TAMPA (SNN-TV) – With Spring Training coming to a close, late last night, the Detroit Tigers acquired outfielder Austin Meadows in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Detroit sent infielder Isaac Paredes and a competitive balance round B pick in the 2022 amateur draft to Tampa Bay for Meadows, who hit .234 with 27 homers and a career-high 106 RBIs last season.
Meadows joins a lineup that includes Javier Báez, who signed a blockbuster deal with the Tigers in free agency, Spencer Torkelson, one of the majors’ top slugging prospects, along with one of the game’s all-time greats, Miguel Cabrera.
Meadows is a .260 hitter with 70 homers and 225 RBIs in 375 career games over four seasons. Meadows’ younger brother, Parker, was selected by Detroit in the second round of the 2018 draft. He played for Class-A Lakeland and Class-A West Michigan last year.
Rays manager Kevin Cash spoke about the void left in Tampa’s lineup with Meadows exiting.
“There’s no doubt, no denying what Austin has meant to our club. It’s going to take the entire group to do special things to fill a lot of the at-bats that he had.”
With the move, Rays top outfield prospect, Josh Lowe finds a spot on the Opening Day roster.
The 23-year old Paredes can play second, third and shortstop. He batted .208 with a homer and five RBIs in 23 games with Detroit last season.
