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Snap Reaction to Yoenis Cespedes Trade

By Souichi Terada

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Looks like the rumors were right. The Detroit Tigers agreed to a trade to send Rick Porcello to the Boston Red Sox earlier today. In exchange the Tigers will get a star in Yoenis Cespedes.

Though there were multiple rumors circulating nothing seemed to come to fruition. Until now at least. The Tigers officially got their outfield bat after they needed one.

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What does this all mean?

Well, one thing’s for sure. The Detroit Tigers got a whole lot more interesting real quick. Cespedes is known for his exciting plays from the outfield and his power. He’ll hit homers and gun down runners at home with his strong arm. In terms of watching him play Cespedes is as exciting a player to watch as anyone in the league.

The starting lineup now has some combination of Miguel Cabrera–Victor Martinez–J.D. Martinez-Yoenis Cespedes. That’s downright scary. It’s an upgrade over what the Tigers had in left field before and everyone knows that. With Torii Hunter officially gone this fills the outfield void. Is Cespedes the necessary piece the Tigers need though? That’s hard to say and will need its own post in the future.

The outfield mix now has some combination of Cespedes, Martinez, Rajai Davis, and Anthony Gose. Tyler Collins might be in the mix too. Overall though the outfield got its upgrade.

Except there’s a problem. Cespedes has the power and star status but he isn’t exactly a top-of-the-lineup type hitter. Meaning he’s going to hit somewhere around the Big 4 the Tigers now possess.

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    • If Ian Kinsler is going to hit leadoff much like he did last year that means the Tigers need to look for a #2 hitter. Cespedes isn’t exactly the right fit there with his career 0.316 OBP. The Tigers will need to look for a solution there unless Brad Ausmus entertains the idea of hitting Cabrera 2nd. Which may not be such a bad idea.

    Obviously the Tigers will need to look to replace Porcello. Except they already did. They have announced that they acquired Alfredo Simon from the Cincinatti Reds. Alfredo Simon looks to replace Porcello’s spot which is an overall downgrade. They’re sending away prospect Jonathon Crawford and Eugenio Suarez in the deal. Though it doesn’t look like the best move it’s necessary to fill out the rotation once again.

    An interesting note is how the Tigers could use Simon. They could plug him in the bullpen where he was successful from 2012-2013 with a 2.78 ERA in 148.2 IP. The Tigers now have creative options to use Simon and one of their Minor Leagues like Drew VerHagen to potentially sneak in and take the 5th starter spot. It also means it doesn’t completely shut the door on the Tigers re-signing Max Scherzer.

    One last thing. The Tigers will have to be confident in Jose Iglesias to be healthy for the 2015 season. If Iglesias were to be out for the entirety of the 2015 season it will not bode well for the shortstop position. Nobody wants to see Andrew Romine in a starting position ever again.

    Now, your thoughts. What do you think about the trades? Do you think the Tigers are overall a better team now? Or do you think they somehow downgraded with these series of moves?

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