Ice on the Stove?

They say that this is the season to be jolly. For the Detroit Tigers, that spirit is quickly diminishing. The Tigers acquired free agent pitcher Troy Percival last month, and since then have been turned down by many others. The latest disappointment came last night, when the AP announced that Adrian Beltre would sign a five year deal with the Seattle Mariners, a team that lost 99 games last year.

So what is really wrong with the Tigers this year? They say they have the money to compete in the free agent market. They’ve made fair offers to a lot of people, yet they seem to come up short each time.

One of the biggest set backs was Carl Pavano. The Tigers had reportedly offered a four year, $40 million contract to Pavano. His agent, Scott Shapiro, denied the reports. Later it was said that the Tigers tacked on a fifth year. On December 11, 2004, Carl Pavano joined the New York Yankees for $39 million over four years. If the Tigers had offered more, why did he choose New York?

It’s simple. Track record, budget, and personnel.

The Tigers have had a decade of consecutive losing seasons. They have a track record of making the wrong decisions, and railroading their “five year” plans. They’ve made poor trades, poor signings, and poor contract decisions. They’ve depleted their minor league system, and have absolutely no chance of farming a good starting pitcher anytime soon. Did Bill Ford train Mike Illitch?

Another problem is their cheaping out on their budget. They’ve held to the $45-50 million payroll ranges, while the competitive market has demanded teams spend at least $70 million to start being competitive. That’s not to say the Tigers should make like Steinbrenner, and buy everyone in site. They just need to start thinking about investing in their product better, and putting a more competitive approach to the free agent market together. Mr. Illitch, if you win, they will come, and spend money in your stadium, and cause your profits to rise.

Now don’t get me wrong, I read all about how Dombrowski has a big budget this year. Then I hear the number $60 million. Last year their payroll was around $50 million. If Dombrowski has the funds to build a Central Division contender, then why isn’t he being given a $70-$80 million budget? It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

That brings me to the Tigers’ front office and my dark, gloomy opinion of them right now. Dave Dombrowski was brought in too build a winner. Mike Illitch said he was going to fund the team for such an event. It started out really good with a 119 loss season. Criticism flew, and Illitch went into hiding with Osama bin Laden. It took an embarrassment, but the Tigers managed to sign a few guys, including Rondell White, Fernando Vina, and Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge was by far the best signing of the off-season. White and Vina disappointed us with injuries. The team went on to win 72 games. This made Detroit fans smile, and filled the stadium.

What have they done for us lately? They outbid the Yankees for Carl Pavano. They appear to have refused to pay $12 million per year for Derek Lowe, which is a good move. They tried to sign Edgar Renteria, who incidentally was “seriously considering” the Tigers, but had no mention of them when he signed his contract.

Let me try and set the record straight early. I do not completely fault Dave Dombrowski. I do not even completely fault Mike Illitch. The first person I fault is George Steinbrenner. He started this mess. The second person I blame is Donald Fehr, who is completely incompetent. Fehr runs around screaming collusion and capitalism more than anyone I’ve ever seen or heard of. He thinks that putting a $100 million salary cap on baseball is some how going to hinder his players from making a livable wage. This is complete and total nonsense. An average salary of $2.5 million per year is plenty to live off of. Inflation isn’t that out of control quite yet.

So how do the Tigers fix their situation? Keep offering, and keep trying to sign free agents. J.D. Drew is in the mix still, and you never know, he could end up signing. Is it a solid signing? It might be; however, he’s never played more than 145 games, and has averaged 121 games. What will the Tigers do for 40 games without him each season? Time will tell, I guess.

I want to now apologize for my lack of enthusiasm, and apparent gloomy mood. After reading that Adrian Beltre went to a lesser team for not much money, I was really down. Not only because of Beltre, but because of the situation with the Tigers in the off-season. Not because of one person, or one lost free agent, but because of the situation of the game. Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Angels. Those are the four golden teams of MLB, and the only ones that will be able to compete in the free agent market until Bud Selig grows a spine.

-Dan Joseph