Tigers Acquire Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron And Jake Rogers From The Houston Astros In Exchange For Justin Verlander
DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers announced tonight they have acquired righthanded pitcher Franklin Perez, center fielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers from the Houston Astros in exchange for righthanded pitcher Justin Verlander and a player to be named later or cash considerations.
"We're thrilled to get three great prospects from one of the highest ranked farm systems in baseball," said Al Avila, Tigers Executive Vice President and General Manager. "All three players are outstanding athletes, and they greatly bolster our minor league system. Perez was the headliner for us, cementing himself as a dominant force in each of his three years in professional baseball. Daz Cameron is someone that we view as one of the highest-ceiling players in the minors. Cameron is a guy that slipped in the draft because of signability concerns, but has always shown flashes of his dad's play. Rogers plays beyond his years, demonstrating solid pop in his bat while having above average plate discipline, and our scouts have him rated as a reliable receiver behind the plate with an above average arm.
"On behalf of the Detroit Tigers, we sincerely thank Justin Verlander for his remarkable 13 seasons of dedication to the organization," Avila said. "Justin has been the face of consistency over the course of his career, and a pillar for baseball in the City of Detroit. He is someone who I believe to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We wish Justin all the best as he starts a new chapter in his illustrious career."
Perez, 19, is ranked as the 32nd-best prospect in MLB and the second-best prospect in the Astros organization according to Baseball America and the 46th-best prospect in baseball and the third-best prospect in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline. Perez has appeared in 19 games, including 16 starts, between Single A Buies Creek and Double A Corpus Christi this season and is 6-3 with a 3.02 ERA (86.1IP/29ER), 78 strikeouts, a 1.14 WHIP and a .220 opponents batting average. The 6-3, 197 lbs.
righthander was selected to the Carolina League All-Star Team earlier this season. Originally signed by the Astros as a minor league free agent in July, 2014, Perez has made 50 career minor league appearances, including 36 starts, and is 10-10 with a 3.33 ERA (203.0IP/75ER) and 214 strikeouts.
Cameron, 20, is rated as the ninth-best prospect in the Astros organization by MLB Pipeline. The 6-2, 185 lbs. center fielder has spent the entire 2017 season with Single A Quad Cities and is hitting .271 (120x443) with 79 runs scored, 29 doubles, eight triples, 14 home runs, 73 RBI and 32 stolen bases. Cameron ranks fourth in the Midwest League with 73 RBI, while he is tied for fourth with 79 runs scored, 29 doubles and 51 extra-base hits and tied for fifth with 32 stolen bases. Cameron, who was originally drafted by the Astros in the Competitive Balance A round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, GA, has played in 210 games in his career and has a .255 (197x774) batting average with 131 runs scored, 32 doubles, 14 triples, 16 home runs and 110 RBI.
Rogers, 22, is ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the Astros system by MLB Pipeline. In his first full season in professional baseball, Rogers has played in 110 games between Single A Quad Cities and Single A Buies Creek and is hitting .263 (109x415) with 60 runs scored, 25 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 70 RBI. The 6-1, 190 lbs. catcher was originally drafted by the Astros in the third round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Tulane University. In 156 career minor league games, Rogers is hitting .254 (146x574) with 78 runs scored, 35 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs and 86 RBI.
Verlander, 34, has started 28 games with the Tigers this season and has compiled a 10-8 record with a 3.82 ERA (172.0IP/73ER) and 176 strikeouts. In 13 Major League seasons, all with Detroit, Verlander has posted a 183-114 record with a 3.49 ERA (2511.0IP/975ER) and 2,373 strikeouts. A six-time All-Star, Verlander was selected the AL Most Valuable Player and unanimously voted the AL Cy Young Award winner in 2011. He was also named the AL Rookie of the Year in 2006.