Detroit Tigers begin building the 2015 roster

Detroit Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski has begun to build out his  roster for the 2015 season. Attending the annual GM meetings Dombrowski has acted quickly once again this off season. His first move was to resign Victor Martinez to a four year 68 million dollar deal. He then traded the top prospect in the Tigers' farm system, Devon Travis, to the Toronto Blue Jays for OF Anthony Gose. There are no rumors that the team is shopping C Alex Avila.

With these moves we start to see what the 2015 Tigers will look like. Once again the Tigers are in win now mode. They are hoping they can win a World Series title before their championship window slams shut. They are closer to that, and to being the Philadelphia Phillies (minus a ring of course) then they are as legit contenders for said title.

This is a roster that is still too top heavy, and that might be good for ticket sales, and that might be just good enough to win the division, However after four straight divisional titles, and four post seasons that do not end with a win how much longer will Tigers fans be content with simply winning the division. The simple truth here is the two things that help a team win in he playoffs are the two things were this roster continues to be deficient. Those two things are of course team defense and a strong reliable bullpen.

I am more than sick of hearing how this team is built for the post season. If that is true why do the Tigers lose in the playoffs so GD always!! Every other team minus the Cleveland Indians have won a World Series title since the Tigers last one won. The Kansas City Royals just won the AL pennant, the way the Tigers have been going about this clearly doesn't work.

The simple fact here is the roster is too top heavy. This was certainly true last year when they dealt away Prince Fielder. It remains true after trade deadline deals and the beginning of the hot stove season has seen the team deal away a number of its top prospects. Granted prospects in baseball are hardly known commodities but as good as the stars on this team is exactly how bad the bottom of the roster is and they need more balance to truly be considered legit contenders for a World Series ring.

Gose is fast, and he looks to be a legit Center fielder. The plan looks like he will platoon with Rajai Davis out there. However he has no bat, and he strikes out far to often to be considered a legit leadoff guy. So in effect the Tigers have added another bottom of the order guy, and it seems like he main plus to this situation is he will make the minimum salary over the next two seasons.

I am not as concerned about losing Travis as others. Since Ian Kinsler is likely going to be here for the foreseeable future and the club also has Hernan Perez. I would like to see Perez play 2015 in Toledo continue to develop while Jose Iglesisas and Andrew Romine man the middle infield in Detroit. I am ok with that situation.

It is far to early to start predicting the job Dombrwoski is doing to build out the roster for 2015. A big chunk of that will be what winds up happening with Avila. It would be nice to add another bat to the middle of this lineup.

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Should the Detroit Tigers pick Max Scherzer over David Price

Let us start with a few basic assumptions. The first and most important being is the Detroit Tigers have a budget...be that the Luxury Tax that can and will be imposed by Major League Baseball, the amount of money a medium market baseball team can reasonably spend, or the amount of money the Illitch family is willing to commit to the payroll in any one season. We do not know what that number is, but it is there.

Once we accept that as fact we have to come to the realization that while keeping both Max Scherzer and David Price in the starting rotation would be the best possible income. However  when we accept fact we come to the realization that it is highly unlikely that the team can afford to resign both hurlers, and make the necessary upgrades else where on the roster to keep this team as a playoff contender.

That of course means one of them has to go. Now neither of these two men have contracts for 2015 as of right now. It s going to take a substantial investment to get these players signed long term. Sure David Price is under team control for next year but he is still going to take a substantial offer to get him on the field for next year.

A lot of people assumed when the Tigers made the trade for Price that Mad Max was a certain goner. Given the ugliness of the contract negotiations last off season that seemed like the most likely outcome. However, it seems to me that is not what General Manager Dave Dombrowski should do.

Price is a better overall pitcher only because he is left handed. He may be the best left handed pitcher in the game today. Past that these are two front of the rotation guys who had very similar stat lines in 2014. Both can eat up innings, both can get more than their fair share of strike outs and both can be #1 guys on any team in both leagues.

The only things that separates these two guys in my mind is the level of comfort they two have being in Detroit and in this locker room and what they can bring back via trade. Scherzer is a free agent. He has six year of service and is free to sign with any team. The Tigers have zero leverage left to bring him back or get anything in return if another team breaks the bank for him. Price on the other hand could bring back a nice return and help restock this team after the disastrous Doug Fister deal and the price he cost this organization himself.

What exactly could the Tigers get in return for Price is completely unknown but I bet he could bring back a starting center fielder or a front line relief pitcher both of which are two of the bigger needs on this team heading toward this off season. I think it highly likely that Price would bring back one of those two things and a prospect or two. When he was dealt at the deadline he netted the team that dealt him a back of the rotation starter, a highly touted prospect, and a middle infielder.

Think about it like this...Given the Tigers depth at the middle infielder spot if they made that trade...Price to whomever and got back a front line reliever, they could then theoretically deal Ian Kinsler and his hefty contract to help pay for Scherzer and hopefully get another one of the pieces they need. I know Kinsler was one of the better performing Tigers in 2104 but to make the kind of improvements this team sacrifices must be made and finding a cheaper middle infield to keep Scherzer and dramatically improve the bullpen may be one the those trade offs that finally gets this team to a World Series title.

The Detroit Tigers front office drops the ball

There is a lot of blame that can be spread around given the debacle not only yesterday in Toronto, but really the entire weekend north of the border for the Detroit Tigers. I want to focus in on how the front office really dropped the ball this past weekend and left Manager Brad Ausmus down for yesterday's 19 inning marathon and how that slip could possible effect the team in the coming weeks as the Tigers division lead has shrunk to just a half game over the Kansas City Royals.

Saturday it was announced that Anibal Sanchez and Joakim Soira would be placed on the disabled list. This left two free spots on the active roster. Since another starting pitcher was not needed till Wednesday, a fill in for Sanchez, the Tigers could have called up two relief pitchers for Sunday's contest.

Now injuries happen, and unforeseen circumstances happen, but I put forth the notion that a team in win now mode should be more on top of this. Toledo is not that far away from Toronto so I do not accept Ausmus' assertion that he was not sure if they could have gotten players to the show in time for Sunday's game. Being somewhat familiar with minor league baseball players I think any number of Mudhens would have jumped at the chance to get in their cars and drive the 5-6 hours to Toronto. Mike Illitch certainly has the resources available to him to insure that his baseball team had a full complement of 25 player ready to go for Sundays game. The only real question is the status of these players being available to gt over an international border...in fact that is the only excuse that can explain away the mistake of not calling up someone from Toledo to fill out the roster for yesterday's game.

I will even allow the possibility that some unknown deadline regarding the league and how these moves are processed that the Tigers could not make all these moves Saturday night or Sunday morning. I do not think that is likely but I do not know the ins and outs of how the league deals with these matters. In fact Soira was placed on the DL today and the Tigers have yet to place Sanchez has yet to be put on the DL. That seems curious to me as it is rather obvious that both of these players were gonna miss time why not make the moves ASAP and promote arms or position players to fill out the roster.

The failure to do so leaves the Tigers short on arms heading into a series against a less than healthy Pittsburgh Pirates club where the team is no in a position where it needs to 3 of the 4 games. The problem there becomes does the fact Rick Porcello threw 36 pitches Sunday evening mess him up for his next scheduled start Tuesday. On top of that there is inclement weather in the area of Pittsburgh that could play more havoc on the Tigers depleted pitching staff.

The absolute best scenario now is for today's game to be postponed till tomorrow giving everyone another day of rest. The absolute worst thing that could happen is the game goes a few innings and then is delayed for weather wiping out a chance for a Justin Verlander, and his amazing inter league record, quality start.

Fresh arms are on their way to Pittsburgh. The Tigers announced today that Kevin Whelan, Ian Krol and Justin Miller will join the strained bullpen for tonight's game. The club had to release Casey Crosby to make room on the 40 man roster for Whelan. It is also being reported that Blaine Hardy and Patrick McCoy, who both pitched 3 innings in the marathon Sunday, are being sent to Toledo to make room for Krol and Miller. An additional move will be required to add Robbie Ray to the active roster and that is likely the assignment of Sanchez to the DL.

Sure those moves are necessary after the debacle yesterday, but I submit to all of you that those moves were necessary Sunday morning, and a front office in win now mode should have been more on top of personnel moves like this. I mention all of that before I go one to mention that this front office failed to address the concerns in the bullpen at the trade deadline.

Looking at the Detroit Tigers starting rotation for 2015

Granted it is August, and lots will change before the Detroit Tigers pack up and head to Florida for Spring Training 2015. Many things will change from now till the first pitch of the 2015 MLB season, but it an attempt to understand why Dave Dombrowski made the headline stealing deal for David Price we look at what it cost this team on the field. The other day we looked at the payroll ramifications of the deal and now we turn our attention to the performance on the field.

There is no effective way to argue that the 2014 Tigers are not better with David Price in the rotation that without him, but again we must look at our basic assumptions:

The most important of them for this discussion being it is the job of the General Manager to balance out the needs of the current team with the needs of future teams. In terms of the Price deal it would seem the biggest price paid was the loss of LHP Drew Smyly.

Smyly's loss means two different things. In the present, based on a four man rotation in the post season, the Tigers are now without another left handed reliever in the bullpen. Smyly was fairly effective in this role in the past and many of us Tigers fans still see a left handed reliever has a significant need for the current roster.

Now let's not get anything all out of whack. Smyly is a pretty good left handed pitcher and a back of the rotation starter. His stat line with the Tigers seems to support that with a record of 6-9 and a 3.93 ERA, with 89 strikeouts to 31 walks. A SO/9 inning rate of 7.6 with a 1.3 WHIP. He does not have elite stuff (and I hate the term serviceable because a team in win now mode should have 25 solid players), but the Tigers rotation is without those numbers. Granted the addition of Price makes that a non factor in the current. Price is an elite LHP and those are very rare. I would go as far as to say Price is the best left handed pitcher on this club since the days of Kenny Rogers, or maybe even Frank Tanana.

The problem, for me, starts in 2015. Currently the Tigers have just two starters under contract past 2014 (Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez). They have two more players under team control for 2015 (David Price and Rick Porcello) which leaves us to wonder who will be the fifth starter...Sure many do not value the fifth starter and think it is just another piece but for 2015 at least the Tigers will still be in win now mode and that makes every spot on the roster important.

Since there is no real way to guess what the Tigers will spend on the payroll or who they may go out and sign in the post season, we can only speculate about the fifth starter in 2015 with internal options. The first and foremost of those being RHP Drew Verhagen. I know a lot of fans focus on Robbie Ray since he was a big part of the Doug Fister trade but I am pretty convinced he will not be Major League ready in 2015.

We have seen Verhagen in Detroit this year, and it looked like a spotlight start in front of the non waiver trade deadline. However, of all the starting pitchers in Toledo currently his stat is the most impressive. He has a 6-7 record with a 3.67 ERA and 63 strikeouts. That goes along with a 1.29 WHIP.

However much like Ray this is Drew's first year at Triple A. Granted there is no set rule when a guy is ready to be in the show but it would seem that both of these pitchers need more time with the Mudhens. In fact the only pitcher with more than 2 years at the Triple A level is Duane Below. Below has seen time in the Majors with Detroit and Miami and his 8-5 record with a 3.73 ERA could make him a candidate for the fifth starter's job next year.

While we cannot argue that Dave Dombrowksi continually drafts arms that other MLB team covet, there is an overall lack of Major League ready arms in the Tigers minor league system. That could become an issue if the Tigers ever decide to stop being the free spending team we have seen them be for mush of the last five seasons. If the Tigers remain in win now mode I would expect them to sign a major league ready free agent to be there fifth starter.

The only real problem with that is it ties up more payroll dollars in the starting rotation leaving less money to address the other holes, for the time being that remains a legit left handed bat and a quality left handed specialist in the bullpen.

Taking a look at the Detroit Tigers payroll past 2014

In an attempt to understand last week's headline stealing acquisition of David Price I am going to analyze the trade from all aspects.

We start with the financial side.

Before we get to all of that lets start with a couple of basic assumptions:

1. It is good to have an elite left handed pitcher in the starting rotation and this is not about what Price can do from the pitching mound. Let us also factor in the potential improvement and positive effect he can have on the 4 other starting pitchers in 2014.

2. It is the job of the General Manager to balance out the need to win now with the needs of this team in the future.

With that being said...let us take a look at the 2015 payroll for our Detroit Tigers:

Six players are under contract for 2015 currently- Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Ian Kinsler, Anibal Sanchez, Joe Nathan, and Rajai Davis.

These players will make a combined 96 million dollars in 2015.

Two more players have club options for 2015- Joakim Soria and Alex Avila. If the Tigers pick up said options they total 12.4 million bringing the 2015 Tigers committed payroll to 107.4 for 8 players.

The payroll for the Tigers in 2014 was right around 167 million dollars. Over the last few years the ownership has increased the spending by about 15 million dollars a season. That would give the Tigers a theoretical budget of 182 dollars in 2015. If we take away the 96 million already spent they would have 86 million to spend on the 19 players they will need to fill out the big league roster. If they pick up their two options that would leave them 73.6 million to fill out their roster.

As I said the Tigers have upped their payroll on average of 15 million dollars over the last few seasons. If that average holds the extra 15 million would be needed (at least) to resign Price. Leaving the Tigers 58.6 million dollars to sign 16 players.

Now I want to add another assumption here. Dave Dombrowksi traded Prince Fielder's contract because it ate up too many payroll dollars and made the offense too top heavy. If that is true has he not created the same problem with the starting rotation? Trading away affordable talent like Doug Fister  and Drew Smyly paints him into a corner where he will spend 44 million dollars on two starting pitchers in 2015 (Verlander and Sanchez). Price will cost this team at least 15 million in 2015 and it's more likely to be close to 18. Even if being in his last year of arbitration eligibility depresses his value to 16 that would mean the Tigers will spend 60 million dollars on three starters. Rick Porcello will be due another big raise in his final year of arbitration and after dealing away Smyly who will be the fifth starter? Robbie Ray? Or does this team commit more payroll dollars to the starting rotation by signing yet another high priced free agent? Porcello makes 8.5 million this year and is due another raise bringing his total to at least 10 million. That is 70 million spent on the rotation without a fifth starter.

Now let's take a look at the supporting cast which includes Joba Chamberlain, Phil Coke, Jose Igelsias, Andy Dirks, Joel Haranhan, Don Kelly, Al Alburqueque, JD Martinez, Luke Putkonen, Bruce Rondon, Ian Krol, Andrew Romine, Bryan Holaday, Nick Castellanos, Eugenio Suarez, and Ezequiel Carrera. The Good news here is that these role players cost the Tigers around 20 million in payroll for 2014.

If we do a little math (the 96 million already committed to the six players mention above + 12.4 million dollars in contract options + let's say 25 million for role players) we can theorize the Tigers have 133 million payroll dollars committed for 2015. Which would leave 48.6 million dollars to spend. Again that is without Scherzer or Price. Since both are unlikely to sign lets count 16 million for at least one of them. Leaving the Tigers 32.6 million for upgrades. When we take off another 10 million for Porcello  that figure drops to 22.6.

The two big name Tigers free agents after this year will be Victor Martinez and Torii Hunter. I would not expect the Tigers to resign both men, and based on performance it would seem Victor has earned another deal with the club. I would expect him to fetch at least 10 million or so for 2015.

Let us also assume that Nathan and Soria both will not remain with the team past 2014. That opens up another 7-10 million dollars. For our purposes lets say that one of those two players pays for Victor. Bringing us back to 22.6 million in available payroll for 2015. that seems like more than enough to add a few pieces to the roster for 2015. Granted we have made a lot of assumptions. The game changer in all of this is how far the Tigers go in the 2014 post season.  Along with the health and decision making process of aging owner Mike Illitch who may decide to go all in in 2015, we have seen him do that before.

What these payroll queses (for lack of a better word) lead us to conclude is that in theory the Tigers could afford to resign Scherzer and Price but that seems very unlikely. It seems more likely they will resign Price and rely on Ray being the fifth starter. Or spend some of the 22.6 million on a veteran fifth starter.

Baseball payrolls are all about finding balance. Trading for Price cost the team a lot, and the biggest cost in the short term is a left handed reliever (Smyly) in the 2014 post season and longer term an affordable pretty good left handed starter. Trading away the Austin Jackson and his ever rising cost is balanced out by the performance of Carerra in the present and the return of Andy Dirks at some point this season. Along with Davis playing a majority of the time.

In the end the Price trade goes a long way to extending the window of the Tigers being World Series contenders to 2015 (even without Scherzer). We will have to wait to see how the rest of it all plays out and then ask the question if the Tigers are good enough as presently constructed to win a title. As it stands right now in August of 2014 I would say they are good enough to make it interesting.

While I have made a few some what educated guesses about the Tigers payroll going forward, what I do know is at some point this payroll bubble will collapse. My guess is that begins to happen in 2016 and I wonder how many Tiger fans are willing to trade a potential title in the net two years if the collapse brings a return of the early 1990's early 2000 Tigers or the current Philadelphia Phillies.

Detroit Tigers position by position review: First Base (revised)

I never would have dreamed a team out there would have taken on the contract of Prince Fielder even with the Tigers kicking in 30 million dollars towards it. The important thing to note is the real win here is how the 30 million will be paid and it looks like it will be in payments spread over several seasons and for a team in win now mode 5 million of bad money over the last years of the Fielder contract is nothing considering he is owed 24 million for the next seven seasons.

Of course this alters the Tigers daily lineup and the entire make up of the infield. Miguel Cabrera reportedly has asked the team to be moved back to first base, and the expectation is he and Victor Martinez will platoon there and at DH. I would also expect this team to give 27 year old Jordan Lennerton a very long look in the spring and would not bet against the team carrying him on the roster as insurance at first and a left handed bat on the bench. Of course without Prince the Tigers also need a left handed bat in the daily lineup.

I do not think the Tigers will add a free agent at first. Having Miggy and Victor as well as Lennerton seems solid enough to begin the season with. I think the big change will come at third. If they feel that Nick Casetallanos is not ready to play every day for the big club at his natural position.

Cabrera played a fine first base for four years making the All Star team twice and finishing in the top five of MVP voting three times. The move back to first makes sense for anyone who saw Miguel battle through injuries in September, and the post season. Having Cabrera and Victor playing everyday at first and or DH reminds me a lot of the years Darrell Evans and Dave Bergman played first and DH (amongst other positions). I also think Miggy and Victor will hit 3 and 4 in the lineup as of right now. That may change if they find a left handed bat to play left field. Then it would make more sense for the lefty to bat 4th with the switch hitting Martinez 5th.

It will be nice to see a little youth, even if it is somewhat experienced youth, and other guys filling out the bench positions on this team. We all wait to see who Brad Ausmus' guys are but some of the Jim Leyland guys are not likely to return. With that being said I don't see Don Kelly going anywhere. his value to the team is his ability to play multiple positions and I don't see that value declining. Kelly can also play first and fill in in later innings if need be.

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Thoughts on the Prince Fielder trade

First and foremost, while I have bashed Prince Fielder for his record in the post season and questioned his leadership skills, and called him out for how he handles the media, Detroit Tigers fans far and wide owe this man and very big thank you for his two years of service with the club. In two years he played every single game, every single one. He was also a 100 RBI guy and the cleanup hitter for a very good baseball team. Let us also not forget that the two years he hit behind Miguel Cabrera, Miggy won the MVP and a Triple Crown. He had a lot of value for the Tigers, and even though it ended poorly for him in Detroit he was a big part of their success.

Let us point something else out. This trade, by itself, is nothing more than a salary dump. Now what happens next is the payoff for getting rid of a very good player. It will be those moves that hopefully win this team a World Series title, and they will be forever linked to how those moves work out.

First and foremost the Tigers now have enough money in 2014 and beyond to sign Max Scherzer. that is very important as pitching is this club's strength and having the rotation stay together means that right now today the Tigers are the favorites to win the division once again. That means another shot at the ultimate goal.

I also think that it means Nick Castellanos will be on the big team in 2014 either at third (preferably) or in left. I also think it means Miggy and Victor Martinez will rotate at first and DH, and I like that cause I remember the days of Dave Bergman and Darrell Evans. I liked hose days and I like having older guys who don't move so good now at first and DH.

The simple fact here is the Tigers are not a better team today. That much is pretty evident but this move, getting out of that contract, opens up a world of possibilities and those possibilities should excite Tigers fans because Dave Dombrowski is very good at getting good pieces for this team. Maybe not always the right pieces but very good talented pieces none the less.

If this boiled down to a choice between Fielder or Scherzer, and I think it sorta does, I would take Scherzer all day long. That is a guy entering his prime. Fielder and Kinsler are guys on the far side of their prime. Pitching wins, and the 2013 Tigers kinda proved that had Prince stepped up bigger in the post season then that changes the equation for me. The fact is he did not. I don't think he wanted to be here anymore, and I don't think the fans wanted Prince back. There is no addition by subtraction here, the Tigers just lost 25 home runs and 100 RBI and those numbers will need to be picked up by someone. The Tigers have created another hole for themselves. they are back in the familiar position of needing a power left handed bat.

The Tigers dumped salary and given themselves the flexibility to get better in other areas. We will not know if they won this trade until that happens. The rid themselves their fan base had turned on, and who was not very popular amongst the front office. They get a do over on a ridiculous contact that should have never been handed out in the first place.

This is the first domino of the 2013 of season. We shall see what is the next to fall and if that is the resigning of Phil Coke to a one year deal, I and all the rest of you should be very disappointed.

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Detroit Tigers position by position review: second base

The second base spot on the Detroit Tigers roster has been in flux for some time. Ever since the team let Placido Polanco walk out of town without so much as on a offer following the 2009 season. It got so bad that the team had to add Omar Infante back to the roster last year at the trading deadline. That sort of made up for the rather poor decision to trade away Infante in the first palce for Jacque Jones a move that helped lead to the disaster that was 2008. Jacque would only last on the Tigers till May of 2008 and we can argue that the Tigers could have used Infante at short if not at second nearly all of that time. Granted the team had an aging Carlos Guillen, Polanco as well as Ramon Santiago on the roster so there was a surplus of infielders but I think the team would have done better to keep Infante.

Granted none of that is here nor there, and the Infante for Jones deal is hardly the only trade Dave Dombrowski made that backfired. Now the Infante is on the open market, and due a pretty big raise based on his performance for the Tigers the second base situation once again is in flux. It seems to me the first name to sign a contract this off season will be Max Scherzer and no other commitments will be made till that is done.

Infante hit .318 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI and was a nice fit in the bottom third of the Tigers batting order. However, his defensive skills are his value to the Tigers with Prince Fielder at first and Miguel Cabrera at third the Tigers need middle infielderd with range. They had that with Infante and with Jose Iglesias at short. Now they either resign Infante who made 4 million in 2013 or they go with the youngster Hernan Perez at second and save some money to address other needs. The only way I support doing so is if the Tigers go out and upgrade the catching situation. Alex Avila does not have enough offensive production to justify having him hit every day along with the light bats of Iglesias and Perez.

The preferable option is to bring back Infante, but economics might decide that. How much can the Tigers afford to pay him is not known but there seems to be a big fall off from the top free agent 2nd baseman, Robinson Cano, to Infante to the rest of the free agent field at this position. The crazy option, and Mr Illitch has been know to go this route from time to time, would be to sign Cano to a huge deal and get a second baseman and a lead off guy this roster so desperately needs.

I do not think the Tigers can afford to pay Infante anything more than 6 million dollars or so. I also happen to think there is a team out there that will offer him more. That means you take the savings where you can, and play Perez here and look to upgrade the situation at Catcher to help improve the bottom of the order. Good teams, winning teams have a good mix of high priced free agent acquisitions and younger kids that can play adequately and who have good defense. I think Hernan Perez is the likely 2014 starter at second.

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Detroit Tigers hire Brad Ausmus to be their manager

It was announced today, November 3, 2103, that Brad Ausmus has been hired to be the next

Manager of the Detroit Tigers. Ausmus becomes the 38th manager in the team's history and he will wear the #7. Ausmus was a player with the Detroit Tigers on three separate occasions for three different seasons. As a player he wore #7 and #12. At the press conference to announce is hire Ausmus commented that he picked #7 over #12 because Andy Dirks currently wears #12 and numbers aren’t that important to him.

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Detroit Tigers position by position review: Catchers

We are at the end of the 2013 baseball season. Now the game turns from the field into the front office and team work to resign, upgrade, and build their rosters for 2014. A lot of this process is on hold as the Detroit Tigers work to find their next skipper, but it is time to take a look at our Tigers see where they can save a little money, upgrade, and become a team that can get over the hump from where they are now.

We begin this look with the catchers.

Of course we already know that Brayan Pena will not be back. He made under a million dollars as the back up catcher for 2013 and after a pretty good season is in line for a raise. Usually GM Dave Dombroswski holds a press conference to announce moves like this but his time is likely been eaten up with the managerial search.  I think this move is a clear indication that Dombrowski is getting payroll wherever he can to resign Max Scherzer for 2014 at least. It seems very likely Max will command at least 15 million dollars as his value will be hurt some given the fact that he is under team control for one more season.

What that means is Alex Avila likely returns as the starter and the Tigers elevate Bryan Holiday to be his backup. Now let the debate begin. Avila made just under 3 million in 2013 and hit just .227 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI. Clearly that is not enough production in the bottom of the order, and it seems Catcher is one of the spots where this team could choose to improve itself. The hang up there is Alex's dad just happens to be the assistant General Manager. Will he do what is best for this team and urge the Tigers to pursue a free agent upgrade here or keep his son employed? That is the question.

There are options out there. If the tigers decide to go all in, to become a luxury tax team they could go out and get Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia. That is gonna take another major investment by Mike Illitch. The payroll for 2013 was 150 million, the Tigers have 107 committed right now and that is without Scherzer. Will Illitch go all in for 2014? Three million people have come through the gates of Comerica Park the last two seasons so it seems likely he is making his money back. However, the Tigers are limited in ways the other big spenders are not with their local TV deal.

In baseball you have to spend money and spend it wisely to win. Case in point the final four teams from 2013 all had top 11 payrolls as of opening day. I think this is a lesson Illitch has learned and much like the Detroit Red Wings teams he owned in the late 1990's and early 2000's Illitch is willing to spend the money to get him his ultimate goal of a World Series title.

I think it is very unlikely, however that Avila will not be back with this team. In fact I think nothing will happen till the Scherzer situation gets resolved be that a one year deal or a trade. If the Tigers want to upgrade other things outside of the starting rotation it might mean sacrificing Scherzer for the long term good. He would likely bring back at least one star player and a quality prospect. that would give the Tigers another chip to trade to make an upgrade somewhere else.

We will have to wait and see what the Tigers payroll will be for 2014, but catcher is a place they could use an upgrade. I hope that they choose to upgrade here, but to be frank there might be bigger holes. To be fair Avila's value to the Tigers is how he handles their staff, and that cannot be overlooked.

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The curious case of Prince Fielder

2013 was just the second year of a nine year 214 million deal between the Detroit Tigers and Prince Fielder. There was little doubt that this contract was gonna get ugly, but the hope of Tigers' fans was that would be in year 6 or later. By then the plan was to have at least one and ideally multiple World Series titles. Then it all went sideways. In many ways Fielder is the Tigers version of Alex Rodriguez. A guy that can light it up when there is no spotlight but wilts under the glare of post season pressure. the one key difference was at least A-Rod owned it. It makes me sick to agree with that human piece of garbage about anything but he never did what Prince did this week, and that is why he has to go. Regardless of what it does to the win now mentality of the Tigers, or what it ends up costing Fielder is a cancer that must be cut out.

It is really too bad. For a lot of long time Tiger fans Prince is still the 13 year old kid who hit a home run shot at that young age in old Tiger Stadium. Prince bring almost nothing to the table past offensive production when it doesn't matter a heck of a lot. He is a defensive liability, mentally weak, and not passionate about baseball. Any one of those things would be survivable in a baseball crazy town like Detroit, but added together (with his enormous contract) and the blue collar fans of the Tigers are never gonna get a guy making 23 million plus a year who thinks about baseball as a job.

Detroit fans are a passionate bunch, and Fielder has had some trouble explaining what it is he his feeling to the media and it makes him come off as a pompous ass. This city will not tolerate over privileged athletes unable to perform when it counts most, who also happens to be the highest paid guy on the team.

To be fair, this is not all on Prince. Sure he didn't produce, and sure he said exactly the wrong thing at the exact wrong time to the Detroit spots media, but he really shouldn't be in Detroit to begin with.

Tigers owner Mike Illitch over reacted to the season long loss of Victor Martinez in 2012. He panicked and signed a guy to a way too long contract that already had a history of under performing in the playoffs. Granted Mike Illitch's ultimate goal is to bring a World Series title to Detroit, but he knew Prince would be good for business in the regular season and struck this deal. One has to wonder what role Dave Dombrowski played in this signing...It seems very likely Illitch did this independent of his President and GM and once more got a name guy for his team. That is what he has done, or tried to do since he bought the team.

Here is something I have never understood about the Tigers' brain trust. Why is this team built like they play in a small yard? Why is there such a reliance on power? Where are the speedsters and the gap hitters that could single and double their way to 10 or more runs in spacious Comerica Park? Is it that Detroit doesn't want that brand of baseball? Is it that Dombrowski, much like his pitchers, only believes in power? Or is that the direction of Illitch himself? I think no one would care if the leading home run hitter on this team had only 30 jacks and the Tigers cruised to a World Series title, but hey that's me.

Worse is what happens to Prince's relationship with the fans if his huge contract forces the early departure of Max Scherzer. How would Tigers fans react if Mad Max wins the American League Cy Young and then is traded in the off season. More than a few phone calls to local Detroit sports radio shows and more than a few boos are sure to be the fallout of that.

Granted, Prince is going through a divorce and given the relationship with his own father we can imagine how hard that is for him, but the fans sympathy is only going to go so far. Prince could have avoided a lot of these problems by not signing a huge contract with a team his Daddy played for. He and the team created an almost no win situation when they did so, and its ok for Prince to go after the money. I take no issue with that, but he has to understand how the fans in this town are going to view this.

The situation is bad now, and this is not likely to get any better. The best thing for Prince would be to hit a memorable home run in the post season that clinches a pennant of puts his team ahead in the World Series, he will likely get that chance, and then he can rewrite his narrative. Since the Tigers are likely stuck with this contract maybe its best for him to retreat to Florida, get his personal life straightened out, and put in some hard work this off season and in spring training try to win back some of the fans goodwill. If that matters to him, and its ok if it doesn't, but the boos will only get louder if that is the case.

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If I were Mike Illitch....

The news coming out of the Detroit Tigers today is that Jim Leyland is out as the Manager and that changes things greatly of how I would handle the off season if I were lucky enough to own the Detroit Tigers. Since it now seems likely that this team needs a manager and likely an entire new coaching staff my list of the people I would offer this job to wold include Kirk Gibson, Tony La Russa, and Dusty Baker. Not sure how likely any of those choices are right now but that is where I would start looking for my new skipper.

Past that I would make a few personnel changes, and I would have my front office working double time to start looking at where this team is weak. I see three big holes right now; second base, left field, and closer. I would also say that this team needs a new lead off hitter. The hope there is you find a player to fill a hole and bat lead off.

We begin at Second. The Tigers have two in house options. they could resign Omar Infante who they like and who fits in well here or they could give the job to youngster Hernan Perez. That would give them a very young middle defense, but a good one defensively. However, having two weak bats at those two spots doesn't seem likely.

I would explore every option of trading Prince Fielder and his contract to the New York Yankees for Robinson Cano. I would much rather pay him 200 million dollars and have a lead off bat and a guy who is passionate about baseball then Fielder who isn't great defensively and is a post season bust. I want out of that deal, and I would do almost anything to accomplish that this off season. Past that I would keep options open and look hard at resigning Infante.

In Left I would give Nick Castellanos every opportunity to win that job. I would like to see him make the big team out of Spring Training and get regular starts and at bats in Detroit in April and May. I think having Andy Dirks to push him is enough, but I would not rule out inviting someone to Training Camp to push the two of them.

If I am Illitch, and I am near the end, and I want to win a ring before that happens 2014 is an all in year for me. Not only would I resign Maz Scherzer to whatever amount of money keeps him here next year, but I give Dave Dombrowski enough payroll room to go get a legit big time closer. Not knowing the free agent market of yet I do not have a name, but I want a stud. I resign Joaquin Benoit as the set up guy. I also give Bruce Rondon a shot to make the pen as a 7th inning guy for seasoning. Phil Coke is out, and I would want Drew Smyly in the pen for 2014 with an eye on getting him in the rotation in 2015.  I keep Al Alburquerque, but the rest of them are tougher decisions and they need a new left handed specialist.

That is the opening salvo of my outline for a Tigers plan to get better for 2014. That is gonna change a lot but if I were Mike Illitch I don't care about the luxury tax, I don't care how big the payroll gets, I am all in for 2014 with or without Prince Fielder.

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CBS Detroit paints Prince Fielder the villain

Today, October 18, 2013, an article on the local CBS Detroit website has the headline

"Prince Fielder responding to boos, If they could do it, they would play." that headline is just part of a response by Fiedler to the assembled media and paints to be a not so nice guy. A guy playing with a sense of entitlement that gets paid a lot of money and is slumping with the Detroit Tigers 2013 season is on the line. However, what Prince actually said isn't as bad as CBS would have us believe.

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Is Jim Leyland a genius?

Detroit Tigers manger Jim Leyland, faced with a must win game four in the 2013 ALCS, made a huge move. Not so much in who would play the game but in the better in which the would hit. Leyland is a stubborn old baseball guy, he likes to stick with the guys that got him there but a change at the top of the order was needed. Austin Jackson hitting lead off was bating just 0.77 with five strikeouts during the ALCS. Simply put not good enough. Leyland dropped him to 8th, and basically moved everyone else up a spot.

The Tigers responded. The belted out nine hits, but better yet they scored 7 runs. Jackson came up with a key situation early, bases loaded and took a four ball walk to get an RBI. Jackson would finish the game with 2 walks, 2 hits, and 2 RBI. Torii Hunter batted lead off and set the table for the high octane Tigers offense with a hit and 2 RBI.

There is no question that this was the right move, the Tigers won and that is how history is going to remember it. However, should Leyland have made this move for game three?  If he had would the Tigers be up 3-1 with a chance to shut this series out tonight? Had he made this move one day sooner would the Tigers not have wasted Justin Verlander's 8 inning, one earned run, 10 strike out performance?

Again there is litle doubt that Leyland made the right move. It was a tough situation because it is not as if any other Tigers players is really lighting things up right now. Good managers know how to get the best out of what they have, and one has to wonder if Leyland is always capable of that.

Game three was not a must win, certainly not as much as game four was. However, I learned an important lesson from the sports coaches I most admire and respect and that is you do whatever you can do win the game today. There are no throw away games, and that is more true in the post season. We have to wonder if this move came one day late. Granted if the Tigers win the ALCS it will be a question lost to history but if they fall short this might be the question that most needs answering.

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The ALDS moves to Detroit...a few thoughts

The Detroit Tigers accomplished the main goal, they went to Oakland and won one of the first two games of the 2013 ALDS. However, they wasted a gem of a pitching performance by Justin Verlander last night to put a choke hole on the Oakland A's in this series. The offense, the team lost the last week of the regular season, has yet to be found. The simple fact here is if this team does not start hitting they are not going to advance.

Among the problems, and probably first on the list is the fact that the Tigers' 3-4-5 hitters are hitting just 5-24 so far in the ALDS. Prince Fielder is 1-9 continuing a miserable post season performance we saw a glimpse of last fall in the World Series. And a not quite right Miguel Cabrera is just 2-8, and Victor Martinez is also 2-8. Simply put that is not going to get it done. These three men have the responsibility to carry the offensive load and since the last week of the regular season they have failed to do so.

If the Tigers exit the playoffs this early we have no choice but to look at the massive investment in Prince Fielder as a complete and utter failure. An overreaction by the owner of this team to the 2012 loss of Victor Martinez. It would also likely be the end of Jim Leyland's run in Detroit. He has a record of 1-8 in the World Series with this team and while he has helped them come this far it seems reasonable to argue that he is not the manager that will get them to the ultimate goal.

Granted we are not quite at the doom and gloom phase of the 2013 post season. The next two games will be played at Comerica Park and the Tigers are a much better team there, and the offense seems to like playing being there as well. The Tigers still have Anibal Sanchez (Monday) and Doug Fister (Tuesday) and have the option of Verlander or Max Scherzer for game five if necessary. However, the bats need to wake up sooner rather than later.

The Tigers can not ask for better pitching performances. Their top two starters put this team in a position to have a 2-0 lead in this series. The offense has been very disappointing, and largely absent last night in Oakland. This team let a rookie, making his 11th MLB start, shut down a lineup that features five .300 hitters and about 60 million dollars of payroll...

If the Tigers win the next two games, or wind up winning the series maybe we will not focus on this as much. However, for right now it is the story and the Tigers offense needs to work to change that.

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Should Jhonny Perlata make the Detroit Tigers post season roster?

Do we want to win a World Series ring, or take some kind of moral stand? In an ideal world we would be free to pursue both. Winning a World Series title and doing it the right way, but we live in a very complex world and winning the right way is not always within a fan bases means. To be far Jhonny Peralta stepped outside of the rules, he paid the price for that in terms of a 50 game suspension, and now is free to rejoin the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers will activate him and he will play in the final series of the year in Miami but that is likely more about due diligence to see if Peralta can handle left field at the MLB level should that need arise in the post season.

That leaves us with the question should Peralta make the post season roster for this club?

This kind of situation happened last year with the San Francisco Giants. Melky Cabrera served a 50 game suspension for PED use and was eligible to return to the team for the NLCS. The Giants took the high moral road and kept him off the roster for the remaining playoff run. He did not play verse the tigers in the World Series but he did receive a World Series ring for his contributions on the field to the Giants 2012 success.

A lot of hardcore baseball fans, and old schoolers would like to see the Tigers leave Peralta on the sidelines and rally around his loss to win a title. A lot of us do not subscribe to the win at all costs mentality. Given the situation the team is in I think there are some who do and 2013 might be time to take the biggest swing at it. The Tigers are certainly all in to win a title sooner rather than later and if Peralta can help get the team to that ultimate goal, and since he has served his sentence, it is hard to argue against using him in the post season.

As for the final three games of the 2013 season the Tigers have to see what Peralta looks like in left field. He has already lost his spot as the starting short stop to Jose Iglesias and having him in Miami could give Jim Leyland the opportunity to sit Miguel Cabera cause these games mean nothing. The have the division in hand and they are playing the Miami Marlins who are a pitiful excuse for a double a team.

If need be Peralta could play short and Ramon Santiago could play third. Or Iglesias could get some works at short and we can see what Peralta can do in left or at third if they sit Miggy. However with three right handers scheduled to go for the marlins it seems unlikely Peralta will get the start over Andy Dirks in left. It seems like we will only see Peralta as a late inning replacement.

How well he does out there will go a long way towards determining if he plays in the opening round of the playoffs.

With all of that in mind Tigers fans I ask you...Should Peralta have a spot on the post season roster?

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Detroit Tigers week in review: week 22

I do not want to press the panic button just yet, but I have my hand over it for sure. This team has lost five of the last seven and wound up the season series with the Kansas City Royals with a less than stellar 7-9 record. Once again we are seeing late season struggles against the Royals and it could wind up costing the Detroit Tigers big once again. Just like in 2006 when all they had to do was win one game to win the division.

While it is way to early to panic, can anyone honestly say this looks like a team capable of winning the World Series? I think we are all agreed 2013 is a World Series title or bust situation for the Tigers, as it stands right now I do not see a team that can do just that. Never mind the fact once we get to the Fall Classic I have zero faith in Manager Jim Leyland.

The magic number is 15, and that is any combination of Tigers wins and Cleveland Indians losses for a third straight division title. After that we are into the post season and there is not a great way to predict what is going to happen.

Overall the picture is a little more rosy. The Tigers are still 82-61, they are 44-27 at home and 28-34 on the road. It has been a pretty good year, but the expectations were very high when the season began and that could ruin the impression of this year moving froward into history.

There are no more good and bad. After 20 plus weeks we know what this team is. We know what they can do, and we know what they have done. With that being said let us take a look at the team totals as the 2013 season enters the stretch run.

• At 728 runs the Tigers are second in the AL
• 1,448 hits ranks them first in the Junior league
• 162 home runs ranks just fifth in the AL
• They have the fewest stolen bases
• With a .286 team batting average the Tigers easily lead the AL

We turn our attention to the pitching staff:

• with 82 wins they are 3rd in the AL
• 3.72 gives them the fourth best staff ERA
• They easily lead their league in strike outs
• The staff has given up the fewest home runs 

All in all pretty good numbers, and being as far above .500 as they are says 2013 was a pretty good season, but if this team fails to live up to its expectations.

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Goodbye Avasail Garcia, and hello Jose Iglesias

Dave Dombrowski has worked his trade deadline magic once again. He has swung a three team deal with the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox to get the piece that his team needed most a middle infielder and while many of us would have preferred a veteran a guy who can hit like Igelsisas and who has big range and will be under team control for the next five years is a solid pick up. The flip side of the coin is it looks like Jhonny Peralta will be lost to suspension for 50 games, and official word should come down on that very shortly.

Before we continue a look at how the trade breaks down:

• The White Sox get Garcais and maybe a prospect from Boston
• The Red Sox get SP Jake Peavy
• The Tigers get SS Iglesias 

So the loss of Peralta hurts, and makes the Tigers are worse team all around the addition of Iglesias is solid. he is the rangy Short Stop this team needs to play next to Miguel Cabrera and there is little doubt he will be the shortstop for the next few seasons. Peralta will come back before the playoffs and likely get his spot back but Igelsisas is on a 50 game try out for the job long term without question.

Iglesias is hitting .330 with little power but a guy who can consistently get on base in the bottom part of this order could help a lot. There is little doubt he is a defensive upgrade but we will have to wait and see how he helps the Tigers deal with losing their #6 hitter who was hitting .308 with 10 home runs and 58 RBI.

Looking at the cost, Garcia was a high cost to pay and to trade him within the division ups that cost significantly. However if the plan is to have Matt Tiuasosopo and Nick Castellanos as the one day everyday corner outfielders with Andy Dirks or someone else as the fourth outfielder Garcia was an extra piece and extra pieces should always be traded away to help the team win a World Series title. This feels like that kind of move. It may have been forced upon the team by Peralta's suspension but none the less on paper here and now it looks like a winner.

Of course that will change the first time Garcia steps into the box against JV and takes him long, but hey that is a complaint for another day.

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Detroit Tigers week in review: Week 15

It was a very up and down week for the Detroit Tigers. The fan base got all worked up when they dropped a series to the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park mid week, but the team rebounded nicely with a series win over the Texas Rangers over the weekend. Justin Verlander stepped up yesterday and id not allow his team to lose a series and put up another impressive performance. He went seven innings and only gave up one hit as the Tigers cruised to 5-0 victory. Still thought the team's struggles have left them just 1.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians and it doesn't look like Terry Francona is gonna let this team wilt like Indians team of the past. The tigers have made this more of a race that nit really should be, but hey that is baseball.

There are some rumors that the Tigers the interest in Tim Lincecum. It makes a lot of sense if they were going to sue him out of the bullpen, but the question becomes who would they be willing to give up for him? The Tigers do not have a lot of depth in their organization currently and the pieces they have they need on the big club to make a solid push towards the playoffs. I could see them trading away Rick Porcello or maybe even Drew Smyly for Lincecum but that seems like a steep price at this point.

For now the season is more than half over, but we have reach the symbolic half way point the Major League All Star game.  The next two weeks are going to be very interesting indeed.

The Good:

• Miguel Cabrera- he is leading the team in every major offensive category. He is a beast, and somehow out performing last year when he was the AL MVP and Triple Crown winner. Without a doubt he has not only earned his salary but maybe even outperformed his enormous contract. 
• Victor Martinez- A big part of why the offense has stayed hot is Victor in the five hole. He has raised his average to .258 with 8 home runs and 50 RBI. Think about that he has 50 RBI hitting after Cabrera and Prince Fielder. It looks like he has returned to form and if he stays hot the is one less thing for the Tigers and their fans to worry about. 
• Joaquin Benoit- those of you who think the Tigers need a closer should really look at the numbers. Benoit has 8 saves and 9 holds and a 1.64 ERA. Pair that with a K/9 of 11.74 and realize he is the closer what the bullpen needs is a solid 7th and/or 8th inning guy 

The Bad:

• Phil Coke- Not only can't Coke get outs, but at times it doesn't even look like he can throw strikes. He has struggled all year against right handed batters, but lately he is struggling against everyone. He has given up 29 hits in 29.1 inning pitched and his ERA is around 6.00, simply not good enough
• Alex Avila- At this point I would rather see Bryan Pena and/or Bryan Holaday each day then Avila. He is hitting just .177 and is a big reason why the bottom of the order struggles so much. 
• Ramon Santiago/Hernan Perez- Losing Omar Infante to the DL has really hurt the production at second. I like both Santiago and Perez defensively but offensively neither one is getting it done. Hopefully Omar comes back after the break and gets right back into the swing of things. 

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