There's been a real boomerang quality to most of the trade rumors involving the Detroit Tigers this offseason. Jack Wilson? Here he comes. Catch him. Throw him back into the trade winds. Wait, here he comes again. Julio Lugo? Tossed away, came back, tossed again.
And now, Gerald Laird seems to be circling back for another run of Tigers-related rumors. The Freep's Jon Paul Morosi says Detroit has "maintained contact" with the Texas Rangers about making a deal for their log-jammed catcher. Despite not having young starting pitching to spare, perhaps the Tigers are one of the only teams currently showing interest in a trade for Laird.
That's what Evan Grant seems to think at the Dallas Morning News:
The Tigers seem to have the most ardent interest in Gerald Laird of any team on the market. The Rangers seem to be in more of a cost-cutting mode. Trading Laird to Detroit for a minor leaguer might save the Rangers almost $3 million. The Rangers probably wouldn't get the top prospect they want (please don't mention Rick Porcello's name), but they could save some money and create more time for Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia behind the plate (if they don't trade one of the duo). Not to mention that in order to build a self-sustaining minor league system, you've got to have lots of depth.
(via MLB Trade Rumors)
Is this the baseball equivalent of finally getting a date after asking over and over and over, only to finally get that yes when nothing better's available? Has a combination of wearing the Rangers down and being one of the only teams calling (Grant says the Reds are also interested in Laird) made the Tigers a front-runner for a deal?
Maybe those winds sending the boomerang back are more of the whistling wind variety, the kind that blows tumbleweeds through ghost towns.
How about other catchers? Morosi noted in the same article that the Tigers still like Arizona's Miguel Montero (boomerang), but haven't found a good match with the Diamondbacks for a possible trade. In another report, Morosi talked to someone who said Detroit also likes Gregg Zaun. Hey, me too.