The Detroit Tigers Have Started Winning Trades

Detroit Tigers Trade No. 2 – Willi Castro

Martín/Dowdy bWAR for Cleveland – 0.0

Castro bWAR for Detroit – 0.5

These WAR numbers don’t look pretty, but Detroit’s number seems likely to grow quite a bit over the next few seasons. This trade made sense for both teams, as Cleveland was perpetually looking for outfield help and had a logjam in the infield, and Detroit had traded away most of their infield prospects over the previous 3-4 seasons. Martín’s tenure in Cleveland was a failure, though that wasn’t really his fault. He hit two home runs in his first six games with the club, but then he missed the rest of the season with a bacterial infection that nearly killed him. He returned for 2019 but was designated for assignment after hitting just .199 with 9 home runs in 62 games. Dowdy saw an immediate velocity spike when he landed in the Cleveland system, as one does, and was later selected in the Rule 5 Draft, waived, picked up by the Rangers, and then returned to Cleveland. Willi Castro, meanwhile, was one of the best rookie hitters in 2020, and while he needs to work on his defense and plate discipline, he looks like a legitimate regular for the Tigers.

Verdict – Another clear win for the Detroit Tigers.