RSS
MLB trade deadline deal for Jose Veras fits Detroit Tigers perfectly - despite steep price
If you are expecting Mariano Rivera when Jose Veras joins the Tigers, you are going to be disappointed. There is nothing about him that suggests he is a "light's out" closer.
In fact, the way to go may be to keep Joaquin Benoit in the closer's role for awhile.
But Veras does make the Tigers' bullpen considerably better, giving manager Jim Leyland another viable option with either role in late innings.
Veras has been consistently throwing in the mid-90s this season and displayed better command than he has in the past of a solid major league career. He has also had better touch with his off-speed pitches.Veras has also been around, and he has displayed at his best, like this season, he can close at the major league level. He has shown, that at his worst, he can still eat some innings out of the bullpen. He did pitch for the Yankees during their salad days, but hardly ever under pressure. He has been a workhorse reliever for bad teams since, until this season when he has done a respectable job as the Astros' closer, a spot he was placed out of necessity.
The deal for Veras was necessary. The Tigers have been living on borrowed time with their bullpen.
They paid a steep price for him. I'm not sure if Danry Vasquez isn't a better long-range prospect than either Avisail Garcia or Nick Castellanos. He isn't the hitting prospect Castellanos is, but a much better athlete. He is 19 and skinny, but does have power potential and has stung the ball a lot better this season at Class A West Michigan as one of the younger players in the Midwest League. It's the type of deal that could come back to haunt the Tigers down the road. But the idea is to win it now.
Jose Veras should help the Tigers immensely - now.
In fact, the way to go may be to keep Joaquin Benoit in the closer's role for awhile.
But Veras does make the Tigers' bullpen considerably better, giving manager Jim Leyland another viable option with either role in late innings.
 |
| Jose Veras: Good fastball, lots of experience |
The deal for Veras was necessary. The Tigers have been living on borrowed time with their bullpen.
They paid a steep price for him. I'm not sure if Danry Vasquez isn't a better long-range prospect than either Avisail Garcia or Nick Castellanos. He isn't the hitting prospect Castellanos is, but a much better athlete. He is 19 and skinny, but does have power potential and has stung the ball a lot better this season at Class A West Michigan as one of the younger players in the Midwest League. It's the type of deal that could come back to haunt the Tigers down the road. But the idea is to win it now.
Jose Veras should help the Tigers immensely - now.
posted by Pat Caputo at
10:47 AM
3 Comments:
He is limited to LF and does have several guys ahead of him. The system is so thin that any loss will hurt but this one should be ok. Of course the ptbnl can't be a big prospect either. We get Veras for next season too. We lose Benoit, Dotel, and Coke possibly too.
I see Veras as an improvement over Al Alberquerqe as the # 3 or 4th arm coming out of the bullpen. Better command , more dependable. I'd like to see one more reliever, before the deadline.
Dave
Pat, he does provide more depth to the bullpen and poise and experience. He does handle lefties very well. I do like his secondary pitches better than his fastball. I read his teammates liked him. He is a better solution than AA and Rondon right now. The only drawbacks is some of his pitches don't go near the catcher mitt.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home