One of Dave Dombrowski's first decisions of the offseason was to move Brandon Inge back to third base, pushing Carlos Guillen to left field. The move made perfect sense: Inge is a Gold Glove-caliber fielder whereas Guillen played like he was wearing cement boots and using a frying pan for a glove.
On Sunday, Dombrowski replaced Inge behind the plate, picking up Gerald Laird from the Rangers in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects: Guillermo Moscoso, a 25-year-old righthander who spent most of last season in Single-A, and Carlos Melo, a 17-year-old righthander who's yet to pitch above rookie league.
All in all, it doesn't seem like too high of a price to pay for Laird, a capable starting catcher who hit .276 (92 OPS+) in 344 at-bats last season. He'll get the job done without being a complete blackhole and at least has the potential to be above average for his position. In Detroit's lineup, that's all they really need from their starting backstop.
With Laird out of the picture, it'll be that much more difficult for another team to pry Jarrod Saltamacchia or Taylor Teagarden away from the Rangers. For the moment, those two figure to share catching duties, though Saltamacchia could also see time at first base.
The Tigers Swap Prospects for Gerald Laird originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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