Tigers Rumors

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Mets, Gonzalez, Tigers, A’s, Mazzaro

By Steve Adams | September 11, 2010 at 3:30pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has his latest Full Count video up, so let's dive in:

Mets assistant general manager John Ricco won't replace Omar Minaya as general manager if Minaya is removed from the position. The Mets feel that Ricco is not yet ready for that role.
Padres owner Jeff Moorad told Rosenthal concretely that the Padres will not trade Adrian Gonzalez this winter. He could, of course, still be moved during the season if things don't go well for San Diego.
The Pads would be willing to give Gonzalez a three-year deal beyond 2011, but the slugger can certainly do better than that on the free agent market. The Padres won't be able to stay in talks if Gonzalez pursues a deal similar to Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180MM deal.
The Tigers will have the money to pursue one or more of the market's top free agents, such as Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, and Jayson Werth. They can also afford to take on a great deal of salary in trades should they choose to go down that road.
The A's still don't know if they'll end up in San Jose, which makes their financial future difficult to predict.
Oakland's difficulty in luring free agent position players leads Rosenthal to suggest a trade of Vin Mazzaro in order to acquire the talent they're seeking.

Odds & Ends: Hinch, Soriano, Ellis, Tigers, Ludwick

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 10, 2010 at 9:24pm CDT

Links for Friday, before the Giants and Padres continue an immensely important series…

MLB.com's Barry Bloom reports that former Diamondbacks' manager A.J. Hinch is close to joining the Padres to work in their scouting department.
David Ortiz suggested to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Rafael Soriano deserves a five-year deal. The Rays closer is having a fantastic season, but he's not going to see a five-year offer this winter.
Mark Ellis told Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News that he wants to stay in Oakland next year. The A’s have a $6MM option for 2011 with a $500K buyout.
At SI.com, Bud Black of the Padres tops Jon Heyman's list of the year's most impressive managers.
Bob Young of the Arizona Republic argues that the D'Backs will have a hard time finding a better manager-GM combination than Kirk Gibson and Jerry Dipoto.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains that the Pirates have a lot of promising young pitching in the minor leagues. Take a look at the team's projected 2011 rotation here.
I didn't consider Phil Coke when previewing the Tigers' 2011 rotation, but manager Jim Leyland told Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press that the Tigers will at least consider the lefty.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa defended the team's decision to trade Ryan Ludwick, as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains.

Jhonny Peralta’s 2011 Option

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 10, 2010 at 1:46pm CDT

Things were much different when the Tigers acquired Jhonny Peralta six weeks ago. Detroit was in contention and Peralta was hitting just .246/.308/.389. Even though his contract includes a 2011 option, the Tigers added him with 2010 in mind. Now, the Tigers' playoff hopes have unraveled, but it has been no fault of Peralta's. His play has improved since joining the Tigers, so they may even keep him.

Peralta said last month that he hopes the Tigers pick up his $7MM option and repeated as much to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com yesterday. But the Tigers are the ones who must decide whether to bring the infielder back or find another shortstop via trade or free agency.

After playing third for the Indians, Peralta is back at shortstop in Detroit. He doesn't distinguish himself with his defense, though (UZR has Peralta as about average from 2008-10). Peralta is hitting .275/.342/.458 in Detroit and he has already hit as many homers for the Tigers as he did in Cleveland (7). It's a major improvement and if he can keep it up and play a respectable shortstop he'd be worth a net cost of $6.75MM.

Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Uribe and Adam Everett signed for $6MM or less last offseason, so it's hard to imagine Peralta finding $7MM as a free agent, despite his strong finish. The Tigers would likely be able to find a serviceable free agent shortstop more cheaply, so if they pick up the option it shows that they believe Peralta can continue hitting this well.

Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Matsui, Ausmus, Peralta

By Luke Adams 2 | September 9, 2010 at 8:52pm CDT

Links for Thursday night, as the NFL season kicks off in New Orleans….

The favorites for the Diamondbacks' general manager opening appear to be Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto, with Logan White looming as a "dark-horse." Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic breaks down the three candidates.
Hideki Matsui wants to play somewhere in the majors next year, but he may not be in the Angels' plans, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
In a chat with Rangers fans, Nolan Ryan says the team has "every intention" of bringing manager Ron Washington back next year (Dallas Morning News link).
Brad Ausmus tells Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he'd be open to rejoining the Astros' organization after he retires. Ausmus said earlier this year that he expects this season to be his last.
Steve Kornacki of MLive.com thinks Jhonny Peralta's 2011 option could be a good investment for the Tigers, given how well the 28-year-old has played lately.
Fangraphs' Eno Sarris looks at a few contenders for the Mets' 2011 second base job.

Odds & Ends: Crawford, Yankees, Angels, Loux

By Luke Adams 2 | September 8, 2010 at 9:13pm CDT

Wednesday night links, as Daniel Hudson attempts to keep his NL ERA under 2.00….

David Ortiz tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he thinks Carl Crawford will sign with the Yankees or Angels this winter.
Joe Girardi doesn't expect Alfredo Aceves or Damaso Marte to be back with the Yankees in 2010, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
The chances of lifetime Angel Scot Shields returning to the club's bullpen next season are "less than remote," says Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Whether Scott Kazmir will be a part of the Angels' rotation also remains to be seen, DiGiovanna writes in a separate piece. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith examined the team's 2011 rotation yesterday.
The Astros are looking into the possibility of signing Barret Loux, but haven't made an offer yet, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Carlos Guillen would like to play second base for the Tigers next season, write Jason Beck and Alex DiFilippo of MLB.com.
Jack Moore of Fangraphs looks into the outstanding numbers Geovany Soto is putting up this year. Earlier today, we looked at Soto as a possible candidate for an extension.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Francoeur, Lilly, Loney

By Mike Axisa | September 3, 2010 at 11:54am CDT

On this date two years ago, instant replay was used for the first time in baseball history, resolving a fair or foul call on an Alex Rodriguez home run against the Rays at Tropicana Field. Third base umpire Brian Runge originally called the ball a homer, and that call stood upon further review. Numerous umpire gaffes have some clamoring for expanded use of instant replay, but so far Major League Baseball hasn't budged.

Here's a look at what's been written around the baseball blogosphere…

Amazin' Avenue looks at the illogicality of the Jeff Francoeur trade.
Meanwhile, Baseball Time In Arlington recaps the last trade of the season.
North And South Of Royal Brougham suggests Ted Lilly for the 2011 Mariners.
The Process Report explains how the Rays used Jose Lobaton to manipulate their potential playoff roster.
Cubs Pack provides Jim Hendry with an offseason to-do list.
True Blue LA wonders what the Dodgers should do with James Loney.
Capitol Avenue Club hands out some Braves minor league awards.
Disciples of Uecker compares Yovani Gallardo's contract to those of some other great young pitchers.
Saber By The Bay has some good news for Tigers fans looking ahead to next season.
Midwest Sports Fans builds a roster of players who played for the Indians and White Sox, a la Manny Ramirez.
The Nats Blog thinks it's time for Nyjer Morgan to go.
MLB Depth Charts created the Tommy John Surgery Tracker in the wake of Stephen Strasburg's injury.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Bobby Seay To Miss 2011

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 1, 2010 at 2:55pm CDT

Teams eyeing Bobby Seay as a potential buy-low option for their 2011 bullpens have to cross the lefty off their lists. Seay told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press that he will have labrum surgery on his throwing shoulder later this month. It will take 10-12 months to recover from the procedure so it appears that Seay, who missed this season with shoulder trouble, will miss the entire 2011 season as well.

The 32-year-old was effective for the Tigers from 2007-09 when he averaged 62 appearances per season and posted a 3.75 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. If he had pitched similarly in 2010, Seay would have hit free agency as one of the more appealing available left-handed relievers. Even a few effective outings could have convinced a team to take a chance on him. Instead, Seay won't be an impact addition until 2012, at the earliest and teams will have to look elsewhere for left-handed relievers.

When he does return, Seay says he wants to “wear a Tigers uniform again and get big outs for [manager] Jim Leyland."

Arbitration Eligibles: Detroit Tigers

By Tim Dierkes | August 31, 2010 at 8:08am CDT

A look at the Tigers players who will be eligible for arbitration after the season…

First time: Armando Galarraga, Ryan Raburn
Second time: Zach Miner
Third time: Joel Zumaya

The Tigers have a low-key arbitration class this winter, with no monster raises expected. Miner and Zumaya could be non-tendered, as both are recovering from elbow surgery. The Tigers still may prefer to keep them off the free agent market though. Tendering contracts is not terribly risky, as both pitchers earned less than $1MM in 2010.

It appears that Galarraga will get in as a Super Two player, and it'll be Raburn's first time as well.

Odds & Ends: Angels, Edmonds, Chapman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 30, 2010 at 9:50pm CDT

More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…

Angels GM Tony Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer that "just about every" Angel has been placed on waivers this month. Naturally, that doesn't mean the team has interest in making more trades.
Jeremy Bonderman told MLB.com’s Jason Beck that he would like to return to the Tigers in 2011. The Tigers have room for him, as this piece explains.
Jim Edmonds told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's likely to retire after the season. The center fielder, who is now on the DL with a strained oblique, may return to the Reds late in the season.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds will call up top pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman tomorrow so that the lefty will be eligible for the team's postseason roster.
Orlando Hernandez decided not to finish his AA season when he heard that the Nationals didn’t intend to call him up, according to Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.
White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he didn't claim Brian Fuentes because his team doesn't need another left-handed reliever at this point.

Leyland Optimistic About Offseason

By Steve Adams | August 29, 2010 at 3:31pm CDT

The Tigers can't be happy with how this season has gone. Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, the club has fallen to 11 games out of first place as we get set to enter the season's final month. John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press tells us though, that manager Jim Leyland feels his club can "get real good, real quick:"

“I think this will probably be the most interesting winter for our ball club since I’ve been here, I would think, because our club has a chance to get real good real quick,” Leyland said. “It appears that we have some money to spend. I’m not talking about foolish money.”

Lowe mentions the contracts of Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, and Nate Robertson coming off the books; those contracts total $34MM, but that's only the beginning. Magglio Ordonez's $15MM option is sure to be declined, Johnny Damon and his $8MM are off the books (though he'd like to return to Detroit), as are the contracts of Brandon Inge, Bobby Seay, Gerald Laird, and Jhonny Peralta (what little amount they're paying him anyway). In total, the Tigers will have an astounding figure of around $70MM in contracts coming off their books.

Detroit figures to be set in some areas, with Miguel Cabrera, Austin Jackson, and Brennan Boesch having earned spots in the 2011 lineup. The rotation will likely feature Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, and Armando Galarraga. Jose Valverde will still be closing games out in the ninth. You can put Carlos Guillen just about anywhere on the field. Scott Sizemore struggled in the Majors but has found his stride in Triple-A Toledo, with an overall line of .299/.379/.463. He'll likely get another look at the very least.

Still, they'll have a number of holes to fill through free agency and trades, but as you can tell, they've got the funds to do it and do it well. Notable free agents include Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn, Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre, Orlando Hudson, and Manny Ramirez to name a few. With their rotation nearly filled out, and some promising bats penciled into the order, Leyland's prediction is certainly one that can come true with some wise spending from general manager Dave Dombrowski.

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