Gerald Laird is no Joe Mauer. Nor is he the next Soto. Hell, he wasn’t even the best catcher on the Rangers. But what he is, is a solid defensive catcher with a cannon for an arm. He is no offensive powerhouse, but it’s not like the Tigers were getting much production from the position anyway. What he is though, is much younger and much, much cheaper than Pudge. He also allows Inge to move to third full-time. This will tighten up the Tigers defense considerably.

They get him cheap, and they get him with a short term deal. No worries about being burnt here – it looks like Dombrowski learned his lesson last year. This should help keep money freed up to bring in an ace on the staff.

Laird hit .276 with six homers and 41 RBI in 95 games for the Rangers last season. His career numbers defensively are a .984 fielding percentage behind the plate, while he has thrown out 36.6 percent of base-runners attempting to steal.

RH pitching prospects Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo were sent to Texas in return.