There are a lot of questions surrounding the Tigers' 2013-14 offseason. While there are a lot of people slamming their fingers on the panic button, there are still some level-headed individuals out there. A few of them -- myself, blogmaster Jen, prospect guru Jordan, and mystery Twitter genius SkitchP -- answered some questions last night because there is no baseball on TV and we have nothing better to do.
Will the Tigers deal Scherzer this off-season? If si, please name the team to which you feel he’ll most likely be traded. Also include the length of time you’ll spend sobbing/sulking/smashing things if the trade occurs.
Jordan - I’d say 30% yes, 70% no. Texas and Washington are the two teams that make the most sense if they wanted to pursue a deal.
Skitch - I am actually okay with dealing him. But the haul has to be substantial. I don't want a mid road prospect and 2 bullpen arms. Realistically I'd want 2 Top Shelf prospects, a productive 2B or OF (not star caliber, but starting quality) and maybe a potentially solid bullpen arm in addition. I don't believe in giving up substantial assets for bullpen arms, except maybe mid season. If he is not traded in the offseason, I doubt we'll get as much value should a trade happen mid season, given that would take the comp pick out of play. The Veras trade for instance was okay by me. I dont know what team would take on Max, possibly Washington, or St Louis. Maybe the Angels, although I am not entirely sure they have the prospects to make a deal that would be okay. So any anger I have if Max is dealt revolves entirely upon what we get in return.
Rob - No. The old adage "where there’s smoke, there’s fire" doesn’t apply to Dave Dombrowski. There have been plenty of rumors about a potential Scherzer trade so far this offseason – and there will be plenty more – but trades like the one we saw last season that sent Wil Myers to Tampa are few and far between. Not many teams have the prospects that would entice Dombrowski to offload Scherzer, and even fewer (if any) have the cash to re-sign Scherzer after the season is over. Simple probability says that Scherzer is a Tiger in 2014, and my gut says that he is in 2015 too.
Jen - I must admit, I have a hard time answering this question objectively. My head understands reasons the Tigers would trade him, but Max is my Tiger, and he killed it this season. I don't want to see him shoving for some other stupid club. That being said, I'd say that there is a close to 50% chance the Tigers deal him. I will lock myself in the closet for a substantial cry/tantrum if DD pulls the trigger on a trade.
Be sure to click on over to Old English D to read the rest of the Q&A, and follow myself (@Detroit4lyfeRob), Jen (@VivaTigres), Jordan (@JGoro8), and Skitch (@SkitchP) on Twitter!
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