Here’s a look at the AL and NL Central:
- The Royals and Yovani Gallardo were in touch as recently as Wednesday, sources tell Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Royals are on the hunt for pitching and they have been linked to Gallardo several times throughout the winter. Gallardo, 30 in February, is coming off a solid season with the Rangers in which he totaled 184 1/3 innings of 3.42 ERA ball for his hometown club, averaging 5.9 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 to go along with a 49.3 percent ground-ball rate. However, he’s seen his strikeout rate dip considerably over the past three seasons, and his 90.4 mph average fastball in 2015 was more than two miles per hour slower than his 92.7 mph peak. Gallardo took the No. 20 spot on the top fifty free agent list of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, who predicts that he can achieve a $52MM guarantee on the open market.
- In this week’s mailbag, a reader asked Jason Beck of MLB.com if the Tigers have become overly conservative when it comes to the idea of trading prospects. Of course, former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski was never shy about trading young talent in an effort to contend in the present. Beck does believe that Detroit is weary about giving up talented prospects, not just for future seasons, but because of depth in the here-and-now. Injuries have caught up with the Tigers over the last couple of years and Beck believes that they are looking to hang on to their best youngsters as possible fill-ins.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington is aware that he is gambling somewhat by placing newly-acquired John Jaso at first base. “We recognize there is risk,” Huntington said, according to Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We recognize we just experienced a tough defensive season at first base. At the same time, we also recognize that for us to be successful, there are going to have to be calculated risks. In our minds, this is a good one to take. “We feel like the offensive upside is worth the calculated gamble that he’s going to be able to play first base.”
As barren as the tiger’s system has been in the past few years, I think it’s wise to use money as much as possible instead of losing talent unless you absolutely have to. Glad they are taking that approach.
I think it has more to do with the lack of prospects to trade, more than an unwillingness to do so. Maybin, Wilson, and K-Rod were all just acquired for prospects. Doesn’t leave much to trade.
The tigers “weak system” has landed them Cabrera, Soria, Price and tons of other big time players. A lot of the guys traded in those deals are in the majors or in the top 100 prospects. (Willy Addams, Jake Thompson, Andrew Miller, Drew Smyly, etc.) they don’t have a ton of “elite prospects” but that’s the cost of constantly being a buyer and winning. Also a lot of the minor league talent the Tigers have doesn’t count as prospects due to their age. A lot of those trades handcuffed the Tigers when it came to draft positions in previous years, but they have still found a way to find impact players more times than not.They have the pieces to trade for impact players still, have the number 9 draft pick and the money to sign international players and a GM that knows a lot about signing international prospects and putting them in a situation to succeed, look no further than Miguel Cabrera or Livan Hernandez. (Boston, LAD, CHC, CHW, TB, and others cannot exceed $300k signings) They need to find a happy medium and pick the spots they become aggressive. AA is doing a good job of filling the holes and actually has and analytics department.There isn’t a bat in the KC lineup that frightens me and not a pitcher outside of Chris Sale that is elite. A lot of good young teams, the Central is always a tough division and almost always comes down to the last few weeks of the season.
Yes, but the only person y’all have left is Cabrera, and none of those prospects, the Tigers will go full Reds here in about 4 to 5 years, they will have no prospects and there tank will be empty.
I wish someone would hurry up and give Gallardo a contract. I’m a little worried he will go unsigned into the season with the draft pick compensation in play.
The Tigers need to stop gutting the system, we need a farm which we kind of have now
I’m racking my brain to even try and think of the last successful prospect the Tigers drafted/signed and brought up the pipeline…
Maybe Nick Castellanos, McCann, and Rick Porcello?? Are the last three that come to mind….I’m not a Tigers fan by no means, so it is entirely plausible that I might have missed a bullpen guy or someone else, but if that is correct….That is pretty bad, and definitely an unsustainable way of managing a roster!!
Wow, that is honestly atrocious that
those are the only three I can think of…Either my memory is failing me right now or it was 1 of 2 things… their farm system failed quite a few prospects or they traded away several prospects who have since made it to the big leagues…
Yet they always seem to have the prospects to get the players they need.
Verlander and Andrew Miller
Miller was drafted by the Tigers..I forgot about that…Miller Lite….good call!! lol..
Although, did he mostly come up through the Detroit system or did he come up through the Marlins system?…purely out of curiosity…Regardless Detroit should get the credit for drafting him at the very least!! And that also reminds me of them drafting Cameron Maybin, for what that is worth..
But yeah Verlander also, if you go back a bit further…
And I was never saying I remembered them all…and some could have been traded..(stymee) …And over the years they have put together a great team…Excellent teams some years…I think that is why I’m so shocked, I thought I’d be able to name many more players they drated and developed, and was incredibly suprised and quite dumbfounded when I couldn’t…
The Tigers will definitely become a top team once again, but it may take a year or two’s time..They made some trades to start replenishing the system and adding some young guys, so they are definitely on their way and heading in the right direction….
I, personally, love Norris, Fullmer, and I really like Moya!! I think he could be a real stud, especially if he can learn to make a bit more contact. If he cuts down on the strikeouts, and puts more balls in play he will definitely put on a show for Tigers fans and baseball fans alike.
Also, the kid, Jacoby Jones from Pittsburgh, if he can put all of his tools together….WATCH OUT!! He could very well be a stud in the making…
So, like I was saying they have some great pieces, they just need to continue building from the ground up, and the Tigers will definitely have a sustainable winning franchise for years to come!!
Those are the big three, but don’t forget that homegrown Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin and others for us Miggy. Homegrown Drew Smyly and MLB top 100 Willy Addams got us David price for 2 years, MLB top 100 Jake Thompson got us Soria for two years. Our big trades and signings also cost us draft positions and our success often meant we had lower draft picks. I agree the Tigers need to draft better and bring up our own players, but getting top flight proven guys like Miggy is well worth losing prospects who even with high ceilings have never played in the Show.
Zach, I think the word you’re looking for is ‘wary.’ The Tigers may be weary from trying so hard and always coming up just short of their goals.