The Tigers have traded reliever Ryan Perry to the Washington Nationals for reliever Collin Balester. This is not exactly a blockbuster, but the 25-year-old Balester has had some pretty good peripherals since being moved to the bullpen in 2010. He has compiled a 3.81 ERA and 62/25 K/BB ratio in just 56 2/3 innings in two years. On the negative side, he had 7 Meltdowns in just 23 games last year.
The right-handed Balester has an average fastball velocity of 94 MPH and he also throws a curveball. He doesn't seem to have a third pitch which is probably why he is now in the bullpen. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski likes Balester because he is capable of pitching multiple innings and he will probably serve as the Tigers long reliever.
It's disappointing the Tigers couldn't get more out of their 2008 first-round draft pick, but I wasn't really expecting much from him at this point. As for Balester, I can't say I'm either excited or disappointed by the move. I do like Balester's 9.8 K rate the last two years, but it seems he does get hit hard fairly often. I doubt either will play a major role on his new team.
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