Astros get: Justin Verlander (10-8, 3.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 176/67 K/BB, Age 34)
Cash and a player to be named later
Tigers get: Franklin Perez (6-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 78/27 K/BB at High Class A and AA, Age 19)
Jake Rogers (18 HR, 70 RBI, .263 AVG, 14 SB at Class A and High Class A, Age 22)
Daz Cameron (14 HR, 73 RBI, .271 AVG, 32 SB, 128 wRC+ at Class A, Age 20)
This trade is great for both sides. Detroit has made it clear that they are in a rebuild, having already dealt J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, and Justin Upton (today), and the Astros are trying to get over the hump and win their first World Series Championship. The Astros (80-53) are the team to beat in the relatively weak American League this year, with the Indians (76-56) and Red Sox (76-58) proving to be closer to "generally good" than "powerhouse." The story isn't quite the same in the NL, as both the Dodgers (91-41) and Nationals (81-52), as well as potentially the red-hot Cubs (73-60) would fit the "powerhouse" label. The Astros have gotten where they are almost entirely by a first-rate offense which leads the majors virtually every offensive category, including wOBA (.351), wRC+ (123), and good old fashioned runs scored (735). MVP frontrunner Jose Altuve (.355/.414/.565) is backed up by All Stars Carlos Correa (.320/.400/.566) and George Springer (.290/.368/.540), as well as big bats Alex Bregman (.287/.360/.483), Yulieski Gurriel (.293/.324/.476), and Josh Reddick (.303/.347/.467), among others. What has kept them from being the AL's Dodgers, however, has been pitching.
Dallas Keuchel (11-3, 2.91 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) has been the ace at the front of the Houston rotation, but Lance McCullers (7-3, 3.92 ERA), Charlie Morton (10-6, 3.88), Mike Fiers (8-9, 4.55), and Collin McHugh (2-2, 3.25) have been more good than great behind him. With the addition of former Cy Young Justin Verlander, the team is now ready for a World Series run. In my opinion, he's the one piece this team needed to get over the hump into the "elite" category. Verlander may not be the same pitcher he was in his prime, but the 34 year old is in fact still better than people give him credit for. He had a huge bounce-back season in 2016 (16-9, 3.04 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 254/57 K/BB), one that very nearly netted him a second AL Cy Young Award. Though he put up pretty uninspiring numbers in his first 17 starts (5-5, 4.96 ERA, 1.52 WHIP), he's gotten back to his 2016 form over his last 11, going 5-3 with a 2.31 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He's gone at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts, and Astros fans should be thrilled to have him. After this season, he still has two years and $56 million left on his contract, with a $22 million vesting option for the 2020 season if he finishes in the top five of the Cy Young voting in 2019. With what the city of Houston has gone through over the past week, I'll be rooting for the Astros until they (hopefully) square off against the Nationals in the World Series.
The Tigers rebuild really got a boost with this trade, as they picked up three quality prospects for their ace. Right hander Franklin Perez is both the youngest and the closest to the big leagues, reaching AA this season at the age of 19. The 6'3" Venezuelan began the season at High Class A Buies Creek despite his young age, yet he still dominated, going 4-2 with a 2.98 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, striking out 53 and walking 16 in 54.1 innings. Promoted to AA Corpus Christi, he has continued to pitch well against older competition, going 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, striking out 25 and walking 11 in 32 innings. He has a moving low to mid 90's fastball and a plus curveball, as well as a slider and a changeup that will round out a starter's arsenal. He immediately supplants 2016 draftee Matt Manning (or 2017 draftee Alex Faedo, depending on who you ask) as the Tigers' top prospect, bringing ace potential with a relatively high floor. Catcher Jake Rogers was drafted in the third round out of Tulane in 2016 as a glove-first catcher, showing a weak bat in his pro debut in 2016 (.233/.341/.377 in Short Season ball and Class A), exactly as expected. However, he seems to have turned a switch in 2017, with his bat beginning to catch up to his big league-caliber glove. Starting at Class A Quad Cities, he slashed .255/.336/.520 over 27 games, earning a promotion to High Class A Buies Creek. There, over 83 games, he slashed .265/.357/.457 and even stole 13 bases, bringing his season's home run total to 18 and establishing himself as a legitimate prospect, not just a potential back-up. The 22 year old still hasn't hit quite enough to be considered a future Yadier Molina, but his stock is up and he could be a starting catcher in the major leagues. Lastly, we have Daz Cameron, the 20 year old who came to the Astros as a competitive balance pick in 2015 out of high school in Georgia, though he could have been a top 20 pick if it weren't for signability. Mike Cameron's son struggled in his first two seasons of pro ball and missed time to a hand injury, but he seems to have gotten back on track at Class A Quad Cities this year. Over 120 games, he is slashing .271/.349/.466 with 14 home runs and 32 stolen bases, showing the kind of five tool potential that netted him a $4 million signing bonus. Though he has the tools, he still needs to cut back on his 21.1% strikeout rate if he wants to reach his potential.
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