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The Detroit Tigers have acquired Jeff Baker from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for two minor league players to be named later before October 31, 2012, the Tigers announced this afternoon.
The Tigers have acquired IF/OF Jeff Baker from the Chicago Cubs for two minor league PTBNL before 10/31/12
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 5, 2012
With the versatile Ryan Raburn going down, Baker will provide the same things to the Tigers with his ability to play just about anywhere on the field. On the other end, the Cubs get something for a player they likely had no interest in re-signing.
The 31-year-old Baker has spent the last several years with the Cubs and was having one of his best seasons at the plate this year. In 144 plate appearances, Baker entered the day batting .269/.306/.448 with 4 home runs over 54 games. He is also a cheap option for Detroit, considering Baker is owed just the remainder of his $1.375 million this season.