Could the Tigers really be a player in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes? My Spidey sense tells me no, but that's not going to stop reporters from trying to connect dots between now and July 31. For instance, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, who remembers Mike Ilitch's "whatever we have to do" pledge last month and speculates that could mean the Tigers would be interested in Halladay.
Jason Beck is skeptical, however, knowing that Detroit doesn't have the top-shelf prospects that the Blue Jays would surely seek in such a trade. The discussions would probably begin with Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry, but is that a price the Tigers would be willing to pay? Is Porcello considered close to untouchable, for that matter? (Judging from what one baseball executive told Jon Heyman, that opinion is shared by others in the industry.)
To get an idea of what a team might have to give up in exchange for Halladay, Beyond the Boxscore tries to put it in numbers, calculating Halladay's trade value and what a trade partner would have to come up with to match that figure. For example, what sorts of prospects would equal $23 million (the remaining money on Halladay's contract)? Would a top 10 prospect be enough? (Hint: He'd better be a hitter, not a pitcher.)
Curtis Granderson writes about meeting President Obama in his latest post for Big League Stew. Grandy also includes video of Obama approaching his locker in the AL clubhouse. (He sort of disses Bud Selig in the process, which is pretty funny, but really, who would you be more excited to meet?) Another video clip shows all the baseballs and paraphernalia the All-Stars are asked to sign.
Speaking of Mr. Granderson, Newsday's Ken Davidoff is a Grandy fan lists the Tigers centerfielder as one of the 10 most important people in the AL pennant race.
One more Grandy note: Is Lynn Henning implying that Granderson needs to get more serious about baseball in his latest column? That's not to say that Granderson isn't above criticism for posting a .338 on-base percentage. Actually, I think it's admirable that Henning is taking such a stance.
Buster Olney thinks the Minnesota Twins have the AL's most favorable schedule down the stretch, with eight series against the worst teams in the league. However, the Twins have to play 10 more games on the road, where they haven't done so well this season.
Olney ranks the Tigers with the seventh most favorable schedule, based on 41 of their remaining 75 games being played at Comerica Park, including hosting the Twins for the final three games of the season.
DesigNate Robertson sticks up for the blogosphere! (Viva!) Obviously, as a blogger, I agree with most everything Rogo says, but it's especially interesting to read exactly why he continues to find blogs more compelling to read these days than traditional sportswriting, along with a reminder of how diverse the Tigersosphere is.
John Lowe chatted with Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez about his former Class A teammate, Miguel Cabrera. Gonzalez says he could've predicted that BigMig would make a fine defensive first baseman, based on his hands and footwork. He also talks about their similar approaches to hitting (which their stats largely reflect).
At Baseball Prospectus, John Perrotto lists the teams he sees as sellers and which players they're looking to shed. Is there anyone mentioned that you think could help the Tigers? (I think Dave Dombrowski should put in calls to the Diamondbacks and Orioles.)
Perrotto's colleague at BP, Joe Sheehan, compares teams' first-half performances to his preseason rankings. Sheehan praises the Tigers' pitching and defense for putting them in first place, but thinks their run prevention will slip in the second half.
Brandon Inge's 21-homer output in the Tigers' first 87 games is listed among UmpBump.com's unsolved mysteries of the baseball season's first half.
Baseball Musings has been blowing through a "Thirty Teams in Three+ Days" look at the first half of the season. Yesterday, David Pinto got to the Tigers, and is surprised the White Sox aren't ahead of them in the AL Central, based on everything that's gone wrong so far this season.
What's more entertaining: These t-shirts or Walkoff Walk's impressively alliterative headline in its post about them?