Towards the start of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays, last season's best regular season record in the American League, suddenly made a big move, and they traded main striker Austin Meadows to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for infielder Isaac Paredes and a B-round compensation draw for 2022. A day later, he signed a two-year contract extension with outfielder Manuel Margot for 19 million years.
Meadows, 26, was named an All-Star in 2019, and last year he hit a three-time .234/.315/.458 and 27 hit 106 hits. The Pittsburgh Pirates' 2013 debut No. 9 pick, which played for the Rays for four seasons, was one of the team's core firepowers. The defensive ability is his weak ring, and on the whole, it is a player who is strong in attack and weak in defense. Meadows is paid $4 million this year and has two more arbitration years ahead.
Paredes, who he bought, is 23 years old and the most suitable position is third base, but also can defend second base and guerrilla. The Mexican player's minor league trajectory is quite solid, and the Tigers originally thought he would graduate last year, but dealing with pull-and-play side shots plagued Paredes, and the record of 57 major league appearances in the past two years is lackluster and still needs to be polished.
For the Tigers, due to the fracture of the foot of the top rookie Reilly Green, who was scheduled to rise to the major league this year, it may not be until the summer to return to the team, and the outfield lineup is missing, and the arrival of Meadows in the short term fills the position. In the long run, Meadows can contribute more than 20 home runs a year, with a three-year control period, which is undoubtedly a major upgrade for the Tigers.
The new problem is that their outfields are already a bit crowded, with Riley and Aguir Bardu on the left and two outfields in doubles, while the Tigers' designated strike position is locked in by veteran Miguel Cabrera. How the Tigers outfield will allocate playing opportunities in the future is worth watching, and maximizing the value of Meadows also requires more exploration by the coaching staff.
The problem of crowded lineups also plagued the Rays, with outfield rookie Josh Lowe officially graduating from the minor league this year, but the team's 40-man roster is not vacant. This is also one of the key reasons why the Rays sent away Meadows, the team needs his ability, the salary structure can be affordable, but the development of rookies is also the focus of the Rays. When the backbone players clash with the rookie prospects, the Rays choose to replace the backbone players with future assets.
In fact, the player who the Rays originally wanted to trade was Kevin Kilmaier, the golden gloved fielder with a salary of 25 million this year and next year, if he shot, the same left-hand Medos will most likely not have to leave.
A day later, the Rays renewed his contract with the 27-year-old Margot, a player with the ability to defend the field, this year his arbitration salary is 5.6 million, the renewal price is 7 million next year, 10 million in the following year, 12 million in 2025, or the team can unilaterally buy out 2 million, that is, at least 2 years 19 million income, if the two sides agree to execute the option is 3 years 29 million.
In the past two years, he has played 172 games for the Rays, margot has hit 258/.317/.375, 11 hits 68 RBIs, 25 steals, and a cumulative victory contribution of 3.8. His contract extension means that the Radiance's outfield line-up has been formed: Kilmaier, Margot, Randy Arosarena are the starters, the number four fielder is Brett Phillips, plus newcomer Lovell.
Of the five, Margot and Arosarena were on the right, and the other three were on the left. To some extent, it can be considered that Meadows was "squeezed out", although he is certainly not the player that the Rays most want to give up, but the team must clear one of the six, and the Rays can only endure the pain of cutting the left-hand and weak defensive Medias.
Overall, both sides have some short-term emergency needs in the deal, and in the long run, it is certainly not a wrong choice for the Tigers to get a strong left-hander with a small number of chips, and whether the Rays can be valued back depends on Lowey's performance this year and Paredes' potential.