Talk about a whirlwind day. Just hours after Devon Travis was named the top prospect in the Detroit Tigers' organization by Baseball America, he learned he was being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Anthony Gose.
Travis, 23, is a second baseman by trade, and as of the trade was an outfielder-in-training. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2012 draft. He hit .298 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs at Double-A Erie this past season. Not exactly blow-away numbers, but his overall skill set rated well enough to top an undeniably thin minor league system.
"It's something that's pretty cool to see," Travis said Wednesday afternoon. "But at the same time, it's something that means absolutely nothing."
The truth is, it wasn't going to mean anything in Detroit. The Tigers are already set at second base with Ian Kinsler under contract through the 2017 season and Hernan Perez waiting in the wings. That's why Detroit had recently asked Travis to move to center field, an area of need where perhaps he could have contributed sooner.
That idea never had a chance to get off the ground, though. With a more established center fielder becoming available in the trade market, they instead swung a trade using Travis as the bait.
The return is 24-year-old Anthony Gose, who's only six months older than Travis, but already has three years of MLB experience under his belt. Gose is a .234/.301/.332 hitter in 616 major league plate appearances, but his real value to Detroit comes on defense, where's he capable of playing all three outfield positions. They'll prefer him in center so they can move Rajai Davis to left field.
In theory, Detroit traded its top prospect for a defensive-minded outfielder who could potentially platoon. But again, it's not a deep system. In terms of overall value, it's probably a pretty close match. And even if it's a slight overpay talent-wise, it's worth it to Detroit to fill a need without spending a lot of money. After signing Victor Martinez to a four-year, $68 million deal, general manager Dave Dombrowski may have to cut a few edges, especially with a bullpen to fix.
As for Travis, his day was something of a roller coaster. Though he's happy to be getting a new opportunity, he's grateful for his time in the Tigers' organization.
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