Media reactions to Shane Greene trade mostly positive for Tigers

Nearly five years to the day that the Tigers completed a blockbuster three team deal with the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, the teams repeated the feat. The Tigers acquired right-handed starter Shane Greene, sending left-hander Robbie Ray and infielder Domingo Leyba to the Diamondbacks. The Yankees received shortstop Didi Gregorius from Arizona in exchange for Greene.

Now that we have had a brief moment to piece together the parts of this deal, let's see what the interwebs are saying about the newest member of the Tigers.

As expected, the local media were largely complementary of the deal.

About Shane Greene:"This young man has 4 pitches he can go to w/ confidence. Has been impressive to me"-Girardi, http://t.co/C3zaK2b1Mp,9/23

— Tom Gage (@Tom_Gage) December 5, 2014

Greene: nice P body. Some funk. 2-seamer 93-96. Some 4SFB in same velo band. Also throws cutter and a slider. Number 4 starter.

— TigersProspectReport (@TigersProspects) December 5, 2014

Greene makes sense: 26, good K to IP ratio. One season in the bigs. And, yes, that would fuel suspicion Dombro will trade a starter.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) December 5, 2014

*DD looks in his wallet* "looks like I still have a few prospects in here"

— PCB (@PhilCokesBrain) December 5, 2014

Then some firmer analysis really made this sound like a good deal for the Tigers.

Hey Tigers fans @sagreeney has stupid electric stuff and you should feel lucky to get to watch him now. Terrible at fantasy football though.

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) December 5, 2014

Highest % of pitches in lower-third of strike zone or below in 2014 Shane Greene: 1st-- 61% pic.twitter.com/KTdZVhfyB4

— Mark Simon (@msimonespn) December 5, 2014

Jeff Sullivan really seems to like Greene (his whole piece is worth a read), and his summary paints a rosy picture.

But just looking at what Greene actually did, he had a better-than-average ERA, a better-than-average FIP, and a better-than-average xFIP. He also threw better-than-average stuff, so it’s not hard to make the case he’s at least something like an average starter, with upside. An average starter with upside, and six years of team control? That’s a valuable asset.

James Schmehl of MLive even hinted at Greene's upside.

Greene gives the Tigers a quality No. 5 pitcher in their rotation and is considered a significant upgrade over the half-dozen candidates, including Ray, who were initially expected to compete for the fifth starter's job this spring.

Several major league scouts are even under the impression Greene can eventually evolve into a No. 3 starter, given his electric arsenal.

Some were not so complimentary of the deal, though.

Greene is a decent enough pitcher, but his minor league numbers suggest his big league stuff from 2014 was more than is reasonable to expect

— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) December 5, 2014

@craigcalcaterra And all the Tigers got was a damn Shane Greene. Sounds like the first guy to get killed in a Western.

— MattinToledo (@MattinToledo) December 5, 2014

(Ok, Matt's tweet was actually about how boring Greene's name is, but it made me laugh.)

Honestly, I think that Shane Greene's being a bit overrated. We're still talking about a guy who has been very hittable, even in minors.

— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) December 5, 2014

And then the Doug Fister trade references started rolling in.

So the #Tigers basically traded Doug Fister for Shane Greene... #MLB

— Anthony Adams (@Aadams90) December 5, 2014

Also, this deal makes official what we've all known for months -- the Doug Fister trade didn't work.

— Dave Hogg (@Stareagle) December 5, 2014

I hope Shane Greene has a great year just so people will shut the fuck up about Doug Fister

— Larry Myrrhpy (@jason_d_price) December 5, 2014

The Tigers' trade of Doug Fister for Steve Lombardozzi (an Oriole), Robbie Ray (a DBack) and Ian Krol (a Mud Hen) makes less and less sense.

— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) December 5, 2014

All in all, however, the reaction to this deal seems positive for the Tigers. Though some are more excited than others.

I am more than fine with the rotation being Verlander-Price-Sanchez-Porcello-Greene. That is awesome.

— Rob Rogacki (@BYBRob) December 5, 2014

Offseason optimism at its finest.