The St. Louis Cardinals have announced that they have acquired left handed pitcher Zach Duke from the White Sox for Charlie Tilson.
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The St. Louis Cardinals are currently fighting the Pittsburgh Pirates, among other teams, for one of the two wild card spots available in the National League. With a strong farm system, they can upgrade their team without mortgaging their future. They have acquired left handed reliever Zach Duke from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for outfield prospect Charlie Tilson.
OFFICIAL: The #WhiteSox have acquired OF Charlie Tilson from St. Louis in exchange for LHP Zach Duke.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 31, 2016
Duke is due $5.5 million next season and is in the second year of a three-year deal that he signed with the White Sox before the 2015 season. He has appeared in a league-high 53 games and has a 2.63 ERA this season, striking out 42 batters in 37 2/3 innings. Duke is one of the premier lefty specialists in baseball and should help the Cardinals as they make a playoff push. He should also help them in 2017.
Tilson was the Cardinals’ number 12 prospect according to MLB.com. He’s a left-handed hitter who was taken in the second round of the 2011 MLB draft. Tilson is a very fast outfielder who has 15 stolen bases with the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals’ AAA affiliate. He has a .753 OPS in 2016 with the Redbirds. Tilson helps the White Sox improve their farm system and potentially gives them a solid fourth outfielder who might be able to develop into a decent starter. He will have to transition from center field thanks to Adam Eaton, but he has the skill set necessary to be a very nice backup to Eaton and could move to a corner outfield spot.
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