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JAF373 · 05-27-2021, 02:04 AM

December 3, 2022

And we're off! I mentioned in the one of the preview posts that Mike Ford was an awkward fit on an Anthony Rizzo-occupied roster as a left-handed hitting DH with poor defensive skills and a lack of on-base prowess. The power is very real (.236 ISO), but with right-handed 1B/DH Luken Baker at AAA and Cristian Santana (last two months in the bigs) also on the 40-man, it didn't make sense to keep Ford around for another season.

Fortunately, we found a team who certainly avail themselves of his services. Detroit endured yet another brutal season and will (again) have the number one pick in the 2023 Draft. They're also in financial hell ($48.6M payroll) and badly need cost-controlled players, which Ford provides as a pre-arb player making the veteran minimum. I checked the Tigers' roster the day following the trade and noted that they had immediately plugged him into the clean-up spot in their standard lineup against RHP. He should be a mainstay in Detroit for the next several seasons.

In dealing Ford, we acquired two of Detroit's three most expensive players. JaCoby Jones ($6.8M) is in his final arb year and is a mercurial talent who was on career-high paces in every offensive category prior to multiple extended injury stints in 2022. He's had difficulty staying healthy throughout his career, but the on-field product can at times be jaw-dropping. He's an excellent fit for us in CF (60 grade, 65 range) and as a thumper towards the bottom of the lineup. He'll push out one of the younger outfield guys (for now) but offers power upside well in excess of Barrera and Herron.

Bryan Garcia ($4.3M, second Arb year) became an expensive luxury for a cellar-dwelling team after saving 25 games and blowing away hitters with a 2.21 FIP over 49 appearances. He brings 60-grade stuff and 50-grade movement and control with three "plus-plus" pitches. A 2.1 WAR in just 49 appearances on an atrocious team is wildly impressive, and he'll slot (somewhere) into the back end of our bullpen as a high-leverage and setup option with a chance to usurp Corey Knebel as the annointed closer.

We're potentially up against it a bit payroll-wise if we make a big free agency acquisition, and Detroit was gracious enough to eat a combined $2.9M between the Garcia and Jones contracts.

05-27-2021, 02:04 AM	#41
JAF373 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 256	Cubs Deal Mike Ford to Detroit December 3, 2022 And we're off! I mentioned in the one of the preview posts that Mike Ford was an awkward fit on an Anthony Rizzo-occupied roster as a left-handed hitting DH with poor defensive skills and a lack of on-base prowess. The power is very real (.236 ISO), but with right-handed 1B/DH Luken Baker at AAA and Cristian Santana (last two months in the bigs) also on the 40-man, it didn't make sense to keep Ford around for another season. Fortunately, we found a team who certainly avail themselves of his services. Detroit endured yet another brutal season and will (again) have the number one pick in the 2023 Draft. They're also in financial hell ($48.6M payroll) and badly need cost-controlled players, which Ford provides as a pre-arb player making the veteran minimum. I checked the Tigers' roster the day following the trade and noted that they had immediately plugged him into the clean-up spot in their standard lineup against RHP. He should be a mainstay in Detroit for the next several seasons. In dealing Ford, we acquired two of Detroit's three most expensive players. JaCoby Jones ($6.8M) is in his final arb year and is a mercurial talent who was on career-high paces in every offensive category prior to multiple extended injury stints in 2022. He's had difficulty staying healthy throughout his career, but the on-field product can at times be jaw-dropping. He's an excellent fit for us in CF (60 grade, 65 range) and as a thumper towards the bottom of the lineup. He'll push out one of the younger outfield guys (for now) but offers power upside well in excess of Barrera and Herron. Bryan Garcia ($4.3M, second Arb year) became an expensive luxury for a cellar-dwelling team after saving 25 games and blowing away hitters with a 2.21 FIP over 49 appearances. He brings 60-grade stuff and 50-grade movement and control with three "plus-plus" pitches. A 2.1 WAR in just 49 appearances on an atrocious team is wildly impressive, and he'll slot (somewhere) into the back end of our bullpen as a high-leverage and setup option with a chance to usurp Corey Knebel as the annointed closer. We're potentially up against it a bit payroll-wise if we make a big free agency acquisition, and Detroit was gracious enough to eat a combined $2.9M between the Garcia and Jones contracts. Last edited by JAF373; 05-27-2021 at 03:04 AM.