Carl Pavano is a Yankee. Troy Glaus went to Arizona. Steve Finley opted for Anaheim. The Tigers are 0 for 3 in their pursuit of free agents at the Winter Meetings. Detroit's front office appears headed for Plan B or maybe C. Corey Koskie, J.D. Drew and Derek Lowe are now the names most often being mentioned around town.
The Tigers are, as Peter Gammons put it on WFAN radio, "in on everyone". However, "everyone" doesn't seem to include guys like Matt Clement and Magglio Ordonez, two guys I think they should consider. Even the Adrian Beltre rumors don't seem to be coming from Detroit.
It could be Scott Boras tossing names around or writers making logical connections (the Tigers wanted Glaus, are pursuing Koskie, why wouldn't they be looking at Beltre?), but I don't know if the Tigers are serious about signing Beltre to the kind of contract he is rumored to be seeking. Ten years was the length of a deal reported on Fox Sports Detroit tonight. (That's way too long for my taste.)
Koskie would be fine as part of a series of off-season acquisitions. As would Drew or Lowe. However, adding Koskie and Troy Percival alone is going to be met with a collective yawn after all thee hype heading into this winter. The Tigers still need to add a big-time bat to flame some hope of contending for the American Central title.
Personally, I would feel better if the Tigers appeared like strong suitors for Ordonez or Beltre. I'm not convinced they are. I''m confident that the Tigers will eventually make some moves, but I am less confident about the direction of their strategy at this moment.
For a team "in on everyone" they don't seem to be doing much. Of course, I am very far removed from being an informed source. The Tigers might actually be interested in just about all the free agents. They may be very close to making several moves. I'm probably just getting a bit overly anxious about the missed opportunities. I'm a fan, what do you expect? Rational thought?
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