In a trade that seems to just make sense, the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox agreed Thursday to a swap of two talented youngsters who have yet to reach their full potential. The Red Sox traded Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes to Detroit along with two pitching prospects for much maligned starting pitcher Rick Porcello. The Sox recently signed Hanley Ramirez and promised him a spot in the outfield which left Cespedes expendable.
Rick Porcello has shown great potential for Detroit since coming to the big leagues after being a highly publicized number one amateur draft pick. The Red Sox had their hands forced to acquire another starter after their push for free agent Jon Lester fell short when he signed with the Cubs. Ironically it was Cespedes that the Red Sox received from Oakland last year when they traded Lester away before the trade deadline.
Both Cespedes and Porcello will be free agents after this season so this swap really is just for one season. Both players are still young and still have breakout potential.
They both however fit very well with their new clubs.
Yoenis Cespedes will get plenty of pitches to hit if he gets to hit behind slugger Miguel Cabrera in the line up. He’ll see plenty of fastballs and as fans saw in the All Star game Home Run Derby, Cespedes can hit the ball a long way when he gets his pitch to hit. Brad Reifler is already looking forward to the upcoming season.