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Pittsburgh Pirates NL Central
Trade Details
PIRATES LAND LOBSTEIN FROM THE TIGERS Monday, December 21, 2015
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired pitcher Kyle Lobstein from the Detroit Tigers for cash.
What does it give the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Over the past few years the Pirates have done a nice job of helping talented-but-struggling starting pitchers get things back on track. Enter Lobstein, a lefty starter who was highly drafted in 2008 (second round). Shoulder issues plagued Lobstein last season, but if he can get healthy he has a chance to be a steal here for Pittsburgh's starting depth. A solid risk by Pirates management.
What does it give the Detroit Tigers?
Lobstein failed to pitch well at either the major-league or Triple-A levels last season, and Detroit's higher-profile recent acquisitions for the starting rotation (Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey) made Lobstein the odd man out. The Tigers appear focused on getting back into contention in 2016, and so clearly patience with Lobstein was not a roster priority.
Fantasy Impact
Lobstein shouldn't be on many draft lists yet, but if he starts turning things around in spring training he'll be a solid sleeper in 2016. Even if that happens he's not a lock for the Pittsburgh rotation, but he does have the talent to surprise if all goes well.
Player Focus

to Pittsburgh Pirates

to Detroit Tigers
cash