Something to think about

Here's a little something to think about as the Tigers lose Game 1 of the doubleheader.

I read a recent posting on MLBTradeRumors just a few minutes ago (the link is http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/10/sweep-would-leave-tigers-top-2011pick-exposed.html) that says if the Tigers win any two of the four games against Baltimore, their first round pick will not be protected if they signed a Type-A free agent. As it sits right now the Tigers (80-79 record) will draft 19th and the cut off for protected picks is 18th (tied with the Angels, Dodgers, Athletics and Marlins all with a 78-81 record).

It's would seem to be a pretty big long shot for this to happen but I wouldn't be all against it. After all, what do we have to lose? We are already out of the playoffs, have lost our big hitter and our major pitchers are pretty much done for the season. Let's take a look at who these teams have left to play and their starting pitchers. (Note: all series are 3-game sets. I have also listed the pitchers from the Angels, Dodgers, Athletics and Marlins first in their respective series)

Angels at Rangers

• Game 1: Jered Weaver (13-12, 3.02 ERA) vs. Tommy Hunter (13-4, 3.80 ERA)
• Game 2: Ervin Santana (17-9, 3.83 ERA) vs. C.J. Wilson (14-8, 3.35 ERA)
• Game 3: TBA vs. Colby Lewis (12-13, 3.72 ERA)
• Analysis: The Angels are 5-5 in their last 10 and have a 35-43 record on the road this season. Chances are slim of the sweep here.

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks

• Game 1: John Ely (4-9, 5.10 ERA) vs. Zach Kroenke (0-0, 21.60 ERA)
• Game 2: Chad Billingsley (11-11, 3.61 ERA) vs. John Saunders (3-6, 4.40 ERA)
• Game 3: Ted Lilly (6-4, 3.75 ERA) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (7-15, 5.03 ERA)
• Analysis: The Dodgers own a 6-4 record in their last 10 and are 43-35 at home. This series is probably our best chance at a sweep. Game 1 would be the only game of the series I might be a little worried about. The Arizona offense isn't really anything to be worried about recently and their pitchers are nothing to fear either. The Dodgers have two of their three best pitchers pitching in this series and that offense is still lethal.

Atheltics at Mariners

• Game 1: Trevor Cahill (17-8, 3.08 ERA) vs. Luke French (5-6, 4.20 ERA)
• Game 2: Brett Anderson (6-6, 2.91 ERA) vs. David Pauley (4-8, 3.98 ERA)
• Game 3: Dallas Braden (10-14, 3.50 ERA) vs. Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-10, 6.90 ERA)
• Analysis: Oakland is 3-7 in their last 10 and 35-43 away from the Collesium. However, the Mariners have a 35-43 record at home and have been 4-6 in their last 10. Another series that could end in a sweep. My biggest issue would be the Oakland offense that only produces 4.03 runs a game and ranks 25th in the league in that category.

 Marlins vs. Pirates

• Game 1: Adalberto Mendez (1-2, 4.19 ERA) vs. Daniel McCutchen (2-5, 6.36 ERA)
• Game 2: Alex Sanabia (5-3, 3.73 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (2-11, 7.94 ERA)
• Game 3: Anibal Sanchez (12-12, 3.62 ERA) vs. Brian Burres (4-4, 5.01 ERA)
• Analysis: This is a toss up. Florida is 4-6 in their last 10 with a .500 record of 39-39 at home. They haven't been great, but with the Pirates 16-62 record away from home, I can see the Marlins pulling out the brooms.

So here is my question to you. Do the Tigers go out and blow all four games and hope that one of those four teams get a sweep to protect our pick or do they go out and win as many games as they can? Allowing us to keep our 1st round pick while heavily pursuing Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and/or Adrian Beltre would do us wonders. As much as I'd hate to say it I think they may as well. What else have we got to lose?