Tigers acquire Laird from Rangers

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Tigers have received catcher Gerald Laird from the Rangers for pitcher Guillermo Moscoso and another prospect. the second player is reportedly a 17 year old who spent last summer in the Dominican Summer League. It doesn't sound like anyone of great significance but we'll learn more later today.

The 29 year old Laird has batted just .255/.306/.383 in 374 lifetime games but is a solid defensive catcher with a strong arm. He tends to start strong and finish slow which may work out OK because Dusty Ryan may be ready for more playing time later in the season. Laird made $1.6 million in 2008 and will be under the Tigers control for two more years. He should make closer to $3 million next year. I talked about the 29 year old Laird more in a previous post.

Moscoso was recently ranked by Baseball America as the Tigers 10th best prospect. He had a 2.87 ERA and a spectacular 122/21 K/BB ratio for Lakeland and Erie in 2008. On the down side, He has a history of shoulder problems, is 25 and has never played above Double-A. He's a decent prospect but I think this is a reasonable trade for the Tigers.