Posts Tagged ‘Tigers’

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Tigers Sign Prince Fielder

January 24th, 2012 by Johnny G | Comments Off on Tigers Sign Prince Fielder | Filed in General

Prince Fielder has agreed in principal to a nine year, $214MM contract with the Detroit Tigers. Fielder will play first base and Miguel Cabrera will be moving. Whether that is to third base or DH remains to be seen. The average annual value of the deal is $23.78MM and will keep Fielder in Detroit through his age 36 season.

It seems like the season ending injury to Victor Martinez prompted the Tigers and Dave Dombrowski to quickly pursue and close in on Fielder. This is a welcome sign for Phillies fans, as many reports had Fielder closing in on a deal with the Washington Nationals.

MLBtraderumors.com broke the story.

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Hot Stove Breakdown Part 2

November 29th, 2010 by Johnny G | 1 Comment | Filed in Baseball, General

After another week in the off-season hot stove, we have two more major deals to breakdown. Victor Martinez gets a five year deal worth approximately $50 million to leave Boston for Detroit and Aubrey Huff receives a 2 year deal with a vesting option for a third season at $22 million.

Victor Martinez is a fine offensive catcher that would be an extremely valuable piece to a team if he had the ability to play even league average defense behind the plate, unfortunately he can‘t. This deal has two ways it could go, and both have major issues to them. The Tigers could force Martinez behind the plate and deal with his defensive shortcomings, which would cause major issues regarding production or they could use him to catch a couple of times a week while making him their 1b/DH when he’s not catching. I probably don’t have to explain to you why option one is an issue, but option two would seem fairly reasonable to most fans. The problem with making Victor Martinez your full-time 1B/DH is that it saps the entire value out of him as a player. Martinez is a tremendous offensive catcher but when you put him over at First Base, he’s a pretty mediocre type run-producer. He blends in with the rest and is somewhere in the middle of the pack as far as production for a first basemen is concerned. To put it into perspective, Martinez’ OPS when compared to first basemen around the league would have ranked 18th, just ahead of Jack Cust, who by the way is a candidate to be non-tendered by the A’s.

This is the second questionable move by Dave Dombrowski this off-season, as he already committed 3 years and 15+ million to a middle-reliever in Joaquin Benoit. The odds on Victor Martinez providing enough production to call this contract reasonable are rather slim, and at the rate Dombrowski is giving away contracts to aging veterans, I have serious concerns for the long-term future of the Detroit Tigers.

Aubrey Huff is reaping the benefits of a commonly made mistake by many GM’s in recent memory, over-paying for a player who got hot for you en route to a World Championship. Don’t get me wrong though, this deal is not a franchise set-back or anything of that nature, I just wouldn’t have made the move. Huff is a defensive liability at whatever position he is going to play and he’s a prime candidate for a regression. The overall length of this deal isn’t all that long and the money being exchanged isn’t eye popping but the Giant’s best hitting prospect in the minors, Brandon Belt, is a First Basemen. It makes you wonder about the long-term plans for Belt and Huff. If the plan is for Huff to spend a significant portion of time in the outfield, this deal is worse than expected.

As I was taking a break from my all-nighter of Craps in Atlantic City, I was having breakfast with a friend and the topic of off-season moves came up. It finally hit me, the entire free-agency period is full of over-paying aging veterans. That’s just the nature of the business and why building through the draft and your farm system is so important. I’m going to try to look at these deals in the context of the team’s particular situation and not just in a vacuum but I have trouble getting away from the “value” each player represents. Basically what I’m trying to say is, if you’re going to be the top bidder on a particular free agent, you probably are going to over-pay. Unless you’re going to pick guys up off the scrap heap as the Giants did last year with Huff, the free agent market is not the best tool to use for filling out your roster.

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2010 MLB Power Rankings: Playoff Edition

September 23rd, 2010 by Johnny G | 24 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General

The Power Rankings Are Back!

1. New York Yankees (92-60)-  The Yanks are still the class of the MLB but this team is starting to show some weaknesses. The starting rotation has taken some major blows since my last ranking. Javier Vazquez has been removed from the rotation, A.J. Burnett has continued to struggle, Andy Pettite is still not back from injury, and CC Sabathia is the only consistent starter for the Yankees right now. Gardner in Left Field has seen his average steadily decline recently and Derek Jeter, despite his latest 11-game hitting streak is still hitting just .267. This is the kind of veteran team that can turn it on when the bright lights come on, though.

2. Tampa Bay Rays (90-61)- This is the Rays chance. Ownership has stated they will be cutting payroll by 22 million next season, no questions asked. That means it is extremely unlikely that guys like Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, and Rafael Soriano will be resigned. On the flip side of the coin, the Rays minor league system is flush with talent just waiting to be summoned to the Major Leagues. The knock on this team entering the playoffs right now would be their lack of a true ace. James Shields has not pitched like a #1 but David Price certainly has. With Price, Garza, Shields, and Niemman, it is going to be tricky figuring out how they will shuffle this rotation. This team is built perfectly for a 162 game season, not necessarily a 5 or 7 game series, which is the only thing that would worry me entering the playoffs.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (92-61)- Well, its September. That could only mean one thing- the Phillies are absolutely red hot. With Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt, they have the best top of the rotation in the game. As crazy as it may seem, Hamels has actually pitched most effectively in the second half and he has looked nearly unhittable for months now. The Phillies have won 10 in a row without the services of Jimmy Rollins and Brad Lidge has quietly pitched effectively over the last several months. This is where I draw an imaginary line between these three teams listed above and the rest of the MLB. The Phillies, Rays, and Yankees are in a class of their own and whoever comes out of the ALCS between the Rays and Yanks, will be facing off against Philly in the Fall Classic.

4. Minnesota Twins (92-60)- The Twins were the first team in the Big Leagues to clinch a division title so it will be interesting to see how they go about resting some of their big sluggers. This team needs to get Justin Morneau back to have a shot at advancing deep into the Playoffs and they will also need their largely inexperienced rotation to pitch effectively. Ron Gardenhire has already announced that Francisco Liriano will get the ball in their first playoff game but will Gardy go with the veteran Pavano or the young guns like Brian Duensing and Scott Baker. We’ll find out soon enough.

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Johnny G’s MLB Power Rankings Part 11

June 14th, 2010 by Johnny G | 74 Comments | Filed in General

1. Tampa Bay Rays (1) (40-23)- The Rays almost get bounced from the top spot in this week’s rankings, but ultimately their consistency gives them the benefit of the doubt. After taking two of three from the Blue Jays, the Rays dropped two of three from their in-state rivals, the Marlins. The starting pitching has shown some signs of weakness but Carlos Pena is really starting to heat up. Pena homered in six consecutive games at one point and BJ Upton’s average has been on the rise, as well. The Rays are finally dealing with a little bit of adversity. Let’s see how they deal with it before removing them from the top spot.

2. New York Yankees (2) (40-23)- I wish I could list the Yankees right next to the Rays this week, but that is not an option. The Yankees have dealt with their fair share of injuries to this point and continue to win games at a consistent pace. That is a testament to Joe Girardi and the job Brian Cashman has done to give this organization some depth in the minor leagues. It seems like every week I say the same thing but Robinson Cano is really coming into his own. We are looking at a perennial MVP candidate, perennial batting title contender, and a tremendous defensive second basemen. With Chase Utley slumping, Cano is the best second basemen in the game.

3. Atlanta Braves (4) (37-27)- The Braves end week 11 fresh off a series win over the Twins and continue to lead the pack in the NL East. Martin Prado leads the league in hits with 90 and Troy Glaus has his average up to .290 with 13 long-balls after hitting under .200 in April. Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson have been a tremendous duo atop the rotation and Billy Wagner has been lights out in the back end of the bullpen.

4. Boston Red Sox (5) (37-28)- Here we are, more than 60 games into the season, and we have three teams in the AL East in the top four spots in these power rankings. Looking back at my pre-season rankings, I was pretty close, with all three of these squads in the top five. Adrian Beltre’s season has flown under the radar for some reason. Beltre is hitting .335 with 9 homeruns and 44 RBI’s. Jon Lester and Clay Bucholz continue to lock down this Red Sox rotation as John Lackey and the rest of the bunch search for some consistency. If the back end of this rotation does find their stuff, the sky is the limit for the Bosox.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (6) (36-27)- The Dodgers impressed me early in the week with a sweep of the Cardinals and then severely disappointed me by getting swept by the Angels. Clayton Kershaw is starting to go deeper in the games along with Chad Billingsley. That is the recipe for success for this Dodgers team. The offense is doing more than enough to keep the wins coming but there has to be some concern for Manny Ramirez. He only has five homeruns so far but he is getting on base at a very good clip. Same old same old for Jonathan Broxton in the ninth inning. He has a 0.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts and only 3 walks. Amazing.

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Johnny G’s MLB Power Rankings Part 9 & 10

June 7th, 2010 by Johnny G | 40 Comments | Filed in Baseball, General

1. Tampa Bay Rays (1) (37-20)- The Rays starting rotation came back to earth, as expected, but the team as a whole continues to plug along. No matter what the issue has been this season they have battled through it. John Jaso hitting leadoff? No problem. Carlos Pena hitting well below .200? No problem. Ben Zobrist has come on strong and has his average over .300 with some decent power after going homer-less for the first month of the season. As long as this young staff can keep going deep into games, the Rays have a playoff spot waiting for them.

2. New York Yankees (2) (35-22)- How good is Robbie Cano? .363 batting average along with 45 RBI’s and 41 runs scored and a 1.013 OPS. That is absolutely incredible. The struggles for Mark Teixeira have continued, though. That has to be concerning as it is starting to get too late in the season to use the excuse that “it’s early yet”. Make no mistake about it, if the Yankees want to win, Tex has to hit.

3. Minnesota Twins (3) (33-24)- Justin Morneau continues to absolutely carry this offense and leads the Twins in just about every category. He has a .370 average, 13 homeruns, 40 RBI’s, a .483 OBP, 71 hits, and 43 walks, all best on the team. The other part of this two-headed monster, Joe Mauer, has been in a bit of a slump, seeing his average drop to a human .313. Even with the injuries the Twins have dealt with, they still hold a comfortable 3.5 game lead in the division and look like they could improve.

4. Atlanta Braves (13) (33-24)- Wow, what a roll this team is currently on. Finally this offense has come around and what a difference it has made. Suddenly Troy Glaus is a middle of the order threat and Martin Prado has continued to rake. Chipper Jones was starting to come around before yet another nagging hand injury and Eric Hinske has taken advantage of his increase in at-bats. The Braves currently hold a two game lead in the NL East. How great of a story would it be to see Bobby Cox go out a winner? This team has the talent to make that happen.

5. Boston Red Sox (8) (33-25)- Where are all those people who said “this isn’t the Red Sox year”, “the Red Sox just aren’t good this year”, “you are biased because you are on the East Coast”. Let’s break this down simply. When you build a team with strong pitching (check), phenomenal defense (check), a phenomenal bullpen (check), and a very solid lineup (check), that team is probably going to win its fair share of games. I realize everybody hates the Red Sox but why don’t we all get a clue and sit back and learn something about the game of baseball. Like I said in week one and every week thereafter, pitching wins and this team has one of the best pitching staffs in the majors.

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Johnny G’s MLB Power Rankings Part 8

May 24th, 2010 by Johnny G | 36 Comments | Filed in General

1. Tampa Bay Rays (1) (32-12)- The Rays continue to cruise and as they stretch their lead in the AL East, they are beginning to approach some modern day records. This is the 4th best start in American league history and they have outscored their opponents by over 100 runs through only 44 games. Ben Zobrist is now hitting over .300 with his first two homeruns of the season this week. This squad is going to get very scary to play against if you can add Ben Zobrist to the mix playing like he did in 2009.

2. New York Yankees (2) (26-18)- The Yankees are really struggling with some injuries right now but they better be careful. After being swept in a mini two game set by the Rays, they now sit six games back of the division. Jorge Posada is on the DL, along with Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson. Whenever a team of the Yankees caliber drops a series to a team like the Mets, there is always room for concern.

3.Philadelphia Phillies (3) (26-17)- The Phillies start inter-league play off with some less than stellar play, as they do every year. Jimmy Rollins and Brad Lidge are both back on the DL and Rollins absence in the lineup is really starting to show at this point. Carlos Ruiz’ hot start is a distant memory, as his plate approach and pitch selection has reverted back to the old Carlos Ruiz. Roy Halladay was roughed up by the Red Sox on Sunday, which will bring all of the questions out of the wood work about whether or not Manuel has overworked Doc. Everybody Relax. He will be fine.

4. Minnesota Twins (4) (26-18)- It is absolutely insane the numbers Justin Morneau is throwing up right now. .383 batting average with 11 homeruns 24 RBI’s and 35 walks. His OBP is .497 and his OPS is a ridiculous 1.199. Joe Mauer is still plugging along with a .343 average and the rest of the offense has continued to produce. All the starter’s ERAs have come back down to earth but this is an overall solid team throughout.

5. San Diego Padres (5) (26-18)- The fairytale continues for the San Diego Padres. In a recent Sports Illustrated Heath Bell was questioned about the possibility of a fire sale, where he and Adrian Gonzalez would be traded. He said both he and Adrian discussed it during Spring Training and came to the following conclusion. “Lets just win so much that they can’t break this team up.” It really looks like the rest of this crew has taken the same attitude, because if they continue to play like this, the Padres roster might be making additions come the trade deadline.

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Johnny G’s MLB Power Rankings Part 7

May 17th, 2010 by Johnny G | 30 Comments | Filed in General

1. Tampa Bay Rays (2) (26-11)- The Rays take over the top spot once again, as they also retain possession of the best record in baseball. You become a very difficult team to beat when you have a 2.78 ERA as a team, leading the league. Combine that with the fact they have scored the 2nd most runs in the AL and there is no mystery as to why the Rays have been dominant. On Saturday, the Rays designated former Phillie Pat Burrell for assignment, replacing him with Hank Blalock. Best wishes to Pat the Bat.

2. New York Yankees (1) (24-13)- Mariano Rivera gave up his first runs of the season on Sunday as he blew a rare save opportunity. Jason Kubel hit a Grand Slam in the 8th inning off of Mariano to give the Twins a lead they would not relinquish. After another week of play, the Yankees now sit two games back of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Robinson Cano has come back to earth slightly with a .326 average and a .975 OPS. Javier Vazquez is now being moved into the bullpen for what is said to be a “temporary” time period but it could be permanent if Sergio Mitre takes advantage of his opportunity.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (4) (23-13)- Nice 4-1 week for the Phils as they continue to play through injuries to critical pieces of the team. Brad Lidge is back on the DL and Jimmy Rollins has been out for quite some time. Rollins should be returning early this week and Jose Contreras has pitched absolutely phenomenal out of the bullpen and appears to be the closer at this point. The Phillies are first in the league in batting average, slugging, and OPS. They are also 4th in the league in ERA, which makes for a pretty solid recipe for success. They have outscored opponents by 48 runs so far and once everyone returns from injury, there is no telling how far this team can go.

4. Minnesota Twins (3) (23-14)- The Twins picked up their first win in New York since 2007 on Sunday, incredible. Overall a pretty mediocre week for the Twins, though as they struggled with the White Sox and were largely outplayed by the Yankees until Mariano had a rare hiccup. Joe Mauer finally hit his 2nd homerun of the season and Justin Morneau is having the best season of his career so far. Jon Rauch continues to pitch well in the absence of Joe Nathan as well.

5. San Diego Padres (9) (22-15)- Could this team really pull it off? I doubt it, but I will be rooting for them all the way to the end. Mat Latos came oh so close to a perfect game in his last start this week, with the lone hit being a comebacker off of his throwing hand that trickled too far away from him to retire Eli Whiteside. Latos is an immensely talented right hander that not many have discovered yet and if he continues to produce with the way Garland, Leblanc, and Correia are throwing, this team could legitimately win the West.

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