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Tigers Agree To Sign Gerald Laird

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2011 at 10:15am CDT

FRIDAY: The Tigers announced the deal. It's a one-year contract for $1MM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Tigers and Gerald Laird have agreed to a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal is still pending a physical.

Laird, 32, spent the 2009-2010 seasons in Detroit after coming over in a trade with the Rangers. He hit just .232/.302/.358 in 108 plate appearances with the World Series Champion Cardinals this past season, throwing out just four of 20 attempted basestealers. The move allows the Tigers to use Victor Martinez as a full-time DH.

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Detroit Tigers Transactions Gerald Laird

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View Comments (67)

Comments

  1. Eduardo Medina

    11 years ago

    Don´t like this move

    Reply
    • diesel2410

      11 years ago

      LOL!

      Reply
    • serendipetey

      11 years ago

      The only way this is a good move is if the Tigers let pitchers bat and DH for Laird instead.

      Reply
  2. Nathan Fenstemaker

    11 years ago

    Hooray….the 3-fingered assassin returns.

    Reply
  3. The_BiRDS

    11 years ago

    NO!!!!! Jelly Belly why you leaving the Cards? Now how are we suppose to defend our championship!?!?!

    Reply
    • cards2WS

      11 years ago

      I agree. It dampened the chances of a potential repeat. But we WILL prevail!

      Reply
  4. Joey

    11 years ago

    I can only remember Laird’s game 163 performance..0/6 and like 10 LOB..I pray Avila doesn’t get hurt.

    Reply
  5. vr67

    11 years ago

    I think I just puked….

    Reply
  6. Rick Garcia

    11 years ago

    Don’t like this move. Avila needs to stay healthy.

    Reply
    • Kevin Pearson

      11 years ago

      I like the move. They need someone and wouldn’t overpay for a backup catcher who  will probably play less than most backup catchers Avila is still an iron man and Laird knows the pitchers plus he gets raves for his clubhouse temperament. Even though Sean Casey was a mid level 1st basemen for the Tigers, Jason Grilli said the ’07 Tigers weren’t the same as the ones who had the ’06 magic because Casey’s personality stabilized the mood amongst players. Laird may not have that much of a transcendent impact, but Tigers know him and trust him. 

      Reply
  7. Evan

    11 years ago

    he better throw out better than 20% of the runners in 2012 – that’s for F*&# sure!

    Reply
    • Eduardo Medina

      11 years ago

      I think these were the runners Laird throw out in 2011: King Kong, Godzilla and Homer Simpson

      Reply
      • cards2WS

        11 years ago

        No, Godzilla got under the tag.

        Reply
  8. mikeindcarea

    11 years ago

    I haven’t seen Laird catch a game since he left detroit, but I hope he’s mastered the throw back to pitcher.  I mean, without the pump fakes…

    Reply
  9. Mikey94z28

    11 years ago

    Sweet now maybe the cardinals can play “name that Molina” and get Jose for a back up.

    Reply
    • The_BiRDS

      11 years ago

      Cruz.

      Reply
    • cards2WS

      11 years ago

      No, Tony will be the back-up. Cruz. Tony Cruz.

      Reply
      • The_BiRDS

        11 years ago

        haha what?

        Reply
  10. bigpat

    11 years ago

    Mr Potato Head is back

    Reply
    • Evan

      11 years ago

      hopefully he brings his “arm part”

      Reply
  11. The_BiRDS

    11 years ago

    “Hey guys, check out this cool ring I got from the Cardinals”

    Reply
  12. DK_hits_20

    11 years ago

    Oh good. I missed all his pop-ups and dugout fights.

    Reply
  13. Ben Roth

    11 years ago

    Wow this sucks

    Reply
  14. david

    11 years ago

    what happens if Yadi get hurt? Is Matheny going to go out there and catch? 

    Reply
    • Redbirds16

      11 years ago

      An interesting possibility, actually. Probably means the Cards won’t need to carry 3 catchers for the next few years…

      Ah yes, but Tony Cruz will be the backup.

      Reply
  15. verlander

    11 years ago

    Really now? Laird? We couldn’t have done better than Laird?

    Reply
    • Pawsdeep

      11 years ago

      As a dirt cheap backup(which I assume he will be), no they couldn’t. He’ll do just fine once every 5 games.

      Reply
      • verlander

        11 years ago

        I was hoping for Kelly Shoppach.

        Look, I understand he’ll probably only play 30, 40 games at most.

        But it’s Gerald Laird.

        Reply
        • Pawsdeep

          11 years ago

          I know, I know…but considering his salary last year was 1 mil, and he didn’t exactly do anything to help his stock, so he’s gonna be cheap. 1 mil is worth not killing avilla, and you won’t be sacrificing any defense with G$ in the game. This was a smart signing.

        • verlander

          11 years ago

          FWIW, Laird’s defense wasn’t that good last year. Slightly below average.

  16. Jay LeBlanc

    11 years ago

    This must have been a personal request from Jim Leyland. Hope we got him dirt-cheap, and put him on a diet. Pretty amazing that he was able to get in 108 plate appearances in the post-season, too.

    Reply
    • gtl11

      11 years ago

      That was definitely a typo. I’m sure he meant this “past” season. Yadi caught every single game of the postseason. Laird may have gotten 1 or 2 PAs as a pinch hitter.

      Reply
      • Evan

        11 years ago

        actually, that was 108 bags of sunflower seeds gerald ate during the playoffs

        Reply
  17. weaselpuppy

    11 years ago

    Joe Dumars better tell his unemployed crew to keep their wives at home, or Team Laird will start it all up in a new city…

    Reply
    • Evan

      11 years ago

      can you explain that better sir, sounds interesting!

      Reply
      • Pawsdeep

        11 years ago

        Google ‘Gerald Laird Phoenix Suns’ and all will be explained.

        Reply
  18. pmc765

    11 years ago

    Amazing that G Money is still in the bigs, but think about it. How many legit catchers are there? Twelve? It therefore follows that nobody’s back up is any good. If he stands in the right handed batters box, can assume the position, stop a reasonable portion of pitches in the dirt, hit .200 without power and throw out the occasional base stealer, he’s no worse than anybody else. Did Jose Molina get too fat to play? Did Kelly Shoppach want $3M? Neither one of them are great either.

    The alternative is to use a minor leaguer who would hit .100, not block balls in the dirt, not throw anybody out. Given the minimum is $400K, if you give G Money $1M (I’m betting that’s the number) it’s really nothing. Wish Victor could still squat, though….that would be a huge advantage on all competition.

    Reply
    • Matt Moore

      11 years ago

      The alternative is not having to look at Laird for 162 games… I hope he just stays in the clubhouse sometimes…

      Reply
  19. Zachary Eick

    11 years ago

    Are you sure the cardboard cutout wasn’t available? He would have made such a nicer backup, even if he can’t hold a bat!

    Reply
  20. JP27

    11 years ago

    I would feel more comfortable with Kelly being our backup catcher even though that would never happen

    Reply
    • John Bowman

      11 years ago

      Sure, but there are two points to consider:
      1. Shoppach is in line for quite a bit more money than Laird.
      2. Shoppach may not be interested in backing up Avila, who started 130 games last season.

      Reply
      • threeeds

        11 years ago

        I get the feeling he was talking about Don Kelly.

        Reply
  21. Evan

    11 years ago

    If laird catches all of Verlanders starts (which he has done many times)…..that would be ~33 starts…and do we need offense on those days – not usually.  If he catches half of the porcello games (he’s caught many porcello games and G$ usually calls a good game) then he’s got ~45 starts this year….  Sounds like a plan

    Reply
    • Matt Moore

      11 years ago

      Verlander likes Avila as his catcher now, I have to beleive.

      Reply
  22. snapcase8p

    11 years ago

    Just when we thought we were rid of him. He’s like that ex that you always find yourself waking up next to after getting trashed the night before. Thinking, “Damn’t! Not again!” I would have much rather had Chris Snyder as a back up. Hopefully it’s a minor league contract and we don’t put him on the roster.

    Reply
  23. TrollinPowell

    11 years ago

    I realize that the availability of viable Major League backup catcher is meager but I refuse to believe Laird is one of the better ones out there, even if true.

    Reply
  24. Rocketman_203

    11 years ago

    Laird will probably cost an RP’s or Bettimit’s spot on the roster.  I can only hope that signing Laird who’s probably the cheapest backup C available will enable DD to sign a legit 2B or 3B.

    Reply
  25. Tom Stephens

    11 years ago

    WTF!!! all of these other catchers out there and they bring him back. WTF??? Please give me the rationale behind this move…

    Reply
  26. Tom Stephens

    11 years ago

    you would have thought he’d retire after getting a ring. How lucky can one guy be?

    Reply
  27. Cheeseballs

    11 years ago

    He signed for $1 million for 100 years

    Reply
  28. tiger313

    11 years ago

    so for 1 mil. to see him for 100-150 plate appearances. it is what it is.

    Reply
  29. InLeylandWeTrust

    11 years ago

    I wanted Jose Molina. Always wanted a Molina brother….but for 1 mil who cares.

    Reply
    • TrollinPowell

      11 years ago

      Glad I wasn’t the only one. :

      Reply
  30. tycobb

    11 years ago

    G Unit……I mean G Money

    Reply
  31. Slob Jones

    11 years ago

    What the hell is wrong with Omir Santos? He’ll hit 60 points better than Laird and his defense can’t be any worse.

    Reply

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