The Tigers' elimination from the postseason should lead to a handful of postmortems over the next few days, and we've got one in this batch of links …
- The Tigers are set with nearly all of their core players under team control, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com, but they'll have to address their need for some complementary players. In particular, Detroit will have to look at shoring up second base, third base and right-handed relief. Beck also wonders whether the Tigers will consider signing shortstop Jose Reyes and moving Jhonny Peralta over to the hot corner.
- Despite recent reports that Jim Crane will be approved as next Astros owner in November, Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle is "still not sure that's going to happen." MLB, extremely conscious of its image and the the images of its teams and owners, appears uncomfortable with aspects of Crane's background, according to Justice, including past allegations of discrimination, enumerated here in a Forbes.com report.
- Although compensation negotiations between the Cubs and Red Sox are reportedly becoming contentious, Alex Speier of WEEI.com opines that the deal is virtually inevitable, because too many interested parties want it to go through.
- Brewers lefty Randy Wolf has resurrected his career the past few seasons after missing a sizable chunk of his prime years to injury, writes Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner. Wolf parlayed his brief stint with the Astros in 2008 into a one-year deal with the Dodgers and then a three-year pact with the Brewers. Houston GM Ed Wade wanted to re-sign Wolf after 2008, explains Goff, but felt he didn't have the payroll flexibility.
Mlbtraderumors didn’t report it, but Mike Illitch says he will increase payroll for next year by going after a major slugger or two. Expect Tigers to be in on Jose Reyes and Aramis Ramirez. Would be weird for Tigers to move Peralta (if they get Reyes) after a gold glove caliber year, but that’s what would have to happen. Hope he believes in team enough to be happy with move. Discontent in Cleveland after a position change made him more than happy to leave.
Peralta (if they get Reyes) after a gold glove caliber year. Hey, the Rangers got Beltre when they had Michael Young. Look how it worked out for them.
Also, I see this in the article. MLB, extremely conscious of its image and the the images of its teams and owners. This is a load of bull! Ed Wade dumps his best pitcher (Oswalt) to the Phillies and in addition pays the man’s salary. He Dumps Michael Bourne to the Braves for next to nothing. Ed Wade gets rid of the face of the Houston Astro Organization (Hunter Pence) for some prospects, not known players. Old Man Selig says nothing. To me when you don’t compete and you show your loyal fans an unwillingness to compete. This is far more important then the alleged allegations for the “New” owner. It’s absolute Garbage! Ed Wade should be fired and investigated. The only thing that Selig does well is eatin’ a trippa and suffritt’, you know, fried pigs guts. Also contemplating who’s going to win the sausage race during the Brewer’s game. That Selig can do with authority!
So MLB should make a team field a team that is unable to compete and disallow them from acquiring pieces to compete in the future? That’s a good idea.
What does your name mean there Spalding? Are you Justin Duchsherer in disguise?
Ol Justin wanted to become tennis player, because striking out MLB hitters made him sad.
Seriously, though I will breakdown what you said. So MLB should make a team field a team that is unable to compete. They (MLB & Bud) don’t have to make the Astros and Wade do anything. Ed Wade has done that himself! That Astro team is terrible! There is no light at the end of the tunnel as long as Ed Wade “Satellite/Off Campus GM” of the Sillies is there or is he just the GM of the Astros? Is he on both payrolls because it certainly seems like it!
Rebuilding and having an allegedly racist, sexist owner who has been sued for those things are two completely different situations.
Wade saved money and got prospects. The money the Astros saved allowed them to be more aggressive signing players in the draft. That’s exactly how every team in MLB rebuilds.
Your payroll and draft budget should never depend on each other, I’d hope that if a team like the Pirates or Royals become better and increase the payroll by 20M or so, they would still draft quality talent instead of “signable” 5th starters and bullpen arms.
“Your payroll and draft budget should never depend on each other”
In an ideal world, but in reality that’s not how it works.
More specifically, they don’t depend on each other — but they both depend on budget and income, so they are always going to play off of one another; they’re taking pieces of the same pie. If income goes up, sure, you can have a bigger payroll and the same (or bigger) draft budget. Absent that, or the possibility that the owner is willing to earn less money or take a loss (depending on the team’s specific circumstances), everything that requires money will constantly be at odds with each other.
Bud is dumb! You have a guy clearly overpaying.
The Tigers can afford to go after a big bat because Guillen and Magglio are both coming off the books.
A common line – except it doesn’t factor the players whose salaries will be increasing (JV $7.5M and several players $1-2M, including Miggy, VMart, Raburn)
Guy up there ^^^^ says they will increase payroll. Illich wants a championship.
I fully expect the Tigers to win the Central next year without signing Reyes. If they signed Reyes it would make them even scarier in the playoffs.
Reyes would bring speed to a fairly slow Tigers team.
It was a great series and I look forward to the Tigers and Rangers playing again next year. Go Rangers.
Illitch will increase payroll, which will likely be boosted even more by the extra cash they made during the playoff run…
Even better, it would give them a scarier leadoff man and allow Jackson to hit down in the order and take the pressure off of him. I love Boesch in the two-hole but once Jackson starts hitting Detroit could move Jackson to number two and Boesch to the middle of the order.
I want them to sign Jose Reyes and trade for Brandon Phillips. It would give more speed and a 1-2 punch in the order.
1. Jose Reyes SS
2. Brandon Phillips 2B
3. Delmon Young LF
4. Miguel Cabrera 1B
5. Victor Martinez DH
6. Brennen Boesch RF
7. Alex Avila C
8. Jhonny Peralta 3B
9. Austin Jackson CF
I also think that we need a respectable backup catcher so that Avila doesn’t need to play every game. Maybe Ramon Hernandez? I’d like another bullpen arm. Maybe a return of Fernando Rodney and/or Mike Gonzalez.
I wish MLBTR and others would stop reporting the Cubs/Red Sox negotiations are contentious, Nick Cafardo quoted sources yesterday saying that was completely untrue. David Kaplan in Chicago is the guy who wrote that, and not one source has confirmed it. Kaplan has a history of saying/writing inflammatory things.
“MLB, extremely conscious of its image and the the images of its teams
and owners, appears uncomfortable with aspects of Crane’s background.”
Where were they when Frank McCourt was “approved” even though he didn’t have the money and “no visible means of support”? Isn’t it kind of like locking the barn after all of the animals have escaped?
More like ‘let’s extort an Astros AL move in exchange for looking the other way’
Tigers with a healthy Reyes and Boesch at the top of the lineup and a 20-15/20-20 threat at 2b in Hill or Johnson at the bottom of the order would simply be unstoppable.
SS Reyes
RF Boesch
LF Young
1b Miguel Cabrera
C/DH VMart
DH/C Avila
3b Peralta
2b Aaron Hill/Kelly Johnson
CF Austin Jackson
I’d rather have Boesch play left-right field and Young play right-left field and Jackson play Center and Left haha!
I think you just described how it really is. As a side note, the more I think about it, Aaron Hill would be more of a perfect fit in the bottom of the Tiger lineup at 2b . Great defense (which Detroit needs desperately at 2b), offers both power (except this year) and speed (added this year) and won’t cost much. They can even afford to offer him a cheap multi-year deal and outbid AZ. Worst comes to worse if it doesn’t pan out with Hill, they can simply revert to the status quo of Rhymes/Worth/Raburn/Santiago (if resigned) or try out some of their other prospects.
That is what they are trying to do away with. I see them trading for a proven veteran 2B that is going to start 150 games. Second base was a very weak part of the lineup and their is no way they let that happen again. Same goes for third. Tigers are going to spend some money and do it right.
I thought I might add that not too many 2b available via trade though that are upgrades. Who do you have in mind? A scary thought, but an idea I had was Chone Figgins. He has not been the same since moving from 2b to 3b and perhaps moving him back to 2b and a change of scenery would work for him? The defense up the middle and natural speed that him and Reyes could add to the Tiger lineup would benefit the team greatly. This is all depending of course on what the Tigers would have to give up/pay Figgins for the next two seasons, which I doubt would be anything. The Tigers have done well in trades with Seattle, and have done well in picking up players off other team’s scrap heap (Delmon Young, Wilson Betemit)
The Phillies have talked about getting stronger at third base, Planco back in the D.
As for Johnson I wouldn’t give up a draft pick to the Blue Jays to sign him.
I forgot about Placido. my concern with him though-can he stay healthy? Ideally, I’d like to see them convert Daniel Fields into a 2b if possible. He is athletic enough and would be much more valuable at 2b long-term.
Polanco is overrated and I will eat glass if Dombrowski tries to resign him (assuming he’s a free agent).
REYES to the TIGERS=–subliminal marketing