Polanco, Lyon, and Rodney the Worst Free Agent Signings?

It got out of hand at the end of the season, so I implemented a waiting period. Subject to change at any time, of course, but so far, it seems to be working well.

I can see him at the Copa.

Saves are generally meaningless; a shiny statistic that does not tell you that Rodney tends to walk a good chunk of players, gives up plenty of hits and is a middling reliever. His best year was 2005 but every year hence he has been a bit wild and gives up too many hits and too many walks for his “closer” role.

Closers are a luxury; it’s been said time and time again. Unless you have a near sure thing like Rivera or Nathan you don’t want to overpay for specialist. Rodney is a specialist and a poor one at that; closers are made they are not suddenly created out of dirt or clay.

Spring Training will go a long way to showing who will get the nod for the final innings of the game. I don’t get this Stockholm Syndrome for a reliever who is not all that good. Are people that afraid of younger players? If you don’t play your young players all you do is over pay for vastly overrated players like Rodney.

Of those 37 saves, in how many did he allow the tying run to get into scoring position?

In ‘09, he was the definition of "bend, but don’t break" and considering all factors and possibilities that baseball brings, Rodney is extremely lucky to have the coin come up in his favor 37 out of the 38 save situations he came into.

Polly’s replacement looks like Sizemore. Personally, I’ll miss Polly, but I’m happy to see the team promoting from within. If Sizemore doesn’t work out, I think Santiago is a reliable option.

Rodney and Lyon will hopefully be replaced by the kid from Arizona (Schlereth), Coke and Zumaya (fingers crossed) along with an increased role from Perry. I also foresee an experienced bullpen signing in January or February. There are several decent RP still out there and the market for late inning RP’s is drying up. I don’t think we’ll be signing a proven “closer” like Valverde, but there are decent pitchers that can help fill the late innings that will sign for probably 2-3M on a one year deal when the season gets closer.

and last place too often?

I don’t remember him defending Dontrelle too often. He hasn’t played enough on the Tigers Major League team to get defended for anything. And as far as I can see we’ve only been in last place once since jim has been coach. In fact in our worst season with Jim as head coach we still managed 75 wins, that’s not a horrible number for a last place team in a division.

As for Dave Dombrowski, nobody doubts that some of the contracts that he has handed out lately have been bad. Very, very bad. But to call him the worst in the MLB right now is kinda ludicrous. First off, any GM that has won a WS ring and made another WS appearance (each with a different team) is automatically better than worst. Second, bad things happen. Injuries and what not can make any contract all of a sudden turn bad. They’re unpredictable. He’ll be a bad GM when he fails to recover from his mistakes. Personally, I think he’s on the right track so far.

BTW this same organization with a miser for an owner

In 2008 the Tigers’ payroll was $138,000,000 (3rd in MLB) and in 2009 it was $115,000,000 (5th in MLB). It may not have been money well spent, but it was spent!

The Tigers won the WS in 1935, but the Yankees won it in 1936, 37, 38, 39. No doubt the 1935 team was good, but I would say that the Yankees were the “best club in the AL in the mid 1930’s”.

DD has made some decisions that I’m sure he regrets (who hasn’t) but at least the team he puts on the field is good enough to contend.

Leyland took a team most considered a basement dweller and took it to 1 out away from the playoffs.

Maybe they could do more, but we know they did that.