So long, Ricky P.

Last week’s trade of Rick Porcello for Boston outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and a pair of pitching prospects (Alex Wilson and Gabe Speier) ends months of speculation about the future of Tigers’ right hander. The move helps to solidify an outfield that badly needed addressing, particularly after Torii Hunter’s return to Minnesota. However, when coupled with the likely departure of free-agent Max Scherzer, the Tigers’ celebrated starting rotation will likely regress to merely above average.  While the move is sure to disappoint many Tiger fans, it is a sound decision by General Manager Dave Dombrowski. Porcello is coming off his best season as a major leaguer, and will only be 26 this December; it is possible that he has not yet reached his full potential as a starting pitcher. However, Porcello would have been eligible to be a free agent after the season, and even without him taking his game to the next level, would have likely commanded a contract in excess of $100 million. With the Tigers’ payroll already nearly stretched to the max, it’s likely that the Tigers would have lost Porcello next off-season and only received draft-picks as compensation. Cespedes at age 29 will also be eligible for free agency after the season, so we will have to wait and see whether he is more than a one season stop-gap as a corner outfielder. While the trade is not without its risks (what trade ever is?), it seems that Dombrowski decided to leverage an asset that the Tigers were unlikely to retain beyond this season, in order to fill a position of need with an above average player. Dombrowski has already begun to address the hole left in the starting rotation by Porcello’s departure by trading for Cincinnati right-hander Alfredo Simon. Simon produced an all-star first half last season, but fell off after the break. Simon also has experience coming out of the bullpen (another area of need for the team), so it’s possible that the Tigers are still in the market for a back of the rotation starter. At the very least the move does provide flexibility in player acquisition strategies, allowing the Tigers to target either a reliever, or another starting pitcher and then moving Simon to the bullpen. The move signals Dombrowski’s continued efforts to walk the tightrope of constructing a win-now roster and avoiding a complete mortgaging of the future.