Sunday, August 20, 2006

Tigers Acquire Neifi Perez

The Tigers acquired infielder Neifi Perez today in exchange for minor league catcher Chris Robinson. The Tigers had been looking for a veteran infielder since Placido Polanco went down with a separated shoulder earlier in the week. Perez is a pretty poor hitter as he was batting .254/.266/.343 in 87 games with the Cubs. He is hitting .269/.299/.378 lifetime despite playing half his career for the colorado Rockies.

The upside is that Perez has a reputation as a good fielder who can play all three infield positions. He was a gold glove caliber shortstop earlier in his career but does not have the range he once had. He will most likely take over Ramon Santiago's utility role on the roster but I suspect he'll get a good number of starts as well. He'll also be insurance in case Omar Infante or Carlos Guillen goes down with an injury. The only thing that bothers me is that Perez is signed for next year at 2.5 million. That's a hefty price for a weak hitting utility infielder.

Chris Robinson was the Tigers 3rd round draft pick in 2005. He is 22 years old and is regarded as a good all around defensive catcher. He is batting .288/.338/.367 for Lakeland this year. He is not a big time prospect but it seems like a lot to give for Perez given the latter's salary.

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