08/23/2007 2:30 PM ET
Tigers trade Monroe to Cubs
Detroit will receive player to be named later in deal
By Jason Beck / MLB.com
DETROIT -- Craig Monroe is headed from one pennant race to another. The Tigers traded their former left fielder to the Cubs on Thursday for a player to be named later.
The Tigers designated Monroe for assignment last Friday to make room for top prospect Cameron Maybin, ending the Detroit tenure for a player who had been one of the team's clutch sluggers last season. If Monroe hadn't been dealt by next week, he would've become a free agent who was available to any team that wanted to sign him.
Monroe hit .222 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Tigers this season, but he batted just .183 with 39 strikeouts over his final 44 games. Though he would emerge with solid two- or three-game stretches, he could not hit his way out of the summer-long slump that enveloped his season. He lost his starting role in left field to Marcus Thames in July, and Monroe was limited to spot starts against left-handed starters by last week.
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