An Off-Season of Budget Shopping?

by Ian Casselberry on Nov 3, 2008 1:30 PM EST in Detroit Tigers News

In today's Freep, Jon Paul Morosi had a nice story about Kris Regas, a pitcher the Tigers signed from the American Association league. It's the classic romantic notion of someone who's just been plugging away for love of the game, waiting for a break. And maybe he's finally getting one with the Tigers. Regas is one of eight players Detroit picked up from independent baseball leagues since mid-summer, each of whom will be assigned to a minor league team in the organization.

But while I think the Tigers should be looking high and low for anyone who can help them, and understand that plenty of players are needed to stock a minor league system, the beginning of Morosi's second paragraph troubled me a bit.

Rather than spend more, they will look for the players others have ignored. They will look for the forgotten veterans who burn for a second chance and the untested talents still hoping for their first.

My first thought on reading that? Didn't the Tigers already play this game with guys like Francisco Cruceta, Denny Bautista, Casey Fossum, and Gary Glover? How did that work out for the Tigers?

Oh, let's also include Armando Galarraga. He was obviously a gem of a find.

There's definitely something to be said for finding some treasure in another team's trash. Sometimes, players just need the ol' change of scenery, too, and have to find the right situation. I also like Dave Dombrowski's chances of being smarter than some of his fellow general managers. (Exhibit A: Galarraga.)

I realize that a roster can't be built entirely out of home-grown prospects and glitzy free agent signings. And maybe if you find one quality major leaguer out of five reclamation projects, that's a pretty good percentage and justifies looking high and low for any worthy talent that can help your ballclub.

But doesn't it seem like the Detroit Tigers can and should do more than go dumpster diving across baseball for talent? Morosi makes it sound like this is the basis of their off-season. Is this what it's come to after the failure of this past season?

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In fairness, looking in the garbage was not the plan when the offseason started and needing a high quality reliever after Zumaya got hurt put the team in a rough situation. I mean, we weren’t going to give up draft picks or spend the money for Cordero or Linebrink and aren’t we all thrilled that Gagne wasn’t signed?

Ideally I suppose we would have been better off with Ron Mahay, Doug Brocail or Troy Percival but I don’t think anyone expected that Zumaya, Jones and Rodney would all get injured and everyone else would forget how to throw strikes. I guess my point is that while this kind of was our strategy it was a strategy based on the success of two bullpen mainstays, Jones and Rodney.

Still, the fact that none of the “hidden gem” types could really get the job done should influence any strategy based on relying on them next year. I think much of the pen actually could be made up with those sorts of guys but everyone seems to be in agreement that at least one proven reliever should be acquired.

Again, I think we have the tools and the talent to build a very good pen with farm arms. Zumaya, Satterwhite, Perry, Fein, Rodney, Seay, Rapada, Lopez, Simons and Dolsi (among others) all have the potential to give us a fine bullpen. The problem is when they all put it together and who’s doing the work in Detroit while they are.

I think we need to sign one anchor like Cruz and then maybe a few low cost options (including Cordero at the right price) and let them duke it out in February. And if the kids don’t make it then, they’re sure to eventually.

by MacRae on Nov 3, 2008 3:01 PM EST reply actions