Tigers, A's Swap Scott Sizemore, David Purcey

This deal came in yesterday, but it's one of the bigger deals we've seen so far this season so it's worth touching on. In the afternoon yesterday, the Athletics agreed to trade recently-acquired lefty reliever David Purcey to the Tigers in exchange for second baseman Scott Sizemore, as both teams search for depth.

Purcey, 29, began this season in Toronto's bullpen, but he got traded to Oakland after being designated for assignment just a couple weeks into the season. A 2004 first-round pick, Purcey brings some impressive velocity from the left side, but he struggled as a starter due to weak secondary pitches and is still adjusting to life as a reliever. He's got some nice potential given that he can hit 94 with his fastball and he's a lefty, and the Tigers don't have much else in terms of left-handed pitching options so they presumably hope that they can get something out of Purcey here.

Sizemore, 26, was the Opening Day starter at second base for Detroit in 2010, but he lost his job pretty quickly and has only recently spent time with the Tigers this season. There are some reasons to like Sizemore, though; in 170 career Triple-A games, he's posted an impressive .315/.392/.487 line. His defense isn't great at second base, but the A's are likely to see how he can adjust to playing third base. In the short-term, Oakland seems to be set at second with Mark Ellis, and long-term they're loaded with options such as Jemile Weeks, Eric Sogard and Adrian Cardenas. Expect him to compete with Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andy LaRoche for playing time at third base going forward.

Neither team is taking a major risk here, as both seem to simply be hoping that a change of scenery can lead to some better results from these two. Sizemore and Purcey both clearly have some potential, and they're both still young enough to tap into that potential.