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Manager of the Year
Gardenhire.
Low Payroll. Average rotation. Average bullpen (except for Nathan). Average lineup (except for Mauer.)
Lost Morneau, then went on to win 20 of 27 (or something like that). Yes, he did have Mauer, and that god-awful stadium, but his team played with zest, commitment, and confidence (as opposed to the Tigers, one of which went out drinking till 4AM the night before the big game)
If that's not good managing, then show me what is.
Add
Much of this doesn't make sense.
JACKSON - with Boras lurking in the background, who is going to give up much for him. Probably would get nothing higher than "B" level prospects. If a hopeful contender wants to cough up an "A" level prospect... that's different. Tigers should keep Edwin, continue with the best rotation in the ALC, and see what happens in 2011.
GRANDERSON - I'm sure Curtis could handle going to the Yankee$, Cub$, or Angel$, as they are the three top media markets in the U.S. But, with Guillen, Raburn, and Magglio playing the corners for the Tigers, how could we want anyone other than Granderson in center field? Remember, Verlander would have had only 18 wins, except for that catch against Sizemore in Cleveland.
Granderson still can be a centerpiece of this lineup. He's just not been mentored very well. Perhaps this new coach can help him be more dangerous on the basepaths. Also, it wouldn't hurt if he would cut back on the personal appearances next summer :)
Except for questionable managing, the Tigers would have taken the Division. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
jackson
Verlander-Porcello-Jackson is a good nucleus of a rotation. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If DD thinks Bonderman is a shoo-in for next year, let's at least wait and see in the spring. Dending on how things develop in Lakeland, then make a trade.
Shopping Jackson
I don't blame Magglio's vesting on the financial problems now. His contract was signed years ago, and in so doing, took the Tigers all the way to the World Series. It also put tens of thousands of new fans in the seats (including me). In 2009, thanks plenty to Magio's bat, the team should have been in the playoffs.
Generally, Dombrowski has been a successful GM. His only real mistake was that stupid extension to Willis. All the others were somewhat sensible, although in hindsight, have not worked out. These are decisions that other GMs only hope to make, and who wish their owners would allow.
The results are not horrible. The Tigers have fielded a competitive team for four years, and been in a pennant race in three out of four.
But, alas, we never repeated in the World Series, and now must pay the piper.
But trading good players, such as Jackson, is not the path to improvement.
Edwin Jackson
Granted, Jackson is one of the few "tradables" on the team. Other teams would actually want him. But, what do they get in return? Save $6M? C'mon... that's not much for one more year (at which time many of the big salaries go away.)
Dombrowski is panicking. And, that's when stupid decisions are made. If the goal is to reduce payroll, then they are no longer chasing the Division title. At which point, why not just trade Cabrera, and free up up all that money.
Thames
No doubt, he can still hit 15 - 20 homers per year... but I thought I saw less effort from Marcus this year. Several missed catches in LF. Sloppy baserunning.
JJ Putz
He always closed well against the Tigers. Of course, they can't sign him until the Rodney situation is concluded.
Fringe to Average?
Have to disagree. Polanco has said that he would like to stay in Detroit. Plus, I'm not sure if he is as valuable to a NL team, such as LA They have to make do with eight hitters vs. nine. Of course, Torre does know talent, so if Torre wants him, then the Tigers should weant him.
Biggest Things Facing the Tigers this offseason
No longer is it about "buying" a World Series Championship. That's what all those bad signings were for (Guillen, Robertson, Sheffield, Willis, Cabreara). It's now about fielding a strong, competitive team.
Now that they've blown so many $$ (albeit on a good cause), nows not the time to get cheap. Good players need to be kept. This is not Cleveland.
Verlander must be signed, long term, if for no other reason than the seats he'll fill. Besides, the pitching staff is in good shape. Don't mess with it. No Verlander, no Division title.
Porcello is not Verlander. He's the perfect compliment. Nothing but ground balls. Lots of double plays. Sounds like we need good D in the middle infield (Polanco).
Jackson is more of an "if". Good pitcher, and a competitor, but he possibly ran out of gas this year.
Granderson needs to stay at leadoff, unless they can find someone better (nobody on the current roster is better.) He just needs to improve with the balls and strikes. (Coaching?) Also, he should be a better baserunner by now. Sheffield could have been a great tudor for Grandy while he was here, but it apparently didn't happen.
Why not try Sizemore in LF? Good bat. Strong arm. Defense is his weak spot. Why not? If Guillen is not happy, too bad.
Troyman
Gardenhire is a good Mgr. in a good organization. But, he's no magician. The Twins have a bunch of weaknesses, like the Tigers.
The new Stadium will not make them any better, nor any worse. But, it might just make the viting team a little better (i.e. the Kelly "drop")
Crawl
Eliminat eall the crawl. Whatever happened to the game itself?
Cabrera Forever?
We must remember that Cabrera was acquired to get the team to the '08 World Series. Remember, how it was a shoo-in for the Tigers? And, Dombrowski feared the worst, should they actually win it, with Cabrera having an MVP year. Best to lock him up, rather than to lose him to the Yankee$ or Red $ox.
But the repeat WS never happened, and the Tigers are now back to being "competitive" at best. Time to ask if the $156m investment is still worth it. You could get a lot of good players for that mooh-la, and there might be another "contender" that's one more super-bat away from a Championship.
Dombrowski and the Tigers
Both Dombrowski and Ilitch both have been salivating for a WS title since '06. For Ilitch, It would be his dream come true. For Dombrowski, it would be his ticket out of Detroit, and to where the real action is: a GM position in New York, LA, Chicago, Philly, or Boston. He was going to be the star GM, taking the Tigers from the ashes all the way to the Championship.
They both threw caution to the wind for their own individual reasons. And, the fans, just as eager, went along with it, applauding the signing of, and big $$ paid to Sheffield, Willis, and Cabrera.
Now, they have to start anew, with a team full of aging veterans, and except for pitching, not a whole lot of championship caliber youngsters. Dombrowski might be stuck in Detroit for a long, long time.
Tigers-Twins Game
Lots of anger over the Inge "non" HBP. What about the called 3rd strike to polanco earlier? That was even a bigger travesty, especially considering that Ump's extremely tight strike zone.
That Ump shouldn't be doing the playoffs.
Although the players won't say it, the Tigers were robbed last night.
The last month, of course, is another matter. They did that all by themselves.
Eric Wedge
looks like the die has been cast in Cleveland, and Wedge will be looking for a new job. I'd love to see him managing in Detroit. He gets the most out of his players. Wonder if DD and Ilitch would even consider it?
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