Baseball-Mets land Cuban slugger Cespedes at trade deadline

July 31 (Reuters) - A flurry of deals got in under the wire
of Friday's Major League Baseball trade deadline, crowned by the
New York Mets acquiring Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes from the
re-tooling Detroit Tigers.
It has been a tumultuous few days leading up to the deadline
with contending teams beefing up, while other teams looked to
offload big salaried players and future free agents in favor of
collecting promising minor leaguers.
The Mets, armed with a rotation of top-flight young pitchers
but struggling to score runs, nabbed the power-hitter they had
longed for in the deal with Detroit.
Cespedes, who won the 2013 All-Star Game home run derby at
the Mets' Citi Field, is hitting .293 with 17 home runs and 61
runs batted in.
In return for Cespedes, who can become a free agent after
the 2015 MLB season, the Tigers will receive minor league
pitchers Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa.
The Mets are three games behind the National League
East-leading Washington Nationals and 4-1/2 games out of the
second, and final, Wild Card spot.
The Baltimore Orioles joined the trade deadline rush to
fortify for a playoff push by swapping a pitching prospect for
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Gerardo Parra.
The 28-year-old Parra is batting .328 in 100 games this
season and can be a free agent after the season.
Baltimore, locked in a virtual tie with Toronto two games
off the pace for the American League's second Wild Card, sent
Triple A starter Zach Davies to the rebuilding Brewers.
Davies is 5-6 with a 2.84 ERA for Norfolk this season.
The busy Blue Jays, who earlier made a big splash by trading
for Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies and Detroit ace David Price,
added two more pieces by obtaining reliever Mark Lowe from
Seattle and Ben Revere from Philadelphia.
The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Dan Haren from the
Marlins for two minor leaguers.
Chicago began the day two games out of the second NL Wild
Card, and fortified their rotation by adding Haren, who is 7-7
with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts this season and is a prospective
free agent.
The Twins, currently holding the second AL Wild Card,
bolstered their bullpen by acquiring reliever Kevin Jepsen from
the Rays for two minor leaguers.
The Twins sent pitchers Hu Chih-wei of Taiwan and Alexis
Tapia to Tampa Bay.
Jepsen, 31, who sports a 2.81 ERA this season, figures to be
the club's top setup reliever for closer Glen Perkins.