The other day I wrote that Detroit Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski had a tough job on his hands at the trade deadline because the Tigers need so many different things. They need a third baseman, a middle infielder, a starting pitcher, and a right-handed reliever out of the pen.

Peralta is headed to Motown

Dombrowski decided to fill one of those needs on Wednesday by getting a third baseman. The Tigers acquired 3B Jhonny Peralta from the Cleveland Indians for minor league pitcher Giovanni Soto. According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney via Twitter, the Indians will pick up most of the $1.8 million still owed to Peralta this season.

So what exactly are the Tigers getting here? With Peralta, the Tigers are getting a stop-gap third baseman, who they hope can get hot down the stretch. Peralta does have a club option for $7 million in 2011 with a $250,000 buyout and I will say there is a better chance of me playing third for the Tigers next year than Detroit picking that up.

Peralta was hitting just .246 with seven HR’s and a .308 in 334 AB’s with the Indians. At the age of 28, it appears Peralta’s best days are behind him. I don’t think we will see his 2008 season again when he hit .276 with 23 HR’s and had a .804 OPS.

Regardless of Peralta’s declining offensive skills, he should give the Tigers more then what Don Kelly or Scott Sizemore could give them.

In Soto, the Indians are getting a 19-year-old, left-handed pitcher who has a 2.10 ERA in two minor league seasons between Rookie and Single-A ball. He was the Tigers’ 21st round pick in the 2009 Draft.

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By The Baseball Index