The Astros have acquired right-hander David Paulino from the Tigers as the player to be named later from the July trade that sent Jose Veras to Detroit, tweets MLB.com's Jason Beck. The Astros received outfield prospect Danry Vasquez as the centerpiece of the trade.
Paulino, 19, made four starts for the Tigers' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate this season and was very impressive in the process. The Dominican native allowed six runs in 20 innings for a 2.70 ERA with an impressive 22-to-2 K/BB ratio. In a separate pair of tweets, Beck notes that Paulino last pitched in mid-July and is currently on the 60-day disabled list in the GCL after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Astros like Paulino's power arm and feel the injury is worth the risk. The trade will separate David from his older brother, Brenny Paulino, who has yet to pitch this year after missing 2012 with arm problems and undergoing shoulder surgery last June.
Since joining the Tigers, Veras has posted a 2.76 ERA with 12 strikeouts and six walks in 16 1/3 innings of relief. Vasquez, meanwhile, continued a solid season in the Class-A Midwest League after moving from Detroit's affiliate in West Michigan to Houston's affiliate in the Quad Cities. The 19-year-old posted very similar batting lines for each club, slashing .283/.334/.400 in the Tigers organization and .288/.323/.398 in the Astros organization.
