Trade rumors surrounding Edwin Jackson aren't going away.  They may even be picking up heat.  USA Today's Bob Nightengale posted the latest rumblings he's been hearing on his Twitter feed:

Keep and eye on developing three-way trade talk with Tigers and Mariners and mystery team involving M's Brandon Morrow and Dets Jackson

If anything, this corroborates what Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal reported at the beginning of the week.  The Mariners are interested in Edwin Jackson, and the Tigers might be looking to get Morrow in return.  Although a "mystery team" making this a possible three-way deal is a new development. 

As something of a follow-up on ESPN's Rumor Central (Insider), there's an implication that this deal could end up setting the market for starting pitching this offseason.  If the M's got Jackson, they wouldn't pursue a free agent like John Lackey or Rich Harden.  But this would also establish a price for acquiring a starting pitcher in trade.

(Keith Law thinks highly of Jackson and believes that Morrow's problems with developing into a starter are due somewhat to mismanagement by former Seattle GM Bill Bavasi). 

If the Tigers are going to make a deal, is it possible they'd make it before the Winter Meetings in the second week of December?  A few days ago, Peter Gammons wrote that many general managers are still waiting to hear what their budgets are going to be for next year.  So if Dave Dombrowski believes he can only work with what he already has, perhaps he needs to have payroll freed up before GMs get together in Indianapolis.

I guess we'll be keeping an eye out for a potential deal between now and December 7, when the Winter Meetings begin.

(Thanks to granderson28 for posting this in the comments of our last post.)

This might qualify as a news flash: a couple of writers in the traditional baseball media aren't suggesting the Tigers trade off players to reduce payroll (or subsidize the Yankees and Red Sox).  Instead, they think Detroit should stay in contention by adding a key piece to their bullpen.

First, FOXSports.com's Dayn Perry lists 10 moves that teams should make this offseason to improve themselves.  His suggestion for the Tigers?  Sign Billy Wagner:

Detroit is in contending mode, so the wise play would be to resist the temptation to sell off and instead take calculated risks. Since the AL Central is so winnable (and since the Tigers came within a hairsbreadth of a division title this past season), tweaks at the margins might be enough. One tweak could be adding Wagner.

(Thanks to SabreRoseTiger for posting this in the comments yesterday.)

Wagner missed most of the season with an elbow injury, pitching in only 17 games.  But after he recovered (and was traded by the Mets), he posted a 1.58 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 13.4 innings for the Red Sox. 

Given his injury history and age (Wagner will turn 39 next season), perhaps he'd be looking for a lower-cost, one-or-two-year deal on the free agent market.

The other suggestion is made by USA Today's Paul White, who lists the top 10 free agents and predicts where they'll end up.  White's destination for Jose Valverde?  Your Detroit Tigers.

More closers are on the market than teams willing to commit significant money for one. That gives the Houston Astros a shot at keeping him. In the end, a contender takes the plunge.

(Hat tip to Bill Ferris for passing this along.)

I don't think we have a match here.  Yes, the Tigers want a veteran closer.  And Valverde is the top one available.  However, he's also a free agent for the first time, and will surely be looking to cash in.  (He made $8 million last season to avoid arbitration.)  That doesn't fit how the Tigers apparently want to do business this winter (nor was it their approach last year).

But if, as White believes, there aren't that many teams looking for a top-tier ninth-inning reliever, maybe Valverde would be willing to take a shorter, cheaper contract and try free agency again when the market improves.  That didn't happen last year, however, and it probably won't this time around.

Valverde pitched in 52 games for the Astros this season, racking up 25 saves in 29 opportunities, along with a 4-2 record and 2.33 ERA.  He struck out 56 batters and walked 21 in 54 innings, his lowest totals in three years.  Ankle and calf injuries kept him out early in the season.

So while it might be refreshing to get a break from the fire sale scenarios that so much of the baseball media seems to be envisioning for Detroit, are these realistic options for the Tigers?  Can they make these moves without dealing off some of the players that have been discussed?

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Edwin Jackson is definitely drawing interest around baseball, if the Detroit Tigers are truly interested in trading him. The Seattle Mariners are the latest team to inquire.

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If the Detroit Tigers are serious about trading pitcher Edwin Jackson, add the Seattle Mariners to the list of teams that would like a shot at getting him. 

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi (I wonder if they have a desk in which they sit across from each other), the Tigers and M's have been exchanging some names back and forth.  However, the talks are reportedly "not all that serious."

But there have been discussions.  And within them, Dave Dombrowski is looking for "minimum salary pitching," according to the source for the story.  Two of the names suggested by Rosenthal and Morosi are Brandon Morrow and Shawn Kelley.

When healthy, Morrow has a great arm.  But staying healthy has been a problem for him.  This season, he pitched in only 26 games for Seattle, sitting down with forearm and shoulder injuries.  The Mariners have also tried to figure out what role best suits Morrow.  He throws hard enough (98 m.p.h.) to be an excellent late-inning option, and looks like closer material.  Yet he might not have an arm suited for pitching multiple games in a row.

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Miguel Cabrera looks perplexed. Is it because he read Ken Rosenthal's column this weekend at FOXSports.com, with a perplexing trade suggestion?

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Up until this weekend, I thought the most absurd rumor surrounding the Detroit Tigers was that Brandon Inge was available for trade. 

I'm not saying the idea of trading Inge is absurd.  And Jon Heyman was presumably just passing along what he heard at last week's GM meetings.  But what is another team going to give up for a near-$7 million player who hit under .190 in the second half of the season, largely due to two bad knees that just required surgery?

However, Ken Rosenthal's suggestion that the Tigers trade Miguel Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox for Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Lowell, and a minor leaguer might be even more senseless. 

Rosenthal admits he was just "thinking out loud," doing what all baseball writers and fans tend to do at this time of year.  And the idea of trading Cabrera in itself isn't crazy.  If you believe the Tigers are considering trading Curtis Granderson or Edwin Jackson to help trim payroll, it stands to reason that their most expensive player might get shopped around too. 

(That is, if you believe Dave Dombrowski is really trying to cut Detroit's payroll down.  I think there's been a misunderstanding about his offseason intentions, because this doesn't really add up.  Yet it fits the popular meme that much of the baseball media has been trying to promote about the Tigers since the economy collapsed last year, so it keeps getting pushed out there.

Yes, Detroit is more than likely limited by its payroll, which is why Dombrowski is exploring these options.  If the team doesn't have the money to improve itself through free agency, trades are the only recourse he has.  And the only players he can trade are those other teams want.) 

But how exactly would the Tigers' payroll benefit from taking on the salaries of Papelbon and Lowell?  Long-term, yes, their obligation to pay Cabrera's contract would be gone.  But in the short term, they'd actually be paying more money, and for two players they arguably don't even need. 

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Curtis Granderson hits really well at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Might he be wearing the home whites for the Angels next season?

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If Dave Dombrowski wanted to see what kind of interest he could draw for Curtis Granderson this week, he most certainly accomplished that objective.  He may have opened a floodgate worth of interest. 

Add the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to the list of teams that would like a shot at Granderson this offseason.  According to Newsday's Ken Davidoff, the Angels and Tigers have had discussions about a possible deal.  Davidoff also cites a friend of Granderson's, who said he'd love to play for the Yankees.  (Here's a link to the article, but Newsday keeps its content behind a paywall now.  I bet Davidoff is thrilled.) 

If the Angels were somehow able to get Granderson, he'd likely defer centerfield to Torii Hunter and play in left.  Grandy has mentioned in the past how much he enjoys hitting at Angel Stadium.  And the numbers back him up.  In 21 games at Anaheim, he's batted .353/.415/.718, with eight homers and 12 RBIs.

And if Granderson isn't really an everyday player, as Keith Law said on ESPN.com, because of how badly he hits left-handed pitching (.183/.245/.239), the Angels have Juan Rivera on hand to platoon with him. 

But in Tiger Town, we don't really want to hear about why Granderson is so appealing to other teams, do we? 

Having said that, what could be going through Dombrowski's mind as his GM counterparts seemingly line up to make offers for the Tigers centerfielder?  Is he thinking about how much Grandy might be able to yield in a trade?  Or is he interpreting that interest as affirmation that Granderson is the type of player that the Tigers should keep around?

Everyone loves Curtis, it seems.  This winter, he could be the belle of the ball, trade-wise.

  Both of Grandy's hometown teams would love to have him.  The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers says the Cubs "must do everything possible to get" Granderson.  ESPNChicago's Bruce Levine says he'd be a good fit for the White Sox, too.  But really, what are the chances the Tigers would trade him within the division?

  If Granderson could hit 30 home runs (the fourth-most by a left-handed hitter in the AL this season) playing at Comerica Park, Joel Sherman wonders, how many would he hit with Yankee Stadium as his home ballpark? 

Also, with the Yankees' seemingly limitless payroll, would trading Granderson provide an opportunity for the Tigers to piggyback one of their bad contracts onto a deal?  If the Yankees took on Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, or Nate Robertson, however, they wouldn't be getting as much back, in terms of prospects.  What would be more important, at this point? 

(Thanks to peazgrl for posting this in the FanShots.)

  Buster Olney adds the Red Sox, Mets, and Orioles to the list of possible suitors for Granderson.  But could his bat splits against lefties affect what the Tigers could get for him?

UPDATE: MLB.com's Lyle Spencer thinks Edwin Jackson is a more likely trade target for the Angels, if they end up losing John Lackey through free agency.

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Placido Polanco is willing to move his Gold Glove over to third base, if it's for a contending team.

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Could Placido Polanco play third base for the Phillies next season? 

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jim Salisbury reports that Polanco is one of three players the National League champs are looking at to take over for Pedro Feliz.  (Chone Figgins is out of their price range, apparently.)

Polanco played for the Phillies from 2002 to 2005, before coming to the Tigers in a trade for Ugueth Urbina.  He was the Cardinals' primary third baseman from 2001 to 2002, and as part of the deal that send Scott Rolen to St. Louis, he took over for Rolen at that position.  Overall, he played 95 games at third for the Phillies before getting moved over to second base.

Despite just winning a Gold Glove for his play at second base, Salisbury reports that Polanco is willing to move to third base if it's for a playoff contender.  The Phillies would prefer to sign Polanco to a one-or-two year contract, close to the $4.6 million he made this year with Detroit. 

You'd think Polanco could get a raise (even if it's a small one), given the season he just had, along with the market for second basemen.  But playing for a team that could make another World Series run would obviously have an appeal. 

Looking at this through Tiger-striped glasses, however, watching Polanco play third base for another team would drive me temporarily nuts.  I understand that his career in Detroit is likely over.  That's not my problem.  I think letting Scott Sizemore take over at second next year is the right baseball move. 

But near the trade deadline, it appeared that the Tigers were looking at players who could possibly fill in for the increasingly aching and injured Brandon Inge at third base.  Guys such as Marco Scutaro and Freddy Sanchez.  A solution may have already been on their roster, yet the option was never even discussed.  Would the Tigers' late-season offense have had a bit more punch, had Polanco been moved over to third, with Ramon Santiago taking over at second?  Or perhaps giving Sizemore the September call-up he deserved? 

Maybe Detroit thought their defense at third would suffer.  But the Phillies sure seem to think they'd be okay with Polanco over there.

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Are the Detroit Tigers putting Brandon Inge on the trading block? SI.com's Jon Heyman says he might be available.

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Okay, this may be getting out of hand now.  First, the Detroit Tigers let it be known that Edwin Jackson was available for trade.  Then, Curtis Granderson was also dangled out there for interested teams.  And now, perhaps Brandon Inge is being offered up, as well?

That's what SI.com's Jon Heyman posted on his Twitter feed, reporting from the GM meetings in Chicago:

#tigers surprise sale: brandon inge may be available, as well as curtis granderson and edwin jackson, sources say

This one is a bit more difficult to believe.  You can see why other teams would be interested in picking up a starting pitcher like Jackson or a centerfielder like Granderson.  And the Tigers should see what they might be able to get for those players in trade.

But Inge?  Sure, he brings a glove, one of the best in the league at third base.  And since the Tigers don't seem to have anyone who could replace him at that position, Inge might be more valuable to Detroit than to any team they could trade him to.  

Yet he swings a bat that's hit under .240 for three straight seasons (and under .260 for four).  And as this rumor is being floated out there, Inge is sitting in two straight-legged casts, unable to put weight on his feet after having surgeries on both of his knees.

Inge is also coming off a year in which he hit 27 home runs and drove in 84 runs.  Had he not developed patellar tendinitis in both of his knees, who knows what those final numbers would've been?  He ended up batting .186/.260/.281 in the second half of the season, with six homers and 26 RBIs.

One more year remains on Inge's contract, in which he's set to be paid $6.6 million.

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What might the Detroit Tigers get in return for Curtis Granderson in a trade? It appears they're interested in finding that out.

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If the Detroit Tigers are making Edwin Jackson available for trade offers in hopes of trimming payroll, should it be a surprise that they could be doing the same with centerfielder Curtis Granderson?

The New York Post's Joel Sherman heard from a National League executive (Lynn Henning in disguise?) that the Tigers are dangling Granderson around baseball, telling teams that he could be theirs in return for the right trade package.  And as someone who covers the Yankees, Sherman believes the World Series champions might be extremely interested. 

(via MLB Trade Rumors)

The Yankees will very likely have a vacancy in the outfield with Johnny Damon's contract expiring.  And along with the seemingly imminent departure of Hideki Matsui, Sherman thinks Granderson would provide a much needed left-handed bat.  Not to mention that he'd be an upgrade over Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner in centerfield.

Sherman did clarify in his report, however, that the Tigers don't want to trade Granderson or Jackson.  But as we said in last night's post about Jackson, you can only trade players other teams want.  And no one wants any of the bad contracts Detroit would love to shear off their bloated payroll.  So if the Tigers need to make a deal to fit players they need under their budget, maybe it's worth checking out what other teams might offer in return.

What could be in this for the Tigers?  If they want to shed some payroll, Granderson is scheduled to be paid $5.5 million next year (and $25.75 million over the next three seasons, with a $13 million option for 2013).  Perhaps Detroit is also worried about his regression at the plate this season, especially against left-handed pitching, and just isn't sure he can turn it around.  

Granderson hit .183/.245/.239 against lefties this year.  (There's a word for that, and "good" isn't one of them.)  He also had a .234 batting average in August and September combined.  And while he did hit eight home runs in that same span (and 30 for the season), that's probably indicative of an approach far too inconsistent (and strikeout-prone) from someone expected to be one of the Tigers' best hitters.  For the year, he batted .249/.327/.453.

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