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Tigers Notes: Leyland, Martinez, Boesch

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Max Scherzer led the Tigers past the Yankees with eight innings of shutout ball yesterday, striking out nine along the way. It was the second consecutive win for the Tigers, who already trail the Indians by 7.0 games in the AL Central. Here's the latest out of Detroit…

Heyman On Pujols, Reyes, Feliz

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SI's Jon Heyman leads his latest column with a discussion of Albert Pujols' impending free agency.  Three GMs Heyman spoke to speculate that Pujols will re-sign with the Cardinals after the season.  One significant factor could be the lack of involvement from the Yankees and Red Sox, big spenders who already have long-term solutions at first base.  A Yankees person told Heyman there was "no chance" of a pursuit, while a Red Sox person agreed that his club is unlikely to get involved.  Cardinals GM John Mozeliak didn't have much to say on the topic, other than, "Nothing's changed."  On to Heyman's other notes…

  • Mozeliak told Heyman the Cardinals "have a pretty good idea" of what they'll do when Adam Wainwright's two-year, $21MM club option comes up after the season.  Heyman takes that to mean that the Cardinals will pick up the option, the expected course of action.
  • Heyman feels that the Cubs and Orioles could be possibilities for free agent Kevin Millwood, though I heard yesterday that it's doubtful the Cubs get involved.
  • One Giants person said, "There's nothing to it," regarding the recent Jose Reyes speculation.  Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News explained today that "If any conversations have happened at all, it’s nothing more than tire kicking."  That makes sense, since trading season begins about two months from now.  For a look at who the Giants might have to give up to get Reyes at that point, click here.
  • Heyman finds the Rangers likely to move Neftali Feliz into the rotation next year, despite the righty's recent comments.  Heyman feels that a strong free agent closer market is a factor.
  • The Tigers have decided this will be Joel Zumaya's last year in Detroit, according to Heyman.  That was written prior to today's report that Zumaya will have exploratory elbow surgery.

AL Central Notes: Sizemore, Martinez, White Sox

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Links from the AL Central, before the second-place Royals host the first-place Indians…

  • Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore, who has returned from microfracture knee surgery, tells Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that he feels healthy again. Passan explains that there’s no guarantee Sizemore will have the same explosiveness he had early in his career, even though he has recovered from the procedure.
  • The Tigers have called up Omir Santos from Triple-A, but have yet to announce a corresponding move, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The Tigers may have to cut someone if Victor Martinez doesn't need a DL stint.
  • Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald looks at the struggling White Sox and points out that Mark Teahen has likely improved his trade value a little with his strong start. That doesn't make up for Chicago's five-game losing streak, however.

Rosenthal On Tigers, Reyes, Trout, White Sox

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The Rockies, who are about to start a series with the defending World Champions, have baseball's best record so far this year. GM Dan O'Dowd told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the team's resilience has contributed to its fast start. “We’re a confident, persistent club,” O’Dowd said. Troy Tulowitzki's hot streak hasn't hurt, either. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • One scout who has followed the Tigers this year predicts that they'll be looking for pitching help later this season. At some point minor leaguers Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner could help the Tigers, who are 12th in the AL with 77 runs allowed.
  • A rival official says Mets GM Sandy Alderson will not offer Jose Reyes $100MM to stay in New York. It appears likely that Reyes will be on the trading block this summer, so MLBTR's Steve Adams recently outlined some possible destinations for him.
  • Scouts are high on Angels prospect Mike Trout, praising his baserunning instincts, speed and power.
  • Jason Marquis is a potential trade candidate, according to Rosenthal. The Nationals' right-hander has a 3.26 ERA in three starts so far this season.
  • The White Sox don't plan to look outside of the organization for bullpen help at this point, despite their issues holding leads late in games.

Olney On The Bullpen Market

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Teams like the Yankees and White Sox are already encountering bullpen problems and it won’t be long before other clubs are looking for relief help as well. The Yankees aren’t optimistic about the current relief market, while Chicago’s search for an effective closer has manager Ozzie Guillen dreaming of Bobby Thigpen. As one GM points out to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, lots of teams will be looking for bullpen help this summer and lots of effective pitchers should eventually become available.

Unless Heath Bell takes a massive discount to stay in San Diego, Olney suggests the Padres will deal him. The White Sox should be considered the early favorites to land Bell, Olney says.

Jonathan Broxton, Francisco Rodriguez and the Blue Jays and Rays relievers could also become available this summer. Jose Valverde will probably stay in Detroit unless the Tigers fall far out of the race, but Michael Wuertz (now on the disabled list) could be on the block even if Oakland contends.

Offseason In Review: Detroit Tigers

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The Tigers are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

The Tigers' offseason was all about being aggressive early, as they locked up Inge, Peralta, Benoit, and Martinez before the end of November.  GM Dave Dombrowski was able to land his top targets, but often had to overpay in the process.

Dombrowski's commitment to Benoit shook the relief market.  The contrast was stark for a reliever whose previous contract was a minor league deal.  Explained the GM, "When you want to get the best players at certain positions, you have to be aggressive and prepared to do things."  The Tigers should be commended for signing the reliever they felt was the best available, going the extra mile to get it done.  Like most eight-figure relief contracts, this one is risky – Benoit is a 33-year-old who had rotator cuff surgery in January of '09.

The early push to sign Inge and Peralta is more difficult to understand.  Despite being known as an offensive-minded infielder, Peralta hasn't hit much since '08.  And while Inge might make up for Peralta's lack of range, he's a negative with the bat as well.  The free agent market typically doesn't reward defense-first players with the kind of contract Inge received.  The Tigers' goal here seemed to be to secure the left side of their infield and have cost certainty before moving on to bigger fish.

VMart

That big fish was Martinez (pictured).  The popularity of Martinez and Adam Dunn on the free agent market showed that teams are willing to make large commitments to players with little defensive value.  Martinez has more than Dunn, in that the former can don the tools of ignorance without embarrassing himself.  I would have liked the V-Mart signing more if it didn't require giving the Red Sox the best unprotected draft pick at #19.  Now, the Tigers won't have a pick in the 2011 draft until #76.  Still, the team got the capable middle of the order bat they sought from the outset of the offseason.

Dombrowski was able to further bolster the offense by signing Ordonez, who chose the popular Scott Boras "pillow contract" as he attempts to rebuild value after a fractured ankle ended his season in July.  Unlike Carlos Pena, Ordonez was at least coming off a strong season.  However, at age 37, Ordonez's durability will be a huge question mark – especially with Martinez claiming the DH spot most of the time.

Converted reliever Phil Coke filled one rotation spot, while Dombrowski took a $3MM flier on Penny for the other.  Sooner or later teams will stop guaranteeing Penny millions of dollars on the hope that he will have another 2007.  To be fair, Penny only needs to provide 100 solid innings to be worth the $3MM guarantee.  The bigger question is where the Tigers will turn when they inevitably need a sixth or seventh starter.  Andy Oliver is big league ready, though top prospect Jacob Turner is only 19 years old.  Lefties Casey Crosby, Duane Below, Charlie Furbush, and Adam Wilk could factor in depending on the magnitude of the Tigers' need.  MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith addressed the Tigers' rotation depth last month in a piece at FanGraphs.

The Tigers had significant money come off the books after the '10 season, and despite their numerous free agent commitments the Opening Day payroll still appears to be down about $27MM.  I wasn't a fan of all of Dombrowski's choices, but I respect his aggressive pursuit of primary targets.  If the 2011 Tigers fail, it won't be because the market got away from them and they had to go to Plan B or C.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Heyman On Marlins, White Sox, Jenks, Glaus

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There is likely an unusually short list of managers on the hot seat this year, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. Marlins skipper Edwin Rodriguez is the lone manager who truly has uncertain job security, according to Heyman. Rodriguez received a one-year deal from the Marlins, which is rare for managers and suggests he doesn’t necessarily figure into the club’s long-term plans. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors.

  • Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria told Heyman that "no one's on the hot seat.”
  • Jim Leyland of the Tigers, Jim Riggleman of the Nationals and Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox are not necessarily on the hot seat, but they’re worth keeping an eye on, according to Heyman.
  • Leyland will likely be given the chance to return to Detroit after the season when his contract expires, but that’s not a sure thing, according to Heyman.
  • One White Sox person told Heyman that Guillen “isn't going anywhere.” 
  • Before the Yankees signed Rafael Soriano, GM Brian Cashman told Bobby Jenks that he wasn’t offering any setup man $8MM. The Yankees signed Soriano for $35MM over three years, though Cashman advised against it.
  • Free agent Troy Glaus is still at home after drawing some interest this winter.

Red Sox Send Pedro Perez To Tigers To Complete Deal

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The Red Sox have sent right-hander Pedro Perez to the Tigers to complete the trade for Triple-A infielder Brent Dlugach, according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe.  Perez spent last season with Boston's Single-A Greenville affiliate.

Perez, who will turn 23 in May, turned in a 3.94 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 28 games last season in Greenville.  The right-hander made just two starts last season but has 30 starts to his credit in five minor league seasons.  The Tigers have assigned him to their Connecticut Short-Season Class A affiliate, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.

The Red Sox acquired Dlugach in November for cash considerations or a player to be named later.  The 28-year-old owns a career .274/.325/.401 slash line in Triple-A.

Lame Duck General Managers

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By now, I'm sure you've looked over our list of players that will be free agents after the 2011 season numerous times, but what about general managers? With some help from Cot's Baseball Contracts, here's the list of GMs without contracts for 2012…

  • Andy MacPhail, Orioles – Technically, MacPhail isn't the GM, he's the president of baseball operations. He's still the guy calling the shots though. Last October we heard that he doesn't have any plans to approach owner Peter Angelos about a new deal before his current one expires.
  • Neal Huntington, Pirates – Team president Frank Coonelly said he expects Huntington to be in Pittsburgh "for a long time" earlier this year.
  • Walt Jocketty, Reds – Cincinnati is clearly a team on the rise, so it seems likely that ownership would want to bring Jocketty back after the season.
  • Dave Dombrowski, Tigers – A few months ago we heard that the fates of Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland could be a package deal based on the team's performance in 2011.
  • Brian Cashman, Yankees – The third longest-tenured GM in the game would seem to be on rocky ground after being over-ruled by ownership on the Rafael Soriano signing, but we heard afterwards that he still has the "full backing" of the Steinbrenners.
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