Tigers Woes, Or Not?

The Detroit Tigers came into the free agent market with guns blazing. They scored closing pitcher Troy Percival almost immediately, and then sent out contract offers to Troy Glaus, Steve Finley, Carl Pavano, and others. Since Percival, they have been turned down by all the rest.

The first let down came with Troy Glaus. Glaus signed a four year, $45 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. When I saw this offer, the name Brandon Inge came tearing through my head. Inge had a much higher batting average, and has a much stronger arm. Glaus has been the victim of shoulder problems, and a repeat of Dean Palmer could have been on the horizon. So why was Glaus a let down? I have no idea, to be honest. When I saw the deal he signed, the word overpaid came to mind. Thank you, Mr. Dombrowski, for having sense not to match it.

The winter meeting started, and the Tigers aggressively pursued Carl Pavano. Pavano had visited Comerica Park, and came away saying he could “..play for that guy (Trammell)...”. The Tigers outbid the Yankees for Pavano, offering a reported five year deal. Pavano saw more in the Yankees than the Tigers, and signed with them instead. I was utterly devastated. The #1 thing the Tigers needed was a solid ace. I’m still recovering, hoping they acquire a good pitcher, even if he’s not the ace.

After I got over my devastation enough to continue life, I turned my eyes to Derek Lowe. Lowe wasn’t the greatest pitcher, but he seemed to have some success in the past, and maybe he could help the Tigers. His agent Scott Boras then gave 12 million reasons not to sign him. To top it all off, he wanted that each year for four years. I again applauded the Tigers for not making this signing. Maroth, Bonderman, and Johnson all had far better ERAs than Lowe’s 5.42 ERA.

So where do the Tigers go from there? How about Steve Finley filling center field until Granderson is ready to make his MLB debut? Finley didn’t seem to think this was such a hot idea, and signed with the Angels. This prompted the Tigers to re-sign Alex Sanchez. I think it is a fine move. If he gets hurt, Nook Logan can come back and fill in for him again. Both have a lot of speed, and can hit very well. The idea was to improve in center field, but that does not mean the Tigers were bad in this position. In fact, they were good. The fielding could have been stronger, but the hitting was very good. Be ok without Finley in Comerica Park. The Tigers will not suffer without him.

Another tragedy for the Tigers came at the expense of a man named Adrian Beltre. Beltre is reported to have been offered up to $90 million from the Tigers. Beltre, instead, chose the Mariners at $65 million. Why? Well, simply, they don’t have a decade of losing tradition. They’ve had ups and downs, but not all downs. I believe that Brandon Inge can play third base well for us, but it would have been nice to have him in the outfield, and have a .330 hitter guarding third base.

So why aren’t free agents coming to Detroit? They are offering very competitive contracts, and their staff seems liked by all the visiting players. I believe there is more than one reason.

Let’s start out by reminding ourselves that Comerica Park is not a hitter’s ballpark. It’s big, and awkward, and has a huge gap in left-center field. Yes, this generates a lot of triples, but in general it is not a very homerun-friendly place to be. Players like Adrian Beltre could potentially view it as a threat to his style of hitting. Can you blame him and others? I can’t. If I were a power hitter, I would have to really think about coming to Comerica Park to play.

Have you ever been to a game in April, May, or September? Have you noticed the cold weather? A lot of players aren’t going to want to leave the warm weather to head north; however, the Tigers were wise to not build a dome. The idea of playing baseball indoors just isn’t appeasing for most of us. The game was born outside, and should remain outside.

The last ten years have been atrocious. Losing over 100 games on several occasions, and turning over players with bad contracts year after year sure isn’t helping that losing either. It wasn’t until the last year that the Tigers started being wise with their signings. Pudge at $10 million per year was really a bargain if you compare his numbers to others getting more.

So it appears it’s too late for the Tigers. They can’t sign anyone, and will never improve.

Nonsense!

They just have to keep working at it. They have to keep adding one or two pieces here and there, and start to bump their wins up to the 80-85 mark each season. The closer they get to that mark, and the longer they sustain it, the better the team will look in the off-season.

Let’s also not forget the growing farm system. Dombrowski has worked out deals each year to add more depth to the minor league system. While it has a ways to go, it is starting to offer potential future players, and future trade bait. If you can’t win in free agency immediately, you can turn to trades that will improve your team now and for the future.

Patience is today’s key word. Give the Tigers time, and look positive at them. If Johnson can’t be the ace, Maroth most likely can. If they can’t sign anymore bullpen pitchers, they still have Urbina to setup Percival. Sanchez and Inge hitting .300 is also not a bad trade-off to not signing Beltre, Renteria, or Finley.

The Tigers will have a successful season. It may not include the playoffs, but there is still a chance at that. Who knows, maybe J.D. Drew can be signed. We just have to figure out a way to bankrupt the Dodgers first.

-Dan Joseph