Rocio Robles
In one of a series of unexpected events, amid the MLB silence caused by the NCAA national title game, the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays to acquire outfielder, designated hitter Austin Meadows in exchange for infielder prospect Isaac Paredes and a Competitive Round B selection for future drafts.
All this in the wake of the injury of Tigers star prospect Riley Greene, who suffered a broken foot during a Spring Training game and will be out of action for at least six to eight weeks. Sources report that negotiations were brief and picked up pace around the time Greene’s diagnosis became known; Meadows was one of the hottest names on the market for Tampa Bay, who were looking to move his salary to keep their budget down.
Meadows will now be a perfect fit in the Tigers’ backfield, who already had Robbie Grossman, Victor Reyes and Akil Baddoo to start the 2022 season, and of course, Greene would also be part of this group had he not suffered a physical limitation. The acquisition of Meadows not only secures a solid bat in the middle of the batting order for Detroit, but it also allows them to take their time with their top prospect’s recovery.
Austin Meadows’ performance over the past few years
The 26-year-old had a better 2021 compared to his poor 2020 season: hitting .234/.315/.458 along with 27 homers, 106 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 29 doubles in 142 games played. With a more stable role within the organization, the Tigers hope to recapture the version Meadows showed in 2019, his best season so far in the majors (.291/.364/.558 with 29 homers, 89 RBI, 83 runs scored, 29 doubles, seven triples and 12 stolen bases).
As for Isaac Paredes, he was signed by the Chicago Cubs in 2016 as an international prospect, only to be later traded to Detroit along with Jeimer Candelario in the trade that brought Alex Avila and Justin Wilson to Chicago in 2017. He would be ranked as a top 100 minor league prospect in 2019 and 2020, and would debut with the Tigers in 2020.
At just 23 years of age, the Mexican has not been able to secure a spot on the major league roster that would guarantee him playing time. He combined for only 57 games between 2020 and 2021, in which he has a batting line of .215/.290/.302, but his potential was enough for the Rays to make the final choice on the negotiation. With nearly every infield position filled so far, Paredes will likely start the season in the minor leagues.
