $1.8 million still owed to Peralta this season.
So what exactly are the Tigers getting here? With Peralta, the Tigers are getting a stop-gap third baseman, who they hope can get hot down the stretch. Peralta does have a club option for $7 million in 2011 with a $250,000 buyout and I will say there is a better chance of me playing third for the Tigers next year than Detroit picking that up.
Peralta was hitting just .246 with seven HR’s and a .308 in 334 AB’s with the Indians. At the age of 28, it appears Peralta’s best days are behind him. I don’t think we will see his 2008 season again when he hit .276 with 23 HR’s and had a .804 OPS.
Regardless of Peralta’s declining offensive skills, he should give the Tigers more then what Don Kelly or Scott Sizemore could give them.
In Soto, the Indians are getting a 19-year-old, left-handed pitcher who has a 2.10 ERA in two minor league seasons between Rookie and Single-A ball. He was the Tigers’ 21st round pick in the 2009 Draft.
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