Tigers#1
02-09-2005, 03:52 PM
Tigers acquire reliever Farnsworth
Final piece of puzzle solved with addition to bullpen
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
DETROIT -- True to their February flurry of deals, the Tigers added a major piece to their relief corps Wednesday, acquiring hard-throwing setup man Kyle Farnsworth from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for three prospects.
Former first-round draft pick Scott Moore, lanky right-handed middle man Roberto Novoa and outfielder Bo Flowers are heading to the Cubs in return. Of those, only Novoa had Major League experience and projected to contribute in 2005.
The deal consummates the extreme makeover of Detroit's bullpen, which ranked near the top among Major League teams in blown saves and took significant blame for the team's 12-27 record in one-run games, which ranked at the bottom in the American League. Before the season even ended, president/general manager Dave Dombrowski pointed to the bullpen as his top priority going into the offseason.
As it turned out, bullpen moves formed the bookends of Detroit's offseason activity. The Tigers signed Troy Percival as their new closer in November with a two-year, $12 million contract. Ironically, the Cubs were one of the teams Detroit beat out for his services. Farnsworth's acquisition likely completes the Tigers' offseason activity by shoring up what had been a young middle relief group.
Farnsworth, 28, has been one of baseball's hardest throwers ever since the Cubs called him up in 1999, frequently reaching 100 mph on his fastball. Yet he has put that heater to work almost exclusively in middle and late-inning setup roles rather than closing. He has topped 70 appearances in three of the last four seasons.
"Kyle Farnsworth is an established Major League relief pitcher," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "He can pitch in many roles out of our bullpen and is a quality addition to our pitching staff."
How quality of an addition will depend on how much Tigers coaching can continue to develop Farnsworth's gifted but sometimes erratic arm. Much like former Tiger Matt Anderson years ago, Farnsworth's inconsistency as well as his struggles to develop a secondary pitch helped put him on the trading block in Chicago and created opportunities for Joe Borowski, then LaTroy Hawkins, to jump into the closer's role the last two years. Farnsworth's ERA has swung wildly over the past five years -- 6.43 in 2000, 2.74 in 2001, 7.33 in 2002, 3.30 in 2003, then 4.72 last year.
Nevertheless, he offers an experienced, hard-throwing middle man to a staff that still had several relief questions beyond Percival and setup men Ugueth Urbina and Jamie Walker. The Tigers have been counting on former closer Fernando Rodney to fill a prominent role in middle relief despite coming off Tommy John surgery last April, essentially guaranteeing him a big league spot as long as he's healthy. They're also hoping for a similar rebound from former Rule 5 draftee Chris Spurling, also lost to Tommy John surgery last year, and for the long-awaited maturation of Franklyn German coming off an impressive season of winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
Now with Farnsworth, the Tigers won't have to count as much on prospects healing or blossoming. If they do, however, Detroit could have as many as five relievers -- Percival, Farnsworth, Rodney, German and Steve Colyer -- topping 95 mph.
Though Novoa will likely provide the most immediate contribution to the Cubs, Moore is the biggest name headed to Chicago because of his draft level. The Tigers made the former high school shortstop the eighth overall selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, the first draft after Dombrowski took over the club. Though club officials saw the potential for a power-hitting corner infielder in Moore's sweet swing, he has struggled both at the plate and in the field in the minor leagues. Moore hit .223 at Class A Lakeland last year with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs and 125 strikeouts in 118 games. He was charged with 28 errors at third base.
Novoa projected to battle for a long relief spot in Detroit but was expected to open the season at Triple-A Toledo. The 25-year-old anchored the bullpen at Double-A Erie with a dominant season, posting a 7-0 record with a 2.96 ERA and four saves in 41 appearances. He limited opponents to 63 hits and 18 walks in 79 innings. He gave up 25 hits in 21 innings to go with a 1-1 record and 5.57 ERA in two late-season stints in the Majors.
Like Moore, Flowers was also selected out of high school in the 2002 draft. The athletic outfielder batted .280 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 66 games at short-season Class A Oneonta before going 6-for-22 in six late-season games for Class A West Michigan.
Final piece of puzzle solved with addition to bullpen
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
DETROIT -- True to their February flurry of deals, the Tigers added a major piece to their relief corps Wednesday, acquiring hard-throwing setup man Kyle Farnsworth from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for three prospects.
Former first-round draft pick Scott Moore, lanky right-handed middle man Roberto Novoa and outfielder Bo Flowers are heading to the Cubs in return. Of those, only Novoa had Major League experience and projected to contribute in 2005.
The deal consummates the extreme makeover of Detroit's bullpen, which ranked near the top among Major League teams in blown saves and took significant blame for the team's 12-27 record in one-run games, which ranked at the bottom in the American League. Before the season even ended, president/general manager Dave Dombrowski pointed to the bullpen as his top priority going into the offseason.
As it turned out, bullpen moves formed the bookends of Detroit's offseason activity. The Tigers signed Troy Percival as their new closer in November with a two-year, $12 million contract. Ironically, the Cubs were one of the teams Detroit beat out for his services. Farnsworth's acquisition likely completes the Tigers' offseason activity by shoring up what had been a young middle relief group.
Farnsworth, 28, has been one of baseball's hardest throwers ever since the Cubs called him up in 1999, frequently reaching 100 mph on his fastball. Yet he has put that heater to work almost exclusively in middle and late-inning setup roles rather than closing. He has topped 70 appearances in three of the last four seasons.
"Kyle Farnsworth is an established Major League relief pitcher," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "He can pitch in many roles out of our bullpen and is a quality addition to our pitching staff."
How quality of an addition will depend on how much Tigers coaching can continue to develop Farnsworth's gifted but sometimes erratic arm. Much like former Tiger Matt Anderson years ago, Farnsworth's inconsistency as well as his struggles to develop a secondary pitch helped put him on the trading block in Chicago and created opportunities for Joe Borowski, then LaTroy Hawkins, to jump into the closer's role the last two years. Farnsworth's ERA has swung wildly over the past five years -- 6.43 in 2000, 2.74 in 2001, 7.33 in 2002, 3.30 in 2003, then 4.72 last year.
Nevertheless, he offers an experienced, hard-throwing middle man to a staff that still had several relief questions beyond Percival and setup men Ugueth Urbina and Jamie Walker. The Tigers have been counting on former closer Fernando Rodney to fill a prominent role in middle relief despite coming off Tommy John surgery last April, essentially guaranteeing him a big league spot as long as he's healthy. They're also hoping for a similar rebound from former Rule 5 draftee Chris Spurling, also lost to Tommy John surgery last year, and for the long-awaited maturation of Franklyn German coming off an impressive season of winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
Now with Farnsworth, the Tigers won't have to count as much on prospects healing or blossoming. If they do, however, Detroit could have as many as five relievers -- Percival, Farnsworth, Rodney, German and Steve Colyer -- topping 95 mph.
Though Novoa will likely provide the most immediate contribution to the Cubs, Moore is the biggest name headed to Chicago because of his draft level. The Tigers made the former high school shortstop the eighth overall selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, the first draft after Dombrowski took over the club. Though club officials saw the potential for a power-hitting corner infielder in Moore's sweet swing, he has struggled both at the plate and in the field in the minor leagues. Moore hit .223 at Class A Lakeland last year with 14 home runs, 56 RBIs and 125 strikeouts in 118 games. He was charged with 28 errors at third base.
Novoa projected to battle for a long relief spot in Detroit but was expected to open the season at Triple-A Toledo. The 25-year-old anchored the bullpen at Double-A Erie with a dominant season, posting a 7-0 record with a 2.96 ERA and four saves in 41 appearances. He limited opponents to 63 hits and 18 walks in 79 innings. He gave up 25 hits in 21 innings to go with a 1-1 record and 5.57 ERA in two late-season stints in the Majors.
Like Moore, Flowers was also selected out of high school in the 2002 draft. The athletic outfielder batted .280 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 66 games at short-season Class A Oneonta before going 6-for-22 in six late-season games for Class A West Michigan.