- It wouldn't take long to think of some offseason mistakes teams made. Oakland trading for Matt Holliday pops into my head. (That 0-for-7 Sunday was regretful.) And Tigers fans still will not let the trade of Jair Jurrjens to Atlanta for Edgar Renteria a season earlier go.) Boston Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo wondered in his baseball notes column Sunday what offseason moves some teams might be regretting now that we're a month into the season. There's no regrets in Detroit, however, for the move that brought Edwin Jackson to the mound. But how might they feel in Tampa?
Cafardo:
Rays trade Edwin Jackson to Tigers for Matt Joyce: Tampa has a good rotation, but the feeling is that Jackson could have been incorporated into the bullpen. It was a move similar to the Red Sox dealing Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Peña - you think you have extra pitching, so you take a chance on an outfielder with upside. Note that the Sox have not made such a move since then.
- Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman mentioned Justin Verlander in his column today. (He also mentioned the Royals are contenders, not pretenders.)
Tigers ace Justin Verlander is showing signs of getting it back together. After Verlander was hit hard by the Angels earlier this year, one executive said, "The guy throws 97 and has a wicked hook. He has the best stuff in the league. He should be better than this." Tigers insiders say Verlander tends to take a know-it-all position and is resistant to suggestion. But he is no dummy and perhaps he is learning.
- Long as we're talking about Verlander, Jim Hawkins blogs about the ace's relationship with the manager. The quote is too good not to share.
“He’s bull-headed, and I’m bull-headed,” Leyland said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Some married people are bull-headed, too, and they still love each other.
“I don’t love the guy but I love having him on my team. He has the best overall stuff of any pitcher I’ve ever managed. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever had. The sky’s the limit for this guy.
- Is Matt Treanor really out for the season? After the Tigers told beat writers they suspected Treanor's season was over, the backup catcher returned to the Tigers clubhouse on crutches today. MLB.com's Jason Beck says Treanor believes he'll work his way back.
"I'm going to go about it as if I have an opportunity to play again this season," Treanor said.
Treanor said he talked after the surgery with the specialist, Dr. Bryan Kelly. He's going to get some opinions on the timetable coming up. If it sounds certain that he'll miss the season, he'll probably go home to rehab, but that he'd like to stick around Detroit when the team's in town if he has a shot at a comeback.
- Fox Sports Detroit Tigers play-by-play man Mario Impemba wants to help those serving in the armed forces away from Michigan to have a little piece of the Opening Day enjoyment. He, along with Major League Baseball and the Tigers will be providing 3-hour DVDs of the opening day broadcast. Detroit Tigers Weblog has more information.
- Finally tonight, your guest blogger reviewed the Tigers' latest week of action at Mack Avenue Tigers.