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Reds send Young to Tigers

BOSTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Cincinnati Reds finally found a taker for Dmitri Young and added another young outfielder in the process, according to a report Friday at the baseball meetings.

The Reds reportedly sent the versatile hitting Young to the Detroit Tigers for underachieving outfielder Juan Encarnacion and 23-year-old minor league righthander Luis Pineda.

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Young, who almost always is mentioned in trade rumors involving the Reds, batted .350 with 21 homers and 69 RBI in 142 games in 2001. He is a lifetime .297 hitter but has no true position.

With the departure of Tony Clark, there is a possibility that he could end up Detroit's first baseman. But teams always seem to find a way to get Young's bat in the lineup.

In Encarnacion, the Reds get a five-tool player that has had constant trouble putting it all together. The 25-year-old Encarnacion batted just .242 with 12 homers and 52 RBI in 120 games in 2001. He seemed poised to break out last season after hitting .289 with 14 homers in 2000 but once again failed to deliver on his enormous potential.

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The acquisition is a strange one for the Reds, who already have superstar center fielder Ken Griffey, promising slugger Adam Dunn, highly touted prospect Austin Kearns and 23-year-old Ruben Mateo in their outfield mix.

Pineda went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 16 games for the Tigers in 2001 but was 7-2 in two stops as a starter in the minor leagues

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