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Tigers Add Four Players to 40-Man Roster
The Tigers had four spots open on their 40-man roster, with six players eligible for free agency. And today, when rosters had to be finalized, the team filled each spot.
Second baseman Scott Sizemore, shortstop Audy Ciriaco, and outfielders Ryan Strieby and Brennan Boesch were added to the roster.
(Bill Ferris has more at The Detroit Tigers Weblog)
BYOBYB: Friday Open Thread
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 20, 2009 12:30 PM EST
in Open Threads
37 comments
Free agency is now underway, but the prevailing opinion seems to be that teams will try to improve themselves through trades before shopping the open market. Judging from all the rumors swirling around the Detroit Tigers, that's going to be Dave Dombrowski's approach.
And if this offseason is anything like last year's, some of these free agents, especially the middle- to lower-tier - could be looking for contracts well into January, as teams wait for prices to go down.
I guess that's my long-winded way of saying there probably won't be much action today. So after a one-week hiatus (due to Curtis Granderson trade rumors), BYOBYB returns. Whatever's on your mind - whether it's the Tigers, baseball in general, or something off-topic - you can discuss it here.
Possible topics to discuss:
- Will Edwin Jackson be a Detroit Tiger by Thanksgiving?
- Do you expect the Tigers to make any moves with free agents before the Winter Meetings?
- Did baseball really need to drag out its awards announcements, holding off the MVP picks until next week?
- What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you traveling? Are you hosting? Will it be a big bonanza with family or friends? Or something more low-key?
- And if we're talking Thanksgiving, we have to discuss your favorite dishes.
But those are just suggestions. Bring up whatever you'd like. This open thread now belongs to you, people. Enjoy your weekend!
37 comments | 0 recs
Morning Prowl: Bourquin Banned, Organizational Trees, Top 10 Prospects, and Goodbye Hessman
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 20, 2009 8:15 AM EST
in News
6 comments
[Updated at 9 a.m.]
Tigers minor league third baseman Ronnie Bourquin received a 50-game suspension yesterday, after testing positive for an amphetamine. Good timing, with the team having to decide who to keep on the 40-man roster. He'll serve the penalty at the beginning of next season.
Bourquin played in 118 games between Single-A and Double-A this year. He batted .267/.361/.408 with eight home runs and 77 RBIs.
The Arizona Fall League plays its championship game tomorrow afternoon at 2:45 p.m. ET. And the Peoria Javelinas, with several Tigers prospects, are playing for the title. So here's one last chance for you to get a look at Casper Wells, Robbie Weinhardt, Andrew Oliver, and a few others before next spring. The game will be shown on MLB Network.
(via The Detroit Tigers Weblog)
At Take 75 North, Matt Wallace has thoughts about the 40-man roster, listing 11 players who could be protected by the Tigers. But maybe they shouldn't be, as they could also be replaceable within the organization.
The Freep has a photo gallery of 10 free agents the Tigers should take a look at this offseason. There are a couple of interesting names suggested (Endy Chavez, Frank Catalanotto) and one that makes me - and I'm only speaking for myself - want to pull my hair out (John Smoltz).
With the 40-man roster needing to be finalized today, it's worth checking out the Organizational Tree that Bill Ferris has set up at The Detroit Tigers Weblog. How did each player on the roster end up with Detroit? Some had a pretty direct route, others took a more winding road.
At The Hardball Times, Matt Hagen listed his Top 10 Tigers prospects. The list is headed by pitcher Jacob Turner, Detroit's first-round draft pick this year. He's followed by second baseman Scott Sizemore, who Tigers fans will probably get a good look at next season.
(Thanks to Dberg for posting this in the comments yesterday.)
Jason Beck gives a slow clap to Mike Hessman, who became a minor league free agent on Wednesday. His days in the Tigers organization are very likely over. In five years with the Mud Hens, Hessman got the call up to Detroit for 29 games. He batted.256/.330/.615 with nine homers and 19 RBIs, playing first base and third base.
Other familiar names who became free agents were Dane Sardinha, Macay McBride, and Brent Clevlen.
If you've seen the term "BABIP" get bounced around from time to time in the comments and wondered what that was all about, Big League Stew provides a thorough explanation.
The Royals will add powder blue hats to their day-game ensemble next season. I think they should've gone back to the powder blue pants. Of course, you can't sell uniform pants to fans like you can sell hats.
6 comments | 0 recs |
An Uneasy Thanksgiving Coming Up For Edwin Jackson?
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 19, 2009 3:50 PM EST
in Hot Stove
34 comments
Trade rumors surrounding Edwin Jackson aren't going away. They may even be picking up heat. USA Today's Bob Nightengale posted the latest rumblings he's been hearing on his Twitter feed:
Keep and eye on developing three-way trade talk with Tigers and Mariners and mystery team involving M's Brandon Morrow and Dets Jackson
If anything, this corroborates what Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported at the beginning of the week. The Mariners are interested in Edwin Jackson, and the Tigers might be looking to get Morrow in return. Although a "mystery team" making this a possible three-way deal is a new development.
As something of a follow-up on ESPN's Rumor Central (Insider), there's an implication that this deal could end up setting the market for starting pitching this offseason. If the M's got Jackson, they wouldn't pursue a free agent like John Lackey or Rich Harden. But this would also establish a price for acquiring a starting pitcher in trade.
(Keith Law thinks highly of Jackson and believes that Morrow's problems with developing into a starter are due somewhat to mismanagement by former Seattle GM Bill Bavasi).
If the Tigers are going to make a deal, is it possible they'd make it before the Winter Meetings in the second week of December? A few days ago, Peter Gammons wrote that many general managers are still waiting to hear what their budgets are going to be for next year. So if Dave Dombrowski believes he can only work with what he already has, perhaps he needs to have payroll freed up before GMs get together in Indianapolis.
I guess we'll be keeping an eye out for a potential deal between now and December 7, when the Winter Meetings begin.
(Thanks to granderson28 for posting this in the comments of our last post.)
34 comments | 0 recs |
Playing With the Tigers' 40-Man Roster
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 19, 2009 8:30 AM EST
in News
31 comments
With major league teams having to finalize their 40-man rosters by Friday, the Detroit Tigers have some decisions to make about which players they want to protect and which to leave exposed for the Rule 5 Draft that takes place at the end of next month's Winter Meetings.
If you look at Detroit's current 40-man roster, you'll notice 42 names are listed. However, six of those names will be free agents as of Friday. That leaves four openings. But at least two of them are already spoken for, as Scott Sizemore and Ryan Strieby will need to be added.
(Jason Beck and Lynn Henning seem to be high on Brennan Boesch, who hit 28 homers for Double-A Erie this year. Me, I think he looks a bit like Number Two's son on The Prisoner. He could take up a third opening.)
So the Tigers will probably have to make some moves to create more room on the roster. Who else should go? And which prospects need to be protected?
At Mack Avenue Tigers, Kurt Mensching listed the players he thinks should go, and the ones that could stay. In his article on the subject, Beck also suggested a couple of other players Detroit could protect. (Just to clarify, players generally don't have to be protected until they've played four minor league seasons, which is why prospects such as Casey Crosby, Cody Satterwhite, or Brett Jacobsen Scott Green aren't being mentioned.)
[EDIT: Take 75 North's Matt Wallace reminds me that Jacobson was traded to Baltimore in the Aubrey Huff deal. My mistake. I keep trying to forget that trade ever took place.]
Almost two weeks ago, demondeaconsbaseball requested that we have a 40-man roster discussion thread, so this is probably the best time to do it. I know some are more familiar with the Tigers' minor league system than others. (I'm probably not as familiar with some prospects as I should be, either.) But I think plenty of you have an opinion on this.
Just to get the thread started, four names immediately stood out as players who could be cut when I looked over the roster. I'd send off Freddy Dolsi, Clay Rapada, Don Kelly, and Dontrelle Willis. (All but Willis have minor league options remaining, however, and could stay in the organization. As Kurt pointed out in his post, Eddie Bajek has listed who still has options at his blog, Detroit Tigers Thoughts.)
So what moves would you make? Is there anybody else you'd cut loose? Who's an important player for the Tigers to protect? Play with the 40-man roster!
31 comments | 0 recs |
Tigers Won't Increase Ticket Prices Next Season
The Tigers announced a freeze on ticket prices today, also lowering the prices in certain sections for season tickets and individual game tickets.
The Lower Baseline Box (sections 112-114, 141-143) seats will be reduced by $7-9 and the Upper Baseline Box (sections 334-337) seats will be reduced by $5 next season.
5,800 seats will still be available for $12 or less. The highest ticket prices are $77 for premium games in the On-Deck Circle tickets ($70 regular). The lowest are the Skyline seats (section 345) for $5.
2 days ago
Ian Casselberry
1 comment
0 recs
Evening Prowl: Voting Verlander, Ernie Harwell, and Granderson's Hitting
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 18, 2009 5:00 PM EST
in News
7 comments
MLive.com's Steve Kornacki was the one voter who put Justin Verlander on the top of his AL Cy Young Award ballot. (25 went to the winner, K.C.'s Zack Greinke, with two going to Seattle's Felix Hernandez.) Kornacki based his vote on Verlander showing toughness under pennant race pressure, something Greinke and Hernandez didn't have to worry about.
Jason Beck transcribed highlights from last night's interview between Bob Costas and Ernie Harwell on MLB Network (which I forgot to post a reminder about). As you might imagine, Harwell was warm, funny, and poignant. Perhaps the most impressive part of the interview was Ernie reciting his Hall of Fame induction speech completely from memory.
Unfortunately, I don't know when (or if) MLB Network will replay the show. If I find out anything (or if anyone else knows), I'll try to post that information (or any clips that pop up online) here.
UPDATE: Two clips are on now on MLB.com. In the first, Harwell remembers Jackie Robinson. The second is Ernie's Hall of Fame speech. (via True Blue L.A.)
At The Detroit Tigers Weblog, Bill Ferris tries to figure out why Curtis Granderson's batting average slid so far in 2009. Did he try to pull the ball too much, as some believe? Hit too many fly balls? Bill compares his spray charts over each of the last three seasons to get some answers.
Baseball Prospectus' Christina Kahrl got to vote for the AL Rookie of the Year, and explains her ballot in this article. She was one of eight who didn't vote for the Tigers' Rick Porcello.
(I have to admit, when I first heard about so many writers leaving Kid Rick off the ballot, I was baffled. But then I remembered that only three players go on the ballot. So while I don't necessarily agree with it, leaving Porcello off under those circumstances is more understandable. I'm kind of biased, of course.)
Matt Wallace chimes in on recent trade rumors at Take 75 North, and likes the idea that the Tigers are trying to get younger (and don't intend to trade away prospects for veterans). But he's not down with trading Curtis Granderson.
7 comments | 0 recs |
No Fire Sale? Media Links Closers to Tigers
by Ian Casselberry on Nov 18, 2009 12:20 PM EST
in Hot Stove
15 comments
This might qualify as a news flash: a couple of writers in the traditional baseball media aren't suggesting the Tigers trade off players to reduce payroll (or subsidize the Yankees and Red Sox). Instead, they think Detroit should stay in contention by adding a key piece to their bullpen.
First, FOXSports.com's Dayn Perry lists 10 moves that teams should make this offseason to improve themselves. His suggestion for the Tigers? Sign Billy Wagner:
Detroit is in contending mode, so the wise play would be to resist the temptation to sell off and instead take calculated risks. Since the AL Central is so winnable (and since the Tigers came within a hairsbreadth of a division title this past season), tweaks at the margins might be enough. One tweak could be adding Wagner.
(Thanks to SabreRoseTiger for posting this in the comments yesterday.)
Wagner missed most of the season with an elbow injury, pitching in only 17 games. But after he recovered (and was traded by the Mets), he posted a 1.58 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 13.4 innings for the Red Sox.
Given his injury history and age (Wagner will turn 39 next season), perhaps he'd be looking for a lower-cost, one-or-two-year deal on the free agent market.
The other suggestion is made by USA Today's Paul White, who lists the top 10 free agents and predicts where they'll end up. White's destination for Jose Valverde? Your Detroit Tigers.
More closers are on the market than teams willing to commit significant money for one. That gives the Houston Astros a shot at keeping him. In the end, a contender takes the plunge.
(Hat tip to Bill Ferris for passing this along.)
I don't think we have a match here. Yes, the Tigers want a veteran closer. And Valverde is the top one available. However, he's also a free agent for the first time, and will surely be looking to cash in. (He made $8 million last season to avoid arbitration.) That doesn't fit how the Tigers apparently want to do business this winter (nor was it their approach last year).
But if, as White believes, there aren't that many teams looking for a top-tier ninth-inning reliever, maybe Valverde would be willing to take a shorter, cheaper contract and try free agency again when the market improves. That didn't happen last year, however, and it probably won't this time around.
Valverde pitched in 52 games for the Astros this season, racking up 25 saves in 29 opportunities, along with a 4-2 record and 2.33 ERA. He struck out 56 batters and walked 21 in 54 innings, his lowest totals in three years. Ankle and calf injuries kept him out early in the season.
So while it might be refreshing to get a break from the fire sale scenarios that so much of the baseball media seems to be envisioning for Detroit, are these realistic options for the Tigers? Can they make these moves without dealing off some of the players that have been discussed?
15 comments | 0 recs |
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AL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota
|
87 | 76 | .533 | 0 | Lost 3 |
|
Detroit
|
86 | 77 | .527 | 1 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
79 | 83 | .487 | 7.5 | Lost 1 |
|
Kansas City
|
65 | 97 | .401 | 21.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Cleveland
|
65 | 97 | .401 | 21.5 | Lost 5 |
(updated 11.21.2009 at 1:13 PM EST)
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