So, the Tigers will probably need to continue to make moves with an eye towards contending-either for the wild card or A.L. Central crown. (Can Chicago play this well two years in a row?)It's too early to get into specifics, but I have a general idea of what I would like to see the Tigers accomplish after the season concludes.
- Sign a free agent pitcher.
- Trade Pudge Rodriguez, as that seems to be his current desire.
- Acquire a new catcher.
- Decide if Carlos Guillen should play short or third.
- If he stays at short, acquire a new 3B. If he moves to third, get a new SS.
- Make Brandon Inge a super-utility player like Tony Phillips was.
- Let Carlos Pena go.
- Call Jim Leyland.
I don't want to overreact, but this continuing cycle of waiting for player development and inability to play above .500 baseball is wearing on me. We are hearing all the same excuses about the Tigers today as we did about Detroit's baseball team when Tony Clark, Bobby Higginson and Justin Thompson were the supposed future.
Today's pathetic loss to Cleveland, losing 4-2 after Nate Robertson goes five innings without yielding a hit while his teammates strand eight runners on base in the first four innings, really has me steamed. This is the sort of incomplete baseball the Tigers have played, well, forever it seems.
I don't know if anyone in the Tigers front office has noticed, but Cleveland is better than Detroit. Again. Not all that long ago, the Indians dominated the Tigers. Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel (who killed the Tigers), Roberto Alomar, Albert Belle and company just ran over the Tigers for about a decade. Then they were the model the Tigers of Randy Smith were trying to become.
Well, Smith's vision failed, the Indians eventually faded, were pretty lousy for a while, but have suddenly shot right past Detroit again. This time with a new corps of young players led by Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore. No honking big contracts in Cleveland, just another group of kids that appear headed to beat the stuffing out of our bengals once again.
If Cleveland isn't enough, and it is, let's peek in at Oakland. Resident genius Billy Beane has lost Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in the last several years only to see his A's continue to contend with a team that I suspect over half of Motown cannot name. They obviously had players of value to trade this off-season, but they have also filled in holes from within their own organization.
It was bad enough that the budget strapped Athletics developed Tejada, Giambi, Hudson and Mulder (who went to MSU, for crying out loud) in the first place, but to lose them and toss in Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson and Bobby Crosby in the lineup and still be playoff contenders speaks to the quality of their front office's draft day decisions. Sabermetrics or not, the A's are doing something right on a budget smaller than the Tigers.
What really scares me now is Milwaukee. Yes, Milwaukee. The Brewers, who haven't been terribly good since Robin Yount and Paul Molitor moved on, are staring to look like a baseball team. They traded for Carlos Lee last year. They have put prospects Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder into the fray. Lyle Overbay is a decent looking hitter and Brady Clark is amongst the National League leaders in batting average last I looked.
The Brew Crew also have Ben Sheets and Chris Capuano to lead their starting pitching. The Brewers are young, talented and could be good for years. If pressed, and I was forced to pick between the Tigers roster and the Brewers roster, which would I take? Well, neither of us even wants to think about that.
Therein lies my frustration tonight. The Tigers (63 wins) are getting lapped by small markets Oakland (77) and Milwaukee (69), while Cleveland's (79) about to pass Detroit by for the second time around. It's unbelievable.
I'm not sure I'm going to be all that pleased if the Tigers trot out the same group, or something very close to it, in April '06. How much improvement can we really expect from this group? Yes, Mags has shown me that he can still be productive, but the Tigers still go into long droughts even with Ordonez healthy. Yes, Guillen's return to health would be significant, but wasn't he healthy all last year?
Pudge, whose whining is leading me to believe he should be dealt even if the Tigers have to eat half his salary, is going to be another year older. Will he be better than he was in '04? Doubtful.
I keep waiting for Jeremy Bonderman. I still think he can become a star, but his lack of progress does worry me. Outside of him, does anyone else in the rotation look like a guy you want in Game Two of a playoff series? Not to me.
Maybe Joel Zumaya or Justin Verlander can hold down that role, but what is their learning curve going to be? We are still waiting on Bonderman who is now in year three in The Show. In three years, the veteran nucleus of this team will be very old. Most will be gone. Then a new youth movement will be underway.
I'm not that patient tonight. Right now, I want a free agent arm to occupy the number two spot. A number one would be even better, but that's more wishful thinking than solid thought. I want Pudge dealt, so the Tigers can fill spots elsewhere. I'm a big Carlos Pena fan, but I don't want Tony Clark, Part II.
I want Brandon Inge on the bench or rotating positions daily. He's a tough minded player, but his bat just doesn't warrant a starter's role. I want a new thirdbaseman. Whether that means Guillen slides over or the Tigers acquire a new one. I'd be willing to trade Rodriguez, Maroth and/or Craig Monroe, to name just three, to accomplish my September 8th goals.
I want someone to call Jim Leyland, not because I desire to have Alan Trammell canned, but I don't desire to keep the same patterns of mediocrity alive. I'm on the Leyland bandwagon, but I understand if you don't want to join me.
Tonight it appears to me that this current group of players in the Olde English D are headed in the same direction as all the Detroit baseball teams of the last fifteen years. A team just good enough to tempt you into believing next year will be better. I'm not believing that theory tonight.
No, tonight I want changes. My changes sound huge, and to a degree, I guess some are. But I just want some tinkering to get this team above .500 for a full season. Is that asking too much?
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