New Tiger Austin Meadows’ whirlwind week will end in Detroit: ‘I need cold-weather gear’

LAKELAND, Fla. — On Monday night, Austin Meadows was at household with his spouse and two canine seeing school basketball.

Twelve hrs later on, he was in a new clubhouse and about to place on a new uniform.

On Wednesday, he’ll board a flight to Detroit.

On Friday, he’ll step to the plate at Comerica Park in the Opening Day lineup for his new crew.

It’s heading to be a wild 7 days for the Tigers’ new remaining fielder.

“It’s very surreal and crazy how factors take place,” Meadows stated. “I’ve received to find some cold-weather equipment.”

The Tigers acquired Meadows from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday in trade for infield prospect Isaac Paredes and a 2022 draft decide on. The shift assists fill the void left by the modern harm to Riley Greene and gives the Tigers an effects bat in the center of their lineup who is group regulate by 2024.

When Meadows was advised of the trade, he talked initial with his wife, then referred to as his younger brother, Parker, who was drafted by the Tigers in the 2nd round in 2018.

“He imagined it was a joke. He really did,” Austin mentioned. “He was stunned. But he was telling me there’s a seriously great group of men here and I’m going to in shape suitable in and truly feel comfortable. It’s insane how factors occur full circle.”

Meadows put up elite numbers in his All-Star year in 2019 and very strong quantities in 2021. In in between, he struggled by means of the COVID-shortened 2020 period, hitting just .205 with 4 house runs and having difficulties in the postseason. (The Rays shed the Texas-dependent Globe Collection to the Los Angeles Dodgers).

“2020 was a unusual year,” he mentioned. “I acquired COVID in the to start with week of the 2nd startup of the small period and then experienced a minimal bit of an indirect challenge. It was a rough 12 months in general, just striving to ramp up items quick. And it just didn’t do the job out as well perfectly for me.”

Last calendar year Meadows was balanced, playing in 142 online games, and hitting 27 house runs from the center of the Rays’ lineup.

Tigers supervisor A.J. Hinch explained Meadows would be the Tigers’ still left fielder and “fit properly somewhere in the top 50 % of our purchase.”

In the meantime, Meadows and his spouse Alexis are scrambling to come across accommodations (pet-friendly kinds) and chilly-weather conditions don. They’re saying goodbye to aged pals on the Rays and making ready to meet up with new kinds in Detroit.

“We understand that it is portion of the company. We just cannot actually handle it. There have already been a pair of wives on the team in this article that have texted Alexis to welcome her and make her experience at household. So which is normally a great signal. And I know she’s hunting ahead to it just like me.”

The rest of the household is psyched, too.

Meadows is nearly five a long time older than his younger brother and they’ve under no circumstances performed with each other on the very same team. Parker concluded past period at Course A (sophisticated) West Michigan, so he’s not however near to the significant leagues. But Austin Meadows has authorized himself to take into account the risk.

“The Meadows brothers playing for the Tigers,” he claimed. “How amazing would that be?”