Reports: Tigers Trade Porcello For Cespedes, Have Another Trade Brewing
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers have traded starting pitcher Rick Porcello to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, according to CJ Nitkowski of Fox Sports 1.
Cespedes has hit at least 22 home runs in each of his last three seasons and went to the All-Star Game in 2014. The Tigers had an opening for a corner outfielder since they elected not to re-sign Torii Hunter, though general manager Dave Dombrowski had told reporters he did not think the Tigers would trade a starting pitcher for an outfielder.
Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, in exchange for Porcello the Tigers also received reliever Alex Wilson, who recorded a 1.91 ERA over 18 appearances for the Red Sox last season, and minor league pitcher Gabe Speier.
Porcello nearly received an All-Star bid last season on the heels of back-to-back complete-game shutouts. He finished the season with an ERA of 3.43 over 204 2/3 innings.
By recording the best ERA of his career last season, Porcello followed the trend he established early. His ERA has dropped each season since 2010, and in 2014 he gave the Tigers more production than veteran stars Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander, both of whom were hampered by injury issues.
Porcello will be a free agent following the 2015 season.
The Detroit rotation now includes Verlander, Sanchez, David Price and Shane Greene. The fifth starter could emerge from a competition among several minor league pitchers, but according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Tigers may fill that spot via trade instead.
The Porcello-Cespedes trade had been rumored for some time. Cespedes played for the Oakland A's before they sent him to Boston at the trade deadline last season.
