Tigers acquire Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias as part of three-way trade

The Tigers have found a replacement for the soon to be suspended Jhonny Peralta, acquiring Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox. The Tigers surrender outfield prospect Avisail Garcia, who ends up with the White Sox. The Red Sox receive relief pitcher Brayan Villarreal.

By Al Beaton Jul 30, 2013, 11:31pm EDT

In response to the coming 50 game suspension of shortstop Jhonny Peralta, the Tigers have acquired slick fielding infielder Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox as part of a three-way deal with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox.

More: Dombrowski: Iglesias' defense like Ozzie, Vizquel But can he hit? Links: Dombrowski is a wizard

The deal is as follows - The Tigers acquire Iglesias from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for outfield prospect Avisail Garcia and right-handed relief pitcher Brayan Villarreal. The Red Sox send Garcia to the White Sox as part of a deal for right-handed starting pitcher Jake Peavy (8-4, 4.28 ERA). The White Sox also receive shortstop Cleuluis Rondon and pitchers Frank Montas and JB Wendelken from the Red Sox.

Red Sox blog Over the Monster wrote about Iglesias:

For as long as most fans have known about him, Iglesias's excellent hands have been front-and-center in every discussion of his possible future. The skills that make him such an excellent fielder- his hand-eye coordination, his instincts for the game and his speed- are all assets at the plate as well. So far, in 2013, he is using them on both sides of the ball and it is paying off. Many of the numbers on his stats pages right now might not be sustainable, but the approach he has used this season is.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski on Iglesias:

"We are excited to be adding a quality player to our middle infield," said Tigers President, CEO and General Manager, David Dombrowski. "He is a young player that will provide a lot of depth and has had success playing a variety of roles in the infield."

In his first full season in the big leagues, splitting time between third base and shortstop over 62 games, the highly regarded 23 year old Iglesias is hitting .330/.377/.410. He was named the American League Rookie of the Month for June 2013, batting .395 with four doubles, two triples, one home run and six RBIs. Under team control until 2018 and Peralta a free agent-to-be, Iglesias would have to be considered the Tigers' long-term solution at shortstop. Iglesias will join the Tigers on Friday.

Despite hitting only .319/.373/.319 in 23 games with the Tigers this season, Garcia is still considered one of the Tigers' top prospects. Currently playing with Triple-A Toledo, tonight Garica was pulled mid-game at the Tigers' request.

Villarreal was solid with the Tigers in 2012, appearing in 50 games, posting a 2.63 ERA and averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. But 2013 was a different story, Villarreal sent to Triple-A after seven appearances and a 20.77 ERA. He will report to the Red Sox's Triple-A team in Pawtucket.