Red Sox trade Cespedes to Tigers for Porcello

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Yoenis Cespedes is set to don his third uniform in less than a year - assuming he isn't dealt again before Opening Day.

The Boston Red Sox traded Cespedes to the Detroit Tigers for Rick Porcello on Thursday in a four-player deal struck hours before the winter meetings were set to conclude. Detroit will also receive right-hander Alex Wilson and minor-league pitching prospect Gabe Speier in the deal.

Thursday's trade capped a flurry of moves this week in San Diego that saw the landscape of Major League Baseball change dramatically over the last 72 hours.

Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reported that the deal is the first of two expected trades by the Tigers on Thursday, with the second involving the Cincinnati Reds and a starting pitcher. That anticipated trade turned out to be for Reds right-hander Alfredo Simon.

Related: ​Reds trade Alfredo Simon to Tigers in 3-player deal

The Cespedes-Porcello swap was rumored to be in the works for several days, and on the surface appears to address needs for both clubs.

Boston was said to be shopping Cespedes and its surplus of outfielders in exchange for starting pitching after acquiring Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval earlier in the offseason. In the span of a day, the Red Sox acquired a pair of arms that figure to at least slot into the middle of their rotation.

Related: Diamondbacks agree to trade Wade Miley to Red Sox

Porcello, 26, helps bolster a Red Sox pitching staff left depleted after the club traded away Jon Lester and John Lackey last summer. The right-hander pitched to the best results of his career in 2014, logging his first 200-plus inning season with a 3.43 ERA for the division-winning Tigers.

He's projected to earn $12.2 million in his final year of arbitration after spending all six seasons of his career in Detroit. The sinkerballer signed with Detroit after the Tigers selected the then 18-year-old with the 27th pick in the 2007 draft.

Porcello joins a rotation that currently includes Clay Buchholz, Joe Kelly and newly acquired left-hander Wade Miley. All four starters rely heavily on the groundball, a trait that should serve the rotation well in hitter-friendly Fenway Park.

Related: Cespedes finally pays off for Red Sox with trade to Tigers

Cespedes, meanwhile, played just 51 games with Red Sox after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics in the Lester trade last summer.

The 29-year-old outfielder hit 22 homers and 36 doubles in 152 games last season, and helps shore up a Tigers outfield that lost Torii Hunter to free agency this winter. He's set to make $10.5 million in the final year of his contract in 2015.

Cespedes figures to occupy a corner outfield spot and hit in the middle of a Tigers lineup that also features Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez.

The Cuban born slugger owns a .263/.316/.464 slash line with 71 homers over three seasons in the majors.