As a fan of the Phillies in the NL and, more importantly, the Tigers in the AL, this trade obviously holds great interst.
For Philadelphia, I think it's a slam dunk great move. Urbina can pitch the 8th and can spell Wagner, or step into the closer role if Wagner gets hurt. The Phils bullpen has an ERA of 5.68, so GM Ed Wade went out and got the best available arm. He deserves credit for this one.
Some Phils fans have been crying that Wade should have received more than Urbina and utility infielder Ramon Martinez. C'mon. He was trading Placido Polanco, not Jeff Kent. He wasn't going to get a quality starter for Polanco -- especially when teams are so reluctant to trade arms to begin with.
Furthermore, the Marlins were in the running to get Urbina. The Phils prevented a division rival from improving itself while giving their own pen a big shot in the arm.
For the Tigers, this is obviously an upgrade at second base -- both offensively and defensively. Polanco is a pro's pro and should be a great addition to the team.
However, Detroit is 12 GB behind the White Sox in the AL Central and 8 GB behind the Twins for the wild card. Unless the Tigers are planning additional moves off this one, or really believe they can get back above .500 and contend for the playoffs, this might be a bad trade. Polanco is signed only through 2005, and it hardly seems like the time for the Tigers to rent a player.
Nonetheless, I love Polanco as a player. He hits for average, puts the ball in play (only 48 K in his last 661 AB) and he can play a number of positions -- all well, too. He definitely improves the middle infield situation and will help the lineup.
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