Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a trade. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure it makes a lot of sense on the Detroit side of the equation. The Tigers traded reliever Rudy Darrow to the Atlanta Braves for outfielder Josh Anderson this afternoon.
Anderson is a left-handed hitting centerfielder who played in 40 games with the Braves last season, batting .294/.338/.426 with three home runs, 12 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. In 121 games with Triple-A Richmond, he stole 42 bases in 49 attempts, while batting .314/.358/.405.
So he could give the Tigers some much-needed speed and a lefty bat off the bench. And according to the Freep's John Lowe, Dave Dombrowski says Anderson will be on the 25-man roster, as he's out of minor league options.
However, was the team really in need of an outfielder? And at the cost of a reliever?
The sidearming Darrow pitched in Single and Double-A last season, compiling 57 strikeouts (and 23 walks) in 62.1 innings, with a 5-3 record and 2.02 ERA.
This has to be a punch in the stomach to Jeff Larish, who looked to be the favorite for that 13th position player spot. Unless he's got it and Marcus Thames is getting squeezed out. Not to mention Ryan Raburn, Brent Clevlen, and Clete Thomas. You'd have to think this officially ends Clevlen's days with the Tigers organization too, unless he decides to accept an assignment to Toledo.
Here's a profile on Anderson from yesterday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Pretty convenient for our purposes.
And thanks to our SB Nation broham Talking Chop for the heads-up on the deal. Click over there to see how the Braves fans feel about this trade.