Tigers Acquire Josh Anderson

I would have loved to see him mature just a little more in Gwinnett, but the BigBraves need Jordan. Go Braves!

Congrats to Schafer, he deserved it.

I still can't over this Josh Anderson thing though. They practically handed him the CF job and he just threw right back in there face.

Whatever, see ya buddy.

That is interesting that the Tigers would trade not only a nearly ready MLB pitcher, but a power arm pitcher at that.

Like seeing side arm guys sling shot mid 90's FB's. Masterson of Boston can ht 94-95mph with his and it must be confusing to batters when guys like Darrow and Masterson side arm pitches that hard. Rarely ever see that from pitchers throwing side armed.

Nice pickup for the Braves. Josh Anderson is like a poor man's Juan Pierre, and they didn't have much need for him with Blanco and his superior OBP already on the roster.

Wouldn't be surprised if they dealt one of Campillo/Bennett/Carlyle before the season starts as they all fill basically the same role.

The guy can sidearm 94 and the Tigers let him go? That strikes me as a bad move.

Sounds like ATL got a second Moylan? If Darrow gets called up, that could be an interesting bullpen - two power RH sidearmers, a power RH and a power LH to close...

Hmmmm .... who was that other pitcher we got from the Tigers a few back?

Oh, that was John Smoltz.

"Sounds like ATL got a second Moylan?"

That is exactly what we got. I know this isn't important but the pitching for the Gwinnet Braves(AAA) will be scary for that level.

Tommy Hanson
Jo-Jo Reyes
J. Rohrbrough
K. Medlen
Charlie Morton

Manny Acosta
Blaine Boyer
Rudy Darrow

That group is loaded with MLB caliber players

"homeofdabrave, are you serious?? Anderson hit .283, had 2 homers, 3 doubles & a triple, and played above average defense this Spring."

Yeah, along with .283 OBP. Too bad you can't steal first. And disregarding his weak arm, he did play pretty good defense.

But still, he wasn't impressive and wasn't playing like a man trying to win a starting job.

bravoboy10, Darrow is going to AA not AAA this year.

homeofdabrave, he played well enough to make another major league team, an possibly start somewhere, he just didn't play better than Schafer. You're being obtuse if you think it was good riddance to get rid of him.

Rudy Darrow will go to AA Mississippi, he just texted a friend: http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/03/30/smoltz-back-in-braves-camp-sort-of/comment-page-4/#comment-38275 and 2 comments down.

and Frank Wren keeps on doing amazing things this off/pre season. 2 more thumbs up. I would be very comfortable with Wren running the helm, he has done such a good job. To think many Atlanta Braves fans wanted him fired just two months ago. Then, two middle of the rotation and one top of the rotation starter later, and one more fleecing of Detroit later, and he is the man with the plan.

This whole offseason I've really liked Wren's moves. I didn't completely understand the discontent that arose a couple months ago.

The Braves are looking pretty good right about now.

nrmax has never been one to come on here and mindlessly bash Braves fans.

And he's often defended Wren's moves against the bashing of many of those same Braves fans.

I agree that it's a bit of an odd move. I can only assume that Dombrowski is planning on moving an OF since there's a bit of a glut and a guy (Clete?) out of options. And it it's true that Darrow is nothing special then that label can also be applied to Josh Anderson.

Good move on the braves part!

Bravoboy, the AAA staff looks very strong. Their are a lot of MLB ready guys there, but Boyer cant be one of them. He's out of options. Im sure he'll make the team, but if he doesnt they'll have to trade or release him. No way he makes it through waivers in order to get sent down

With the potential that Schaefer has, it really was his job to lose. Sure, it would've been easy and convenient if Anderson came out and put on a show, but did anyone here really think Anderson would ever be better than Schaefer? He just proved that he was ready to show the talent everyone knows he has.

And great move for Wren. This guy has had a great run as the Braves GM so far, starting with his first fleecing of Dombrowski in the Renteria for Jurrjens/Hernandez deal. He's taken a team that I thought would maybe sniff third place to a team I fully believe can contend for both the division and the wild card.

" Anderson helps the Tigers in 3 areas: he bats left handed, can play center field, and has a lot of speed. Darrow is nothing special."

Im sorry i don't get this. Doesn't Detroit already have a guy named Granderson who can do all three of these things but only better then Anderson ?

"Haha this move is horrible. Why are the Tigers giving up PITCHING?!? They need pitching. Plus they have a CF, his name is Curtis Granderson, he bats left, he has speed, and he plays good defense."

Yeah, I really think giving up Darrow is what makes the move so questionable.

They already have a set outfield with Guillen, Granderson and Ordonez, and Clevlen and Raburn make up a fine bench.

Anderson does give them a decent player, but the Tigers really need pitching help, and I really don't see how Anderson helps them any more than Darrow could have.

Dombrowski has made some really questionable moves in the past two years, and that doesn't even include the questionable Sheffield and Bonderman extensions. The Renteria and Cabrera/Willis trades haven't worked out (Renteria trade=complete disaster), and giving extensions to Cabrera, Willis and Robertson appear to have been mistakes. Cabrera, as an all hit-no defense player, would've gotten substantially less money in an extension after this winter.

I think it might be time to seriously consider a regime change in Detroit, one that will build around pitching and defense, rather than offensive firepower.

Typekey sickens me. Sorry for the double post.

"Yeah, I really think giving up Darrow is what makes the move so questionable.

They already have a set outfield with Guillen, Granderson and Ordonez, and Clevlen and Raburn make up a fine bench.

Anderson does give them a decent player, but the Tigers really need pitching help, and I really don't see how Anderson helps them any more than Darrow could have.

Dombrowski has made some really questionable moves in the past two years, and that doesn't even include the questionable Sheffield and Bonderman extensions. The Renteria and Cabrera/Willis trades haven't worked out (Renteria trade=complete disaster), and giving extensions to Cabrera, Willis and Robertson appear to have been mistakes. Cabrera, as an all hit-no defense player, would've gotten substantially less money in an extension after this winter.

I think it might be time to seriously consider a regime change in Detroit, one that will build around pitching and defense, rather than offensive firepower."

Exactly, it is just fishy. All of this is fishy. The Tigers don't really have any need for Anderson, as you mentioned, and it does seem quite curious that this team seems to be built around hitters, in such a big ball park. That said though, a couple of years back this team looked like it was good to go with pitching. Verlander and Bonderman looked to be a legit 1/2 combo of the future, Nate Robertson looked to be a solid 3/4 innings eater type, they had Zumaya at the back of the pen, and Jurrjens on the way (as of 2006). A combination of some very bad moves and some horrible luck has really hamstrung this franchise.

lueds20- I think it is more likely to be KJ then Yunel with Schafer in the 8th spot, but I agree with you.

Good questions lueds. The BRaves have some versatility in their lineup, they can bat KJ or Escobar 1st, or 2nd, Chipper I'm sure is in there at 3. What is really scary is next year they can have a lineup that looks something like .... Schafer, Escobar, Chipper, McCann, Heyward, Kotchman, KJ, and Frenchie. This with a rotation of Hudson, Lowe, Jurrjens, Vazquez, and Kawakami/Hanson.....and Freeman, Rohrbough, Locke, Sumoza, Gorkys, all still somewhere in the system?................... WHAT????

dudetheplayer and Braves for NL East, that is why you won't see any sarcastic Braves bashing comments from me anytime soon. While you never know what the Mets and Phillies will do in the next year or so in the trade and free agent markets, as it stands right now, Atlanta is setup to win in 2010 better then anybody in the NL East, probably in all of the NL. While I don't see them dominating the division like they did through the 90's because the Phillies and Mets are both much more competitive now then they were then, and seemingly much more committed to winning, Atlanta is certainly nothing to laugh at, not by a longshot. Heyward reminds me of Ken Griffey Jr. Hanson looks like a stud, this is going to be a fun team to watch very, very soon.

"That said though, a couple of years back this team looked like it was good to go with pitching. Verlander and Bonderman looked to be a legit 1/2 combo of the future, Nate Robertson looked to be a solid 3/4 innings eater type, they had Zumaya at the back of the pen, and Jurrjens on the way (as of 2006). A combination of some very bad moves and some horrible luck has really hamstrung this franchise."

And since then they've made questionable move after questionable move.

Zumaya and Bonderman, I don't blame them for.

But otherwise, they've just made some awful moves in terms of pitching. They gave up Jurrjens when it wasn't clear that they had a ton of pitching depth, in order to add a shortstop on a one year deal who was clearly declining defensively.

They signed Robertson to a 3 year deal, despite the fact that the lowest FIP he's ever posted was the 4.52 mark he posted in 2004, his first year in the rotation. They did the same with Willis, in spite of clear indications that he wouldn't come close to meeting the value of the contract.

The Willis and Robertson deals looked bad from the moment the ink dried, and it made no sense to fork over so much money to such questionable starters.

Scribbletone, no argument from me there. I just thought it was interesting how Detroit looked all set with their starting pitching in 2006. Trading Jurrjens was awful, the Robertson and Willis contracts are awful, Bonderman's injuries haven't helped matters, and now Verlanders struggles in 2008 and this team is just a mess. Shed some payroll and try to get some arms in there next year. Develop your own arms but I would go after a semi big name pitcher if I was Detroit, maybe Lackey. You would think it would be relatively easy to convince a pitcher to come to Comerica, even if there is some good offense in that division.

When the Tigers drafted Porcello in summer 2007, pundits pronounced the 2010 Tiger rotation "terrifying."

Pitching is perishable. Now the only thing terrifying about the 2010 Tigers is the payroll for old, immobile players.

Suppose the 2009 Tigers are as bad as they look, and are 20 games below .500 in June. At that point the highest priority is to dump salary. Magglio's options will vest unless the Tigers get lucky (meaning a significant injury early this season). Guillen, Robertson, Inge, Sheffield, Bonderman, the list goes on. None of these would return a baseball player.

The Tigers have three good young players. Two of them are valuable assets anyone would want (Granderson, Verlander) and the other comes with an unattractive long term contract (Cabrera).

Maybe the Tigers plan to clean house, lose 100 games, and start again with youth and a small payroll in 2010. To get anyone to take the bad contracts the Tigers may have to package them with the good...Ordonez and Granderson. Verlander and Guillen.

In that 2010 post-apocalypse team, Josh Anderson is the centerfielder, at popular prices.

I just think the big thing with the Willis and Robertson extensions is that they NEVER EVER EVER made sense.

At least with the Bonderman and Sheffield deals, they seemed to be pretty logical at the time.

I don't see the logical at all whatsoever for either of the other signings though. Simply awful evaluation by that front office.

"And speaking of pitching, how does Aaron Heilman look Scribble? I heard he got beat out by Marshall for the 5th spot, but how is he pitching so far?"

I really didn't expect Heilman to beat out Marshall. Lou probably wanted that second lefty in the rotation, and Heilman profiles better for the back of the bullpen anyways. Marshall has been better this spring anyways, although both of them have been quite good.

I really think Heilman is a guy that can bounce back and be an effective late inning pitcher in Chicago. I'm not really sure what happened to him last year, but that 5.45 BB/9 was wayyy out of line with the performance level he had previously set. He just received some pretty bad luck last year, and compounded it by losing his command a bit.

Heilman has pitched pretty well this spring (2.30 ERA in 15.2 innings, 18/6 K/BB ratio) and I think there's good reason to believe that he'll find a better comfort level in Chicago, thus returning to his more successful 2005-2007 version of himself.

"I think it might be time to seriously consider a regime change in Detroit, one that will build around pitching and defense, rather than offensive firepower."

I really think its time to can Dombrowski. He's already saddlebagged the Tigers long term with the Cabrera signing (great player, HORRIBLE contract). The other smaller contracts (but still big nonetheless) in Robertson, Willis, etc. also are ugly.

Everett and Laird have been the only two good moves Dombrowski has made since the 2007 offseason.

And, if they were going to trade a pitcher for an OFer anyways, why not just keep Matt Joyce? Although this does sound somewhat apples and oranges like.

The Tigers' most tradeable asset is Polanco at the deadline, when they are out of contention. Someone will need a 2Bman.

I love the Tigers and a really do feel sorry for for them due to my Braves ripping them off once again. They essentially got a poor unproven Wily Taveras for a solid future MR maybe even set-up man. With Rodney, Lyon and Zumaya as the back 3 in their pen I don't know why they'd do this(especially with such a solid outfield) but maybe Dombrowski has a plan, you never know.

And with this deal done, im gonna figure one of these 2 lineups will be next sunday's:

Schafer
Escobar
C. Jones
G. Anderson
McCann
Francoeur
Kotchman
Johnson
Lowe

OR

Johnson
Escobar
C. Jones
G. Anderson
McCann
Francoeur
Kotchman
Schafer
Lowe

WHICH ONE DO YOU GUYS LIKE MORE?

If Schafer struggles then Blanco comes next. He showed he can play a very capable CF and though he hit .250, that was in his rookie year and he also showed a great batters eye, he put up a .360 OBP even with the low average. He can also steal some bags. If he can sprinkle in a few more doubles and triples he is a legit CF possibility on a number of teams. There are plenty of teams that can use a cost controlled .275/.375/.375 guy who can play a very strong centerfield and steal a few bases.

Personal Opinion:
A small mistake by the Tigers
Don't like this at all

However, there are a plethora of power arms in the Tigers' system and very few position players
That being said, from what I have heard of Darrow, he can be nasty

Oh well, hope this isn't Jurjens part 2

Tigers fans were indeed incredulous about the Renteria trade, and they questioned whether Willis and Robertson should have gotten extensions.

Darrow? Nobody really cares that he's gone. Not really considered a top 30 prospect. Maybe BA knows something we don't but I doubt it.

Tigers are building their staff back up; Verlander has his velocity back, Galarraga was gotten for nothing, Jackson I think could be a brilliant acquisition, and of course Porcello is knocking on the door. They signed Everett, traded for Laird, and moved Inge to 3rd. And now they're going for speed and D on the bench. The focus has shifted back to pitching and defense, make no mistake. The question is can they play well enough this year to get the fans to come out and avoid selling off their good pieces, because the bad contracts will cripple this team in 2009 and 2010 if they have to cut payroll.

At least this ads team speed. I don't really care about losing darrow. he would probably get injured pitching in detroit anyway.

Love this move by the Tigs, Darrow projects out to be a back end of the bullpen type reliever. I think Thomas is the only young OF with a future on the Tigs, and another year of development couldnt hurt. Meanwhile, Anderson's ability to back up all 3 OF positions and finally give Leyland a serviceable pinch runner in the late innings is the best fit for now.

Of course, if Thames isn't traded or cut then this move is mind-bogglingly idiotic. I don't see how his one tool game fits in anywhere on this team.

Aside from the Willis/Robertson extensions, I've liked most of what Dombrowski has done. I don't think anyone saw Renteria and Jacque Jones completely tanking, and I would've traded Maybin, Miller, and co. for Cabrera alone. You forget that Detroit was the laughing stock of the league for 15 odd years before he righted the ship.

Josh Anderson has some talent, but he's too streaky to be a reliable leadoff hitter. He is a SUPERB bunter though, and blazing fast, and he can get on base that way.

Posted by: FineHamAbounds | March 31, 2009 at 12:18 AM

I'm sorry but Josh Anderson is an absolutely HORRIBLE bunter. The only player on the Braves who can bunt is Gregor Blanco, who many fans hate for some reason. After last season the front office asked Josh to play winter ball (to improve his bunting and reduce his strikeouts) but he refused. IMO, that (and the success of Jordan Schafer) is why he became expendable.

I would be very disappointed if Anderson was "a long term solution in outfield" for the Ti-Cats.

The Tigers are going to win the AL Central playing ball like an NL team. Write that down...

"The Tigers are going to win the AL Central playing ball like an NL team. Write that down..."

Posted by: HighOnLife | April 01, 2009 at 12:40 PM

You sure that's life you're high on?? You need more pitchers, a slap hitting, sub 300 OBP 4th outfielder does not an NL team make.