Tigers Acquire Wilson Betemit; Designate Brandon Inge

The Detroit Tigers found their offensive upgrade at third base Wednesday, acquiring Wilson Betemit from the Royals for minor leaguers Antonio Cruz and Julio Rodriguez.

Detroit’s deal to bring in Betemit comes at the expense of Brandon Inge, whose lack of production this season prompted the move.  To make room on their roster for Betemit, the Tigers have designated Inge for assignment and he has agreed to accept his demotion to Triple-A.

Betemit had been with the Royals since 2010 when he was signed as a free agent.  Primarily used as a backup before being picked up by Kansas City, Betemit has flourished as a member of the Royals.

In 84 games last year Betemit was able to post an OPS of .889 with 13 home runs, 20 doubles and 43 RBI’s.  The 29 year old hasn’t been quite as impressive in 2011, but has still managed a line of .281/.341/.409 over his 57 games played.

Detroit has been looking for an answer at third with the deadline approaching as it’s become evident that Inge just wasn’t getting it done for them this season.  The 34 year old struggled at the plate to begin the year, and then was sidelined with mono.

Since returning, things have just gotten worse for Inge.  Over the past month he’s posted an average of .074 going 4 for his last 54.

Inge has agreed to work out his problems in Triple-A and hopefully rejoin the club and become a contributor at the major league level later this summer.

While the prospects Kansas City received in the deal are not highly touted, they’ve had decent seasons for their minor league clubs.

Cruz is a 19 year old lefty that’s spent the year with the Tigers Single-A affiliate.  He’s appeared in 22 games for the club while making 10 starts.  Over his 75.1 innings pitched in 2011, Cruz has a 3.11 ERA.

Rodriguez is a catcher who was playing at the High-A level for the Tigers.  The 21 year old has spent 5 seasons in the minors where he’s produced a career line of .255/.302/.334.

For more on the Tigers and Royals, be sure to check out Motor City Bengals and Kings of Kauffman.