Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Wasn't he in the same trade?

It's amazing, the Yankees keep on trading prospects over the years and none of them pan out. Yet none of the MLB GMs can figure this out.

Milton was the prized piece of that Knoblauch deal, Guzman was the minor leaguer who was blocked by Derek Jeter.

For what it's worth, I do believe that the Yankees would be selling high on Jackson here and they're certainly giving up a lot more players as well as clearing space on the 40-man roster so as to not lose guys in the Rule V draft. The can't-touch guy in the organization is Jesus Montero and he wouldn't be worth giving up for Granderson.

Besides, it's not as if the Mets gave up anyone worthwhile for Santana.

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Rosenthal now says the Tigers will get two players from the Yankees. Ed Price is saying the Tigers and D-Backs are waiting for the Yankees to sign off on the deal and a decision will be down by 2pm.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Eh....I can live with this one, I suppose. I just hope that either Jackson or Casper Wells is ready to step in immediately in CF. Jackson doesn't have much power, and he needs to raise his walk totals and cut down on the K's.

[Terrierbyassociation]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Yankees will get OF Curtis Granderson, while Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy will end up with the D-Backs, and prospects Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke go to the Tigers.

Ouch. In order of awesomeness: Yankees.

Way down: Tigers (giving up a top centerfielder and a credible starter, getting back a ton of prospects)

Unbelievable and someone should take their GM out back and shoot his career in the face: D-Backs.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Well, if Scherzer can step in and do a credible job, the Tigers will be fine. I'm more worried about the rotation than I am about the outfield. Someone else needs to step in and put up 170 innings and not get smoked like a carton of Marlboros.

By the end of next season we should be seeing one of Casper Wells, Ryan Strieby or Brandon Boesch arrive in Detroit's outfield, and the others shouldn't be too far behind, likely sometime in 2011.

Granderson's power has continued to develop very nicely, but he hits lefthanders about as well as Stevie Wonder reads the New York Times.

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Granderson's power has continued to develop very nicely, but he hits lefthanders about as well as Stevie Wonder reads the New York Times.

Yankees hitting instructor Kevin Long will certainly have his work cut out for himself there. Still, Granderson is instantly a thousand times better than Cabrera and Gardner in center. Granderson will have enough protection in the lineup so that teams won't be changing pitchers just to take care of him.

[3W]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

There's nothing inherently exciting about deliberately making a team that contended last year worse in the present because you can't get out of the red. Clearly, that's what's happening here, and it's very disappointing, but it's clear that trimming payroll is a motivating factor to get this deal done. Welcome back to the MLB have-nots.

If you break it down into two separate deals, that is, Jackson for Scherzer and Granderson for Coke and A. Jackson, it's at least half good. Either the DBacks know something we don't or they screwed themselves into trading their best young pitcher for a guy who was very ordinary after the break. So, it's not a complete loss.

But who you have up the middle is so huge and the Tigers are terrible there right now with a defensive catcher who can't hit, a second baseman with no ML experience, one of two shortstops that field well and can't hit, and who knows what in that huge center field out there.

[Billy Blanks]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Ouch. In order of awesomeness: Yankees.

Way down: Tigers (giving up a top centerfielder and a credible starter, getting back a ton of prospects)

Unbelievable and someone should take their GM out back and shoot his career in the face: D-Backs.

I disagree. If the Tigers had to punt 2010 in order to make a more serious playoff run in 2011, consider me to be 100% on board. Once Guillen, Ordonez, Robertson, etc. are off the books, I expect Illitch to sign some very big bats. Mucho grande bats. The pitching will be in great shape, we'll just need enough offense to secure the W's.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

There's nothing inherently exciting about deliberately making a team that contended last year worse in the present because you can't get out of the red. Clearly, that's what's happening here, and it's very disappointing, but it's clear that trimming payroll is a motivating factor to get this deal done. Welcome back to the MLB have-nots.

If you break it down into two separate deals, that is, Jackson for Scherzer and Granderson for Coke and A. Jackson, it's at least half good. Either the DBacks know something we don't or they screwed themselves into trading their best young pitcher for a guy who was very ordinary after the break. So, it's not a complete loss.

But who you have up the middle is so huge and the Tigers are terrible there right now with a defensive catcher who can't hit, a second baseman with no ML experience, one of two shortstops that field well and can't hit, and who knows what in that huge center field out there.

Well, to be fair, I suspect that the defensive catcher who can't hit will see his time diminish drastically as 2010 progresses, and people realize that Alex Avila is ready. I hope...

Everett's re-signing at least averts a short-term disaster at short. The prospects aren't ready, and I'm starting to wonder whether the two big ones we were talking about in February (Iorg and Worth) ever will be.

As for Sizemore at 2B, I'd like to see what Plan B is if this kid is hitting .170 much past Easter.

In CF, either Jackson or Casper Wells has to be ready by the end of March, or we've got another big problem there.

Pitching staff: I still think we're one starter and at least one reliever short at the moment.

Wishful thinking? Probably. But I do agree that this is a bit of a fire sale.

[Billy Blanks]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

There's nothing inherently exciting about deliberately making a team that contended last year worse in the present because you can't get out of the red. Clearly, that's what's happening here, and it's very disappointing, but it's clear that trimming payroll is a motivating factor to get this deal done. Welcome back to the MLB have-nots.

If you break it down into two separate deals, that is, Jackson for Scherzer and Granderson for Coke and A. Jackson, it's at least half good. Either the DBacks know something we don't or they screwed themselves into trading their best young pitcher for a guy who was very ordinary after the break. So, it's not a complete loss.

But who you have up the middle is so huge and the Tigers are terrible there right now with a defensive catcher who can't hit, a second baseman with no ML experience, one of two shortstops that field well and can't hit, and who knows what in that huge center field out there.

I don't necessarily see this as a payroll move. I see it simply as a way to make your team better with some tradable assets. If they didn't owe Nate and Willis money for 2010 I think this deal still gets made. They got younger and cheaper versions of players that could potentially be as good if not better than the guys they moved. But that by itself doesn't make it a move necessitated by bad contracts.


Well, if Scherzer pitches like last season with 1 year improvement, that gives us 3 young starters already in MLB. If Crosby or Oliver shows they are ready to enter the 2011 rotation and Turner progresses well, maybe it will be time to stir up some talks with FLA again for that SS they have there.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Apparently Seattle was interested in Gerald Laird earlier this afternoon.

Please.

Make this deal.

Give me two large french fries and you can have Gerald Laird.

Not two large orders of french fries, mind you. Two large french fries, period.

Or give us Jay Buhner. He doesn't figure into your outfield plans next season. We'll take him.

[Billy Blanks]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

Apparently Seattle was interested in Gerald Laird earlier this afternoon.

Please.

Make this deal.

Give me two large french fries and you can have Gerald Laird.

Not two large orders of french fries, mind you. Two large french fries, period.

Or give us Jay Buhner. He doesn't figure into your outfield plans next season. We'll take him.

Laird will be dealt next.
We will go after Mauer HARD in '11.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

No we won't. Hopefully we'll have Alex Avila settled in. Don't be silly.

Jorge Posada will be pushing 39. The Yankees might open the vault.

[GreatLakerMohawk]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

No we won't. Hopefully we'll have Alex Avila settled in. Don't be silly.

Jorge Posada will be pushing 39. The Yankees might open the vault.

The Yankees will be in on Mauer because they know the Red Sox will be. Posada being older and it's still unsure if Jesus Montero (top prospect in the organization) is going to be able to stick at catcher or not, rest assured (horrified) that the Yankees will be in on all Mauer discussion if the Twins vomit away their future.

[Hammer]

Re: Detroit Tigers, 2009, Part III: How long does it take for Leyland to screw this up?

That's exactly where I was going until I saw that you were replying. Boston needs a catcher, too. I think Varitek was a teammate of Carl Yastrzemski, or at least it seems he's been around that long (for those of you whose bull**** meters are broken)