The Detroit Tigers acquired Shane Greene from the New York Yankees on Friday as part of a three-team deal that also included the Arizona Diamondbacks, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Arizona sent 24-year-old shortstop Didi Gregorious to the Yankees as the centerpiece of the deal, and the Diamondbacks acquired starting pitcher Robbie Ray from the Tigers.
Detroit is hoping it landed the gem in the swap. Greene is a 26-year-old right-handed starting pitcher who started 14 games for the Yankees in 2014. He finished with a record of 5-4, a 3.38 ERA and 1.398 WHIP.
It was his first season in the majors and he helped to stabilize an injury-riddled Yankees rotation.
Greene’s best pitch is his four-seam fastball. Per Brooks Baseball, it tops out at 95 miles per hour, though the velocity seemed to dip slightly in the final months of the regular season.
In addition to the fastball, Greene also throws a sinker, changeup, slider and cutter. Gerard Martin, a fantasy baseball writer at The Fantasy Fix, points out one of Greene’s primary flaws.
Left-handed hitters batted .281 against Greene in 2014, compared to righties who hit just .245. Improving in this area could be the key to a successful season for Greene.
The Tigers could lose ace Max Scherzer in free agency, and Justin Verlander hasn’t looked dominant in two years, so the Tigers are looking for some new arms to stock up their rotation.
Greene’s presence in the Tigers rotation could be vital alongside lefty David Price. While he doesn’t appear to have the upside of Scherzer, he provides a potentially stabilizing pitcher who the Tigers control. With his solid fastball and wide arsenal of breaking pitches, there’s a lot to like in the young starter, who is just starting his big league career.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com