We discussed it a while back, and, while it made superficial sense for each team, I wasn’t sure the value on each side was equal. But it sounds like it’s going down:
Told Cespedes to Detroit, Porcello to Boston is done.
— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) December 11, 2014
Tigers getting Cespedes from Boston for Porcello, according to source. Not sure if anyone else included to Detroit. @cjnitkowski had 1st.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) December 11, 2014
Beck’s question is the salient one, as it would seem that Porcello has a decent bit more value than Cespedes, given his age/cost/upside, and the fact that Cespedes reportedly may not be made a qualifying offer after the season. Porcello, on the other hand, can.
The Red Sox’s reported deal for Wade Miley is still not completed, but it looks like they’re moving quickly to pick up arms in the wake of losing out on Jon Lester.
Porcello is going to be a serious extension candidate for the Red Sox, given his age and upside, so, after this trade, I would be much less optimistic about him reaching the market after 2015.
UPDATE: And that’s what I would have expected:
#Tigers will obtain minor-league pitcher from #RedSox in Porcello-Cespedes deal, source says. @CJNitkowski first reported trade.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 11, 2014
My guess is it won’t be a top pitching prospect, but a pretty good one.
UPDATE 2: And Morosi makes things even more interesting, as the Tigers may have a deal already lined up for a Porcello replacement:
#Tigers expected to trade prospects for a starting pitcher in the second (non-Boston) trade today, source says.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 11, 2014
There are a number of pitchers available out there, so it could be a wide range of possibilities. The Cubs do have some pitchers they could move, obviously.
UPDATE 3: Alex Speier reports that it’s actually two prospects going to the Tigers in the deal. And Morosi says he hears the pitcher coming to the Tigers could be from the Reds. Makes some sense, as they have many one-year guys to deal. Are the Reds about to jump into rebuilding mode?
UPDATE 4: It looks like Alfredo Simon, the least attractive of the Reds’ one-year starters, is heading to Detroit:
Source: #Tigers getting Alfredo Simon.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2014