Offseason In Review: Detroit Tigers
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch spent aggressively on one of the top free agents available to bolster an already formidable offense.
Major League Signings
- Prince Fielder, 1B: nine years, $214MM.
- Jose Valverde, RP: one year, $9MM. Club option exercised.
- Ramon Santiago, IF: two years, $4MM.
- Octavio Dotel, RP: one year, $3.5MM.
- Gerald Laird, C: one year, $1MM.
- Total spend: $231.5MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RP Collin Balester from the Nationals for RP Ryan Perry.
Notable Losses
- Magglio Ordonez, Wilson Betemit, Carlos Guillen, Brad Penny, Joel Zumaya, Perry.
Draft Picks Gained or Lost
- Lost 27th overall selection to Brewers for Fielder.
Back in October, the Tigers’ chances of signing a major free agent seemed decent, if not particularly strong. Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins, Aramis Ramirez, Mark Buehrle and Yu Darvish all made a certain amount of sense for the Tigers, a team without certainty on the left side of the infield or a proven fifth starter. But Prince Fielder? Not a chance.
Things changed pretty quickly once Victor Martinez tore his ACL during an ill-fated offseason workout. Within ten days, owner Mike Ilitch had approved a $214MM contract for Fielder and, just like that, the 2012 Tigers were a changed team.
Fielder, undoubtedly one of the top offensive producers in baseball, has averaged 160 games in six full seasons. He brings durability and pure left-handed power to a Tigers lineup that placed fourth in the majors in scoring a year ago. They’ll put up a few runs again in 2012.
Detroit’s infield defense could become a concern as a result of the Fielder signing. Fielder will play first base and Miguel Cabrera will play third, a position at which he has played just 14 MLB games since being traded to Detroit after the 2007 season. Now that the Tigers have promised both superstars an everyday job in the field, they face a potentially difficult situation. Should Cabrera’s defense prove to be a real barrier to the team’s success, manager Jim Leyland and GM Dave Dombrowski will have to find a way to keep him in the lineup at another position.
When the Tigers’ offseason began, its success seemed to hinge on Dombrowski’s ability to obtain a second baseman and add pitching depth. The Fielder deal pushed Brandon Inge from third to second, where he’s competing for the starting job alongside the versatile Ryan Raburn and Ramon Santiago, who re-signed in Detroit after testing the free agent market. The Tigers apparently preferred their internal options to free agent second basemen such as Aaron Hill, Kelly Johnson and Mark Ellis.
The Tigers’ rotation features an enviable top four and their bullpen includes a number of proven relievers, but they added less pitching than I expected this winter. They inquired on Roy Oswalt, using the defending Cy Young and MVP as a recruiter, but the choosy right-hander didn’t reciprocate the team’s interest and he remains unsigned.
Speculation linked the Tigers to left-handed free agent starters such as Erik Bedard, Paul Maholm, Jeff Francis and Joe Saunders throughout the offseason, but the club ultimately passed on every one of them. They’ll go with an internal candidate for the fifth starter’s job, a role for which a group of left-handers are currently competing.
The Tigers could have added a starter on a minor league deal, even if they believe their young arms are ready to contribute at the Major League level. Most teams go through nine or ten starters over the course of a full season, so the additional depth would have helped. Perhaps the Tigers did show interest and starters such as Francis decided they'd have a better chance at winning a starting job elsewhere.
Dombrowski added Octavio Dotel to the bullpen, and though the veteran reliever is essentially a right-on-right specialist at this point in his career, the one-year deal makes sense. The Tigers traded flame-throwing former first rounder Ryan Perry for long relief option Collin Balester, but didn’t acquire others who are likely to make an impact out of the ‘pen in 2012. The Tigers’ bullpen doesn’t have many openings and the front office apparently determined that major turnover wasn't necessary.
The Tigers arrived at a turning point when the ligament in Martinez’s knee snapped two months ago. They could have made do without the switch-hitter and would have been favored to win the division even if they had allowed Fielder to go elsewhere. Instead, infield defense be damned, they signed Fielder to one of the biggest contracts in baseball history. The deal has its critics, as most nine-figure agreements do, but few will deny that the Tigers are a serious threat to repeat as AL Central champions and play deep into the postseason once again.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Heyman On Lannan, Tigers, Abreu, Zito, Dunn
Here's the latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Tigers' interest in John Lannan is only lukewarm at best and one executive told Heyman (via Twitter) that American League teams are leery of what switching leagues would do. For their part, the Nationals still seem eager to move the left-hander.
- With no real playing time likely available to Bobby Abreu, it might be for the best for the Angels to simply release the veteran, Heyman writes. Even though Abreu's agents, Peter and Edward Greenberg, said his recent comments were taken out of context, Abreu is obviously frustrated and unhappy about his situation.
- Is Barry Zito's contract the worst free agent deal ever? – Heyman believes that it is and it tops his top ten list. John Lackey, Gary Matthews, Carl Pavano, and Mike Hampton round out the top five.
- There are several theories as to why Adam Dunn wasn't able to produce last year, including the idea that his big contract got to him, writes Heyman. The 32-year-old hit .159/.292/.277 in 122 games last season.
Week In Review: 3/18/12 – 3/24/12
It's time to take a look back at the week that was as we get closer and closer to Opening Day..
- The Rangers agreed to terms with Derek Holland on a five-year, $28.5MM contract extension. The deal covers the 2012-16 seasons and includes two club options, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes first reported. Holland posted a 3.95 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 46.4% ground ball rate in 198 innings this past season.
- Chipper Jones' 19th season in the majors will also be the final one of his career. The Braves announced that their 39-year-old third baseman will retire following the 2012 campaign. Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504) are the only switch hitters with more career home runs than Jones.
- The Angels are reportedly emerging as the frontrunner for Roy Oswalt's services. Meanwhile, it doesn't look like he'll wind up with the Cardinals or Rangers.
- The Royals acquired outfielder Jason Bourgeois and catcher Humberto Quintero from the Astros for minor league left-hander Kevin Chapman and a player to be named later. Bourgeois posted a .294/.323/.357 line with 31 stolen bases last year, while playing all three outfield positions and appearing at second base. The 30-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time after the 2012 season.
- There's an "understanding" between the Giants and Matt Cain that they'll try to wrap up contract extension talks before the Opening Day.
- The Giants are telling teams they're shopping both Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot.
- The elbow injury to Reds closer Ryan Madson will require Tommy John surgery, ending the right-hander's season.
- The Padres and catcher Nick Hundley agreed to terms on a three-year extension. The deal covers the 2012-14 seasons and includes a club option for 2015.
- The Red Sox are monitoring the market for left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez.
- The Mets would like to trade Mike Pelfrey, though it's not clear how serious they are about that.
- Don't expect the D'Backs to to get deals done with Ian Kennedy or Daniel Hudson.
- Jeff Moorad stepped down as the Padres' CEO and President and COO Tom Garfinkel will assume CEO duties on an interim basis. Moorad will stay on as vice chairman and oversee the Padres' relationship with FOX Sports San Diego.
- The Orioles are shopping right-handed reliever Kevin Gregg and corner infielder Mark Reynolds. Both players are under contract for 2012 with club options for 2013.
- The Rangers "might prefer" to keep some of the extra arms on their pitching staff rather than make a trade.
- The Phillies announced that they released right-hander Joel Pineiro. He signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in January and would have earned $1.5MM on the MLB roster.
- The Mets agreed to a $162MM settlement with Irving Picard, the trustee for those who lost money in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
- The Angels signed David Pauley to a minor league contract. Meanwhile, they continue to look for starting pitching depth.
- The Mariners cut veteran Hong-Chih Kuo.
- Vladimir Guerrero intends to play this season and Japan is an option.
- The Dodgers designated right-hander Ramon Troncoso for assignment in order to reinstate Ronald Belisario from the restricted list.
- The Indians claimed right-hander Rick VandenHurk off of waivers from Toronto.
- The White Sox re-acquired Rule 5 selection Terry Doyle from the Twins. The Twins paid $50K to acquire Doyle in December and they'll get half of that sum back from the White Sox.
- The Orioles signed Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract and will make $700K in the big leagues.
- The Nationals signed Xavier Nady to a minor league deal.
- The Mariners announced that they have released reliever Shawn Camp. The 36-year-old signed a Major League deal worth $750K in February.
- The Tigers announced claimed left-hander Kelvin De La Cruz off of waivers from the Indians.
- Joe Torre has rejoined Major League Baseball as its executive VP of baseball operations.
Brewers, Lucroy Nearing Extension
The Brewers are nearing an extension with catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter link). The deal with the Sports One Athlete Management client would be either four or five years long. An announcement is expected today, Morosi tweets.
Lucroy is about to start his third season in the Major Leagues. A four-year extension would cover the 25-year-old's final pre-arbitration season and three of his arbitration seasons, assuming the deal starts this year and that Lucroy obtains super two status following the 2012 season. A five-year deal that kicks in immediately would cover his final pre-arbitration season and all four of his arbitration seasons.
Lucroy posted a .265/.313/.391 line in 468 plate appearances last year, preventing 28% of stolen base attempts against him. However, the 2007 third round selection frames and blocks pitches well, according to The Fielding Bible Volume III.
Recent extensions have generally placed the value of a starting catcher's first three arbitration years in the $7-10MM range, as MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows. A four-year deal for Lucroy would figure to fall on the low end of that range given his relative inexperience.
This post was first published on March 26th, 2012.
Brewers Will Table Marcum Talks Until After Season
Brewers GM Doug Melvin said that the club will let Shaun Marcum play out the rest of the season and reach free agency, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Marcum and the Brewers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $7.725MM in February.
Last month, the 30-year-old said that he hopes to remain in Milwaukee for the long haul. Marcum battled through a hip flexor issue in 2011 and posted a 3.54 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 33 starts. It doesn't appear that there has been much in the way of contract talks between the two sides this winter and it's also unclear where things stand with the club and fellow hurler Zack Greinke.
Phillies Have Interest In Yankees’ Ramiro Pena
With second baseman Chase Utley sidelined with no timetable to return, the Phillies plan to start Freddy Galvis and are hoping to bolster their infield depth behind him. With that in mind, General Manager Ruben Amaro & Co. have some interest in Yankees utilityman Ramiro Pena, according to George A. King III of the New York Post.
Earlier today, Utley spoke to reporters and insisted that he'll return to action at some point this season. The Royals' Chris Getz was one possible trade target for the Phillies but it's unlikely that he'll be dealt as he has a good chance at opening the season as Kansas City's starting second baseman.
Andy Sonnanstine Elects Free Agency
Cubs right-hander Andy Sonnanstine is now a free agent after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Chicago outrighted the veteran to their Iowa affiliate on Thursday.
Sonnanstine, who turned 29 last Saturday, signed a non-guaranteed split contract with the club in December. The longtime Rays hurler posted a 5.55 ERA with 12 walks and 12 strikeouts in 35.3 innings of work for Tampa Bay last year.
The 6'3" pitcher made 72 starts for the Rays from 2007-2009 but worked mostly out of the bullpen in '10 and '11.
MLBTR Originals
A recap of all of the original analysis and reporting from MLBTR’s staff this week..
- Tim was the first to report that Derek Holland‘s new deal with the Rangers covering the 2012-16 seasons will include two team options.
- Pitching prospect Rafael DePaula agreed to sign with the Yankees for $500K in November, 2010, but hasn’t had a visa until now, so the deal hasn’t been completed. Agent Charisse Espinosa-Dash told MLBTR this week that DePaula has his visa and that the original deal is expected to go through once the Dominican right-hander passes a physical.
- Matt Wieters hit .262/.328/.450 with 22 homers for the Orioles in 2011 and was named to his first All-Star Game. Mike Axisa examined what it might take for the O’s to sign him to a new deal.
- This is a make or break year for 28-year-old Kendrys Morales, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- Our Offseason In Review series continued with looks at the Cardinals, Mariners, Rockies, Royals, Brewers, Marlins, Blue Jays, Angels, Diamondbacks, and Mets.
- The Royals seek catching depth following Salvador Perez’s left knee operation, and GM Dayton Moore could look for replacements in a number of places, Ben writes.
- Six franchises that haven’t appeared in a postseason game in the last ten years: the Mariners, Orioles, Blue Jays, Pirates, Royals and Nationals/Expos. Ben asked our readers which franchise will end their franchise drought and a whopping 49% chose the Nationals.
- Mike’s latest edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In features pieces on Andy Pettitte‘s comeback, Joakim Soria, and the Alberto Callaspo trade market.
- Ben noted that 18 of the pitchers in projected rotations around MLB are at least 35 years of age or will turn 35 at some point in 2012.
- BN-S had the wheel for MLBTR’s chat on Wednesday.
- If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we’ve got you covered.
Mets Nearing Deal With Chris Young
The Mets are nearing a deal with right-hander Chris Young, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports. The Mets are expected to complete a minor league deal with the Williams & Connolly client this week.
Young, 32, started four games for the Mets last year after undergoing anterior capsule surgery in May. He has a 3.74 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 28.2% ground ball rate in eight career seasons with the Rangers, Padres and Mets.
This post was first published on March 26th, 2012.
Minor Moves: White Sox, Royals, Golson, Cora
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here:
- The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.
- The Cardinals announced that they released infielder Alex Cora and catcher Koyie Hill. The Cards signed Cora to a minor league deal back in February that would have been worth $800K if he made the big league roster. Hill, who spent 2011 with the Cubs, hooked on with the Cardinals in January.