Detroit Tigers Acquire Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Wilson, and Gabe Speier from Boston Red Sox in Exchange for Rick Porcello
DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers today announced the club has acquired outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, righthanded pitcher Alex Wilson and lefthanded pitcher Gabe Speier from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for righthanded pitcher Rick Porcello.
"We're thrilled to be adding an All-Star to our team in Yoenis Cespedes," said Tigers President, CEO and General Manager, David Dombrowski. "Cespedes is a dynamic all-around player who hits for power, provides solid run production and will play left field. Alex Wilson is a solid performer who has pitched at the major league level and will compete for a job in our bullpen this spring. Gabe Speier is a young player that our scouts like."
Cespedes, 29, batted .260 (156x600), with 89 runs scored, 36 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 100 RBI in 152 games between the Oakland Athletics and Red Sox in 2014. He set single-season career highs in runs scored, hits, doubles, extra-base hits (64), RBI and total bases (270) and was selected to his first All-Star team this season. He batted .309 (55x178) with runners in scoring position in 2014. Additionally, he ranked eighth in the American League in extra-base hits, and ninth in RBI and doubles this past season. He topped all major league outfielders with 16 outfield assists, including four after joining Boston. He won his second consecutive MLB Home Run Derby title on July 14 at Target Field with 30 total home runs.
Over three full seasons at the major league level between the Athletics and Red Sox, the righthanded batter has hit .263 (425x1616) with 233 runs scored, 82 doubles, 15 triples, 71 home runs, and 262 RBI in 416 games. Cespedes, the 5-10, 210 lbs. outfielder from Cuba, was originally signed as an amateur free agent in 2012 by the Athletics.
Wilson, 28, posted a 6-1 record, 4.35 ERA (41.1IP/20ER) and 40 strikeouts in 35 games in relief for Triple A Pawtucket in 2014. He posted a 1.91 ERA (6ER/28.1IP) in 18 games over four stints with the Red Sox this season, holding opponents to a .198 (20x101) batting average. In his career at the minor league level, he has posted a 30-16 record, 3.82 ERA (434.0IP/184ER) and 396 strikeouts in 154 games (68 games started) over six seasons. He was originally selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft out of Texas A&M University.
Speier, 19, posted a 3-0 record, 1.55 (29.0IP/5ER) and 26 strikeouts in nine games (six games started) for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox in 2014. Over two seasons in the minors, he has posted a 3-0 record, 1.64 ERA (33.0IP/6ER) and 32 strikeouts in 12 games (eight games started) for the GCL Red Sox. He was originally drafted in the 19th round of the First-Year Player Draft by Boston in 2013.
Porcello, 25, posted a 15-13 record, 3.43 ERA (204.2IP/78ER), and 129 strikeouts for Tigers in 2014. Over six seasons at the major league level with the Tigers, Porcello posted a 76-63 record, 4.30 ERA (1073.1IP/513ER) and 655 strikeouts in 180 games started (184 games).
To create space on the 40-man roster, the contract of righthanded pitcher Melvin Mercedes has been designated for assignment.