The Detroit Tigers announced Tuesday morning that they have traded outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.
Here's the thing about the trade: it’s not the return that stings. It’s the destination. Because if there is one team in baseball that can take your flawed-but-intriguing bat-first tweener and turn him into a 3-WAR monster before Memorial Day, it's Tampa Bay. And of course, that’s exactly where Malloy is headed.
Malloy turns 26 next month. He hit .322 with a .955 OPS at Triple-A last season. In Toledo, he has always controlled the strike zone, always hit, always looked the part of a modern on-base machine.