The Detroit Tigers announced a trade on Friday evening. They have dealt reliever Ryan Perry to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Collin Balester, who is also a relief pitcher.
Balester joins the Tigers after spending parts of the last four seasons in the big leagues with the Nationals. In his first two seasons, he was actually a starting pitcher for 22 games. In 2010, he was a reliever and had a 2.57 ERA in 17 appearances. Last season, he had a 4.54 ERA in 23 appearances.
Via Bless You Boys, here is what Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski had to say about Balester:
"Acquiring Collin Balester from the Nationals today adds another good arm to our organization. He has shown the ability to pitch multiple innings out of the bullpen in the past, a role we are looking for him to fill for our club in 2012."
Perry appeared in 36 games last season and had an ERA of 5.35. Although Perry certainly has potential, he struggled with control during most of his time in Detroit. Perhaps a fresh start will be good for him.