If you haven't seen it yet, Curtis Granderson talked to The Big Lead today. Among the topics discussed was whether he would've been traded if the Tigers had won Game 163, the fan reaction in Detroit to him being traded, and which outfield position he might play next season.
(Thanks to allikazoo for linking to this in a FanShot.)
The Freep's Michael Rosenberg wonders if the Tigers really have a plan right now. If so, why does it seem to keep changing? And how many times did it change throughout the course of this season?
I'd just add this thought, based on a conversation I had with Kurt: If the plan has changed - and it seems to have done so since 2006 - how much of that is because of Dave Dombrowski, and how much is on Mike Ilitch?
As this week's big trade was close to being completed, The Daily Fungo's Mike McClary (an Arizona resident) sent me a text message that ESPN NFL analyst Mark Schlereth attended many Diamondbacks games to see his son, Daniel, pitch. So he could be at plenty of Tigers games.
Sure enough, Schlereth declared a change in his baseball fandom today. "Long live the Detroit Tigers and the English D," he said as he donned a Tigers cap on the "Mike & Mike" show this morning. You can see the video here. (Couldn't ESPN spring for a fitted hat? Or is the former NFL player's head so big that he needs the adjustable?)
Fangraphs' Dave Cameron says moves like the Astros giving Brandon Lyon a three-year, $15 million contract are "why the team isn’t good, and won’t be good any time soon." But Lyon plays with remote-controlled airplanes, man.
According to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec, Fernando Rodney tops the Orioles' list of available free agent closers after meeting with his people in Indianapolis.
I don't usually do this (probably because it doesn't happen very often), but if it turns out that the Tigers sign Scott Podsednik, I would like to channel Tony Kornheiser and say, "I may have had that one right."
Another item on the Tigers' to-do list during these Winter Meetings was to find Tom Brookens' successor as manager in Double-A Erie. But it looks like former Tiger Phil Nevin is the man to take over. The hiring hasn't been formally announced yet, but was reported by the L.A. Times. Nevin played for Detroit from 1995-1997.
(Thanks to KidRick48 - formerly known as granderson28 - for posting this news in a FanShot.)
I know the Tigers have plenty of relievers right now, but when I see that the Oakland A's released Santiago Casilla, I feel like that's a guy Detroit should take a chance on. No, he didn't have a good year (5.96 ERA), due largely to calf and knee injuries. (And an elbow injury put him on the DL in 2008.) But he can strike out some batters.