Tigers Trade Right-Handed Pitcher Alex Faedo to the Rays

After coming to terms on a deal with Tommy Kahnle (not to mention Jack Flaherty last night), the Detroit Tigers apparently felt they had some flexibility to sell off a pitcher. So they’d DFA’d swing man Alex Faedo, and now they’re trading him to the Rays.

Kahnle and Flaherty in, Faedo out:

Faedo, 29, was about 9% better than league average by results last year, mostly pitching in relief, though his peripherals were much worse. He’s still pre-arbitration so he comes quite cheaply in salary, but since he doesn’t have minor league options remaining, he’ll have to make the Rays’ Opening Day roster or hit waivers.

In exchange, the Tigers are getting a 20-year-old catching prospect in Enderson Delgado who isn’t in the Rays’ top 30, but did hit very well as a 19-year-old switch-hitter at Low-A last season, and is thought to be a good defender. Nice get for a DFA’d pitcher, though the Tigers may have already known they could get some value for Faedo when they opted to designate him for assignment.

As an aside, the “cash” inclusion is a little weird. Usually, if a team were trading for a DFA’d player, they would be sending ONLY cash or a player, not both. The cash, as we’ve seen a bunch of times already this offseason in deals involving the Cubs, is basically a stand-in for the waiver claim price – i.e., paying a little extra to jump to the front of the line. The Tigers are getting a player and cash in this one. It’s atypical. Doesn’t mean anything. Just atypical.

I don’t expect that Faedo’s presence in the DFA world was holding up any other reliever moves in free agency or trade, but I suppose you never know.