Rangers, Tigers Swap Spare Parts
December 8, 2007 by Geoff Young
Filed under Hot Stove, Transactions
The Texas Rangers have traded outfielder Freddy Guzman to Detroit for catcher/first baseman Chris Shelton.
Who are these guys? Glad you asked.
Guzman once was known as Pedro De Los Santos and played second base in the San Diego Padres organization. Then when the visa crackdowns came along, his name changed and he aged a few years. Guzman has decent on-base skills and is fast. His ceiling is a poor-man’s Juan Pierre, but really, he’s a fourth outfielder. Actually, so is Pierre, but I digress.
Shelton spent all of 2007 in the minors after batting .273/.340/.466 for the Tigers in ‘06. The guy has some serious power from the right side of the plate. He came up through the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as a catcher but primarily has played first base in the big leagues, although he did log six games behind the dish back in 2004.
Neither of these guys should be impact players for their new teams, but both could contribute. Shelton has more offensive upside, while Guzman provides stronger defense.
Hey, they can’t all be blockbusters.
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