If not Headley, then who?
by BenRoth22 on Nov 13, 2011 5:30 PM EST
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Many Tigers fans have spent the first few weeks of the offseason hoping that our team fills some gaping holes at second and third base. Although Dave Dombrowski's comments have lead us to believe that Brandon Inge and Don Kelly will be utilized in a platoon situation, most of us see that as simply an adequate last-option type situation. Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins, and Aramis Ramirez aside, the best options to fill the holes are through trades.
Everybody's hope was that we could trade for Chase Headley of the Padres, who can hit, take walks, get on base, defend, run a little, and would be a rare (for the Tigers) top of the order hitter who doesn't strike out. However, in recent days, the Padres have lead teams to believe that they are planning on keeping Headley, even though they have two promising prospects (not exactly kicking the door, but could probably handle the Bigs). This could be a ploy because he will be well sought after, hoping to get more leverage, but in the event that they are actually against trading him we need other options. This is why I have begun to attempt to find some other options, in case the Padres asking price becomes too high.
The first and most obvious option would be David Wright. David would fill the gap at 3rd, but would cost a whole lot in both monetary commitments and prospects. Aramis Ramirez would provide a possibly better bat, equal defense, and no prospects. This one would excite many fans, but also disappoint others. Outlook: Not likely, and not worth it.
The second option would be to acquire Martin Prado from the Braves. After a disappointing season, the cash-strapped Braves are looking to shed his increasing salary and get something of value for him. The Rockies look like the best fit, because the Braves would want outfielders and/or a good shortstop back, and they have Seth Smith and Charlie Blackmon. This could have probably gotten done with Casper Wells, but he transformed into Doug Fister. Outlook: Not likely, cost likely not worth it with a weak farm.
The third option would be to trade for Chone Figgins. Chone has struggled greatly in his first two seasons as a Mariner, and as a result he is viewed as being very overpaid. However, as an Angel, he was one of the most consistent top of the order hitters, who got on base regularly and could run like a rabbit. He was not amazing on defense, but he flourished when the Angels gave him the full-time 3B job, rather than playing all over the diamond. He can probably benefit from having a change of scenery, and his game would work well in the friendly confines of Comerica. Plus, he would have some excellent bats behind him in the order, something that was lacking in Seattle. It would not take much to get him, even if Seattle picked up some of his salary. Outlook: Great opportunity, fills holes in the top of the order and at third, could definitely happen.
A fourth option would be to 'help' the Angels to un-clog their crowded infield by trading for either Howie Kendrick, Maicer Izturis, or Eric Aybar. All three can play all over the infield, they can handle bats, run, and field flawlessly. They would cost a little bit, but it would be less because they have to make room for a potential Mark Trumbo move to 3B to allow for Kendry(s) Morales to come back and play 1B. This only leaves room for 2 of the 3, and all 3 should be starters. Outlook: Aybar and Izturis would be a lot easier to acquire, yet they would all fill holes in the top of the order and at 3B. Could happen, especially if Morales looks like he is ready to come back and Trumbo's leg isn't bothering him.
My two choices would be Figgins or Izturis, but I would be more than fine with Aybar or Prado. Who do you think would be the best option, and why?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bless You Boys writing staff.
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Dombrowski will probably find someone who is blocked
That’s what he did when we acquired Polanco.
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
Blocked at Third Base
Matt Carpenter is a favorite prospect of mine and seems blocked by David Freese in St. Louis. Anyone have any thoughts on him? (read: http://bit.ly/vh1TAR )
Risk, and the tools aren't great
But yeah, if DD likes him that’s the kind of move I’d expect.
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on Nov 14, 2011 2:16 PM EST up reply actions
Angels and Rays seem to have an abundance of infielders
and both clubs are in need of relief pitching, which is something the Tigers might be able to give them in the right deal.
Callaspo, Izturis, Kendrick, Aybar
Zobrist, Brignac, Sean Rodriguez
Then, there’s the Aaron Hill, Kelly Johnson, maybe Mark Ellis bunch
At what point do we look back to Santiago?
"King of Minutiae"
Santiago fits between the Rays guys and the free agents
Hill is gone, Johnson is a Type A, and I think Santiago holds as much or more promise than Ellis.
The Rays guys are interesting. Brignac and Rodriguez are both pretty talented, but haven’t really translated into MLB results yet. They’re worth a shot because of the age and talent, but I wouldn’t pay heavily for them based on what they’ve done so far. If we have a plan ‘B’ for them, I have no problem trading fringe prospects for them, or even a pretty good prospect, and heading into 2011 with one of them as a starter. The pay for both is minimal, so we could always do something at the trade deadline if they’re pitiful after 300 AB’s.
Zobrist, on the other hand, is a plus player already. His contract is extremely team friendly for the production he provides. He would cost a fortune in talent and I’m not sure we match up well with the Rays. I’d honestly be willing to trade just about anyone for Zobrist (probably even one of our four top value guys: Boesch, Porcello, Turner, and Castellanos), but the Rays don’t really need SP or OF help. I’m guessing we can’t make this happen.
The Angels players really look to be the best fit right now.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
The real question is whether any of these guys provides a true upgrade
Obviously, Zobrist and Johnson would, but they’re also going to cost the most. Brignac, Rodriguez, etc. are all still unproven, and that whole “unproven 2nd baseman” idea hasn’t gone over too well during the past couple seasons. I feel like a Raburn/Santiago platoon (because, Tigerdog, as much as we don’t want it to happen, it’s Leyland’s decision) would be just about as effective as anyone we’ve listed.
Raburn/Santiago platoon
I think that’s about the best we can hope for. like you said rob, there aren’t too many guys we could get that’d be an upgrade. I’d just go with that combination and try to upgrade 3B
No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
Options are good, unless they cost a heap
I think that both Brignac and Rodriguez would be a very interesting option to have in camp. As long as they didn’t cost a ton to acquire, they’re worth a shot. The talent might finally surface. I certainly wouldn’t trade a top-5 guy for either of them.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Possible options seem to be closing in fast on 2nd/3rd base
It looks like Aaron Hill might be close to a deal with the Dbacks, which is a shame cause he is one of the few viable options the Tigers have with having to give up supstantial contract or prospects for 2nd.
I don’t think Prado will happen cause the Braves would be looking for pieces that are not expendable from our end, unless if we part with Boesch, which I don’t think DD will do, and I’d hope he wouldn’t.
I think the Angels and Padres would both make good trade partners as they would be interested in our most expendable asset: pitching prospects.
In the end I hope we can still pick up Hill for second and then trade for 3rd, that would make the most sense without having to completely deplete the farm.
Headley is becoming over-rated
Reality is that he strikes out a lot. In his rookie year, when he was 24 years old (AJax’s current age) he whiffed 103 times in 331 Ab’s at a rate of 28.3%. For his career, he has 472 K’s in just 1883 Ab’s, which is 22.3%!
Headley is also a fly ball hitter, which doesn’t go well with the .368 BABIP that he had this past season. This could be an indicator that this past season was a fluke and and that he’ll drop back to the .264 Avg. / .335 OBP levels that he had in the previous 3 seasons. So he might not hit or get on base much either.
Ben Wallace isn't busy.
Let’s go sign him. I guarantee he’ll stop every ball hit his way.
"trout jefferson is using multiple numbers and no swears. I barely recognize you man." - Kurt Mensching
by Trout Jefferson on Nov 14, 2011 5:36 AM EST reply actions
Casey (again)
I mentioned him in an earlier thread but Case McGehee.
The Case for Casey: 5th in rookie of the year voting in ’09, and Brewers team MVP in 2010. Can play 3rd base better than Betemit or 2nd base better than Raburn, with equivalent or better production at the plate. Is 29. In three major league seasons has an OPS of .746, and is one year away from when he was considered the next David Wright (and two away from being exactly where Brett Lawrie is with Toronto). Has shown he can remain in the lineup and healthy for a full season.
The Case Against Casey: It was party babip (.306 to .249) that made him drop from a .285 hitter in ‘10 to a .223 hitter in ’11 but it was also lots of chopping at sliders, which he received a TON of. If this is a persistent weakness the Tigers are basically buying Brandon Inge minus the glove. Either way he strikes out twice as often as he walks. He doesn’t steal bases at all. He’s barely adequate as a defender at 3rd and a liability at 2nd.
Why he’s available: His production dropped a ton in 2011, seeing him replaced by Craig Counsell at the end of the season and in the playoffs. Counsell is a free agent who the Brewers seem to want to re-sign. Meanwhile fans expect Milwaukee’s No. 1 hitting prospect Taylor Green to be the starting 3rd baseman in April. The Brewers have plenty of insurance behind him with two more infield prospects (Eric Farris, who’s a Chone Figgins-like guy, and Scooter Gennett) close to major league ready, making McGehee eminently expendable. McGehee is arb-eligible for 2012 and the Brewers don’t like arbitration. This is a guy who could had on the cheap who would have been untouchable just a year ago. Since Detroit has two possible places he would fit, the gamble seems worthwhile. However the Brewers farm system has as many arms as Detroit’s so I don’t know what they’d want in return.
I’m also keeping an eye on the infield of St. Louis. Does someone else around here know who among Schumaker, Theriot, Freese and Danny Descalso won’t be with St. Louis next season, because I’d take any of those guys.
www.mgoblog.com
by Misopogon on Nov 14, 2011 2:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
The Cards say Descalso will be their starting 2B next year
No longer the Founder, President and CEO of the Ryan Raburn Fan Club
Per MLBTR
The Brewers aren’t going to re-sign Counsell. Still no word on whether the Brewers are going to offer McGehee arb or not.
Avoid the Cards
1. They will be overvalued because they are winners.
2. They might include Nick Punto or Gerald Laird in any deal.
by manic in Detroit on Nov 14, 2011 10:07 PM EST reply actions
I'd take Punto
Mostly because it would amuse the hell out of me.
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on Nov 15, 2011 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
JUICE BOX JUICE BOX JUICEBOX
"You, on the other hand, make Eeyore look like Rainbow Brite." -johnmoz
"I think of you more as the blue book style essay of sports journalism."-Kurt Mensching
Contributor, Bless You Boys
by David Tokarz on Nov 15, 2011 4:35 PM EST up reply actions
So in Summary, Here is Where We are At
Have:
Kelly—worthwhile to keep around for mid-season problem-solving. Bad choice to rely on.
Raburn—poor fielder with a wildly inconsistent stick.
Stuck with:
Inge—no comments necessary here
Have if we want:
Betemit—poor fielder and chokes on offense
Might be able to keep:
Santiago—good all around player and worth considering as a platoon player.
Up to this point, we really don’t have 2b or 3b covered. Our options above don’t look real good. So here are the suggestions that have been given for adding to our roster.
Might be able to get:
Prado—underutilized in Atlanta. Excellent player who would do better at 2b than left field. Tigers are showing interest. I say YES
Izturis—can play 2b, 3b and SS. Hits decently, fields very well. I say YES
Aybar—a SS at heart. Not as good a fit as Izturis.
Figgins—NO NO NO. I don’t want any part of someone who tanks this badly.
Schumaker—serviceable but that is about it. No major upgrade here.
Theriot—see above
McGhee—sure, we need another guaranteed strike out in the lineup.
Bottom line is this. Not much out there that will dramatically improve out line up. Prado is the best of the bunch. Go get him and give them Delmon Young in return. Offer to eat half of his salary for next year to help the Braves trim payroll. Then get Izturis too. Finally, go hard after Grady Sizemore to replace young.
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