According to the latest reports, the Seattle Mariners‘ Doug Fister was dealt Saturday morning to the Detroit Tigers, in addition to reliever David Pauley.
In a tweet, Danny Knobler of CBSSports reported that a deal between the two teams was on the verge of completion, which would send Fister and Pauley to Detroit for outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie Furbush, third baseman Francisco Martinez, and a player to be named later.
Okay, first, let me get this off my chest. No Fister or Furbush jokes (Casper is a funny name though).
The Tigers needed a starting pitcher badly and could’ve used another bullpen arm. What they got was a tall 27-year-old lefty in Fister with club control through 2015 with a 3.33 ERA and impeccable consistency.
For the Mariners, a trade was imminent for one of their pitchers. With one of the league’s best rotations, it was a commodity that needed to be taken advantage of. And while the return was a bit light, it addressed some positions of concern.
The centerpiece of the prospect package is 26-year-old Casper Wells, who fills an immediate need in the outfield and can play all three outfield positions. With 206 at-bats in the majors in two seasons combined, Wells holds a .286 average with eight home runs and 29 RBI.
Wells is by no means a polished hitter and has his share of issues at the plate, but he provides decent pop and an average that if replicated, would instantly make him among the best hitters on the Mariners.
Casper “the friendly ghost” is a young player who should hang around the M’s as a part-time starter for the rest of the season.
The next part of the deal, you could see it as a bit of a swap. The Mariners dealt Pauley and got 25-year-old lefty Charlie Furbush in return. Furbush is currently a reliever and has a 3.62 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched, but with the potential to be a future starter.
The Tigers have even tried him as a starter where he performed respectably well, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings to the Angels and none in five innings to Boston.
The last part of the deal provided the Mariners some potential at third base with 20-year-old Francisco Martinez. Ranked as the No. 6 Tigers prospect but not expected to be up until 2013, Martinez is a speedster with a nice bat but questionable defensive skills.
In Double-A Erie, Martinez was hitting .282 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. The strategy going forward could be throwing Kyle Seager, Alex Liddi and Martinez against a wall and seeing who sticks.
For the Mariners, the prospect package wasn’t terrible but you would have liked to see them get a bit more in return. I’m excited about Casper Wells long term, though, and he should be in our lineup very soon.
“Mister Fister” will certainly be missed, but he gains the opportunity to go to a legitimately contending ball club that can improve his 3-13 record.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com