The Detroit Tigers have a new face in the clubhouse in the form of outfielder Austin Meadows, having acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a deal that saw Isaac Paredes and a draft pick head back to the Rays.
And for Tigers general manager Al Avila, he was sure to thank team owner Chris Ilitch, who had been in the news in recent weeks and drawn the ire of the fans for allegedly being one of four MLB owners to have rejected the league’s offer to raise the luxury tax threshold prior to the end of the lockout last month.
“I’ve got to thank Chris Ilitch,” Avila said. “He allowed it to happen. He said, ‘If you and AJ think you need him, go get him.’”
“It’s a lot different than what we were doing a few years ago.”
Last season with Tampa, Meadows posted a batting average of .234 while hitting 27 home runs with 106 RBI. And you can bet that TIgers manager A.J. Hinch was happy to see the team add a “big bat” to the order.
“I know we added a big bat at a very exciting time,” said Hinch. “Being able to pull it off is very unique at this time of spring.”
Meadows and the Tigers are less than a week away from their Opening Day matchup at Comerica Park against the division rival Chicago White Sox on April 8.
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– – Quotes via The Detroit News Link – –
