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As you know, the Detroit Tigers have taken a "there are no sacred cows" approach to this offseason, not confirming or denying that a few of their biggest guns are open to trade.
Arguably the face of the franchise, Curtis Granderson is among them.
The Big Lead recently posted a piece titled, "Five Reasons Why Curtis Granderson-to-the-Yankees Makes Sense for New York & Detroit." And, with all due respect, it has a lot of holes.
I'll be the first to say that the Tigers are not going to trade Curtis Granderson, and they definitely won't trade him to the Yankees. Trading Granderson would be franchise suicide and Dombrowski knows that better than anyone. If the Tigers do trade Granderson, I'll do as that Bulls' columnist did and literally eat my words. Except my words are on the 'net, so I guess I'll just lick the screen dry.
Whether I'm right or wrong, it won't make the Big Lead's piece any better. Here it is, with my thoughts in italics after each "reason" why the trade would make sense:
1. Detroit needs to trim payroll. According to this, the Tigers are doing what many fans think they should - generating revenue and spending it on their team. That’s great if you win. The Tigers lost a one-game playoff and missed the postseason. Despite a 12-win improvement in 2009 over 2008, the Tigers lost an average of 8,000 fans per home game. Granderson is set to make $5.5 million in 2010, and $8.25 million in 2011. He’s trade bait.
I'm not following. Spending money is great and definitely what the fans want if it helps you win (don't need to link to a Yankees source to tell me that). The Tigers won 12 more games last year than in 2008, right, but how does this all of a sudden transfer to being about filling seats? Filling seats is important to create money to spend, is that what they wanted to say? Then he skips to Granderson's contract, ending with what we already know -- Granderson is bait. I learned nothing from the last five sentences. Granderson is being baited because the Tigers may need to trim payroll or they think he's not that good anymore. That other nonsensical fluff could really have been left out.
2. The Tigers have a lot of holes to fill. Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney, Adam Everett and Placido Polanco are all free agents. Magglio Ordonez isn’t a capable defensive player. Others, like Carlos Guillen, Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas don’t appear to be everyday players. (Feel free to argue that.) Trading Granderson for 2-3 players makes sense.
Trading Granderson for 2-3 players makes sense only if those 2-3 players can actually fill other holes. And you don't usually fill holes by creating an even deeper one elsewhere. Filling reliever holes can be done through the system or free agency, you don't need to do that by trading away one of your best players and arguably the most popular. Also, re-signing those four is not entirely out of the question, especially Lyon and Everett.
Bringing up that Magglio isn't a capable defensive player could be a reason why it would not make sense for Detroit to trade Granderson because the Tigers need a guy who can make up for Maggs' range in rightfield. Curtis Granderson provides that. And then going on to talk about how the other three OFs are incapable of starting in the OF everyday is another reason why trading Granderson does not make sense for Detroit.
3. Detroit has a recent history of dumping speedy centerfielders. Remember Cameron Maybin? He was one of the centerpieces in the deal that landed boozy Miguel Cabrera. What about Nook Logan?
Grasping at straws. Because a past of dumping speedy centerfielders automatically makes it sensible for the Tigers to trade Granderson to the Yankees?
4. Granderson in Yankee Stadium has ridiculous potential. Yes, he’s coming off a good, but not great season. He tends to strikeout a lot. But he’s an ideal leadoff man, one of the best defensive centerfielders in the game, and his lefty power (20 homers) is perfect for Yankee Stadium.
Curtis Granderson has ridiculous potential anywhere. And he hit 30 homers last year, not 20. I get why his potential and power makes sense for the Yankees, especially with the short porch in right, so I'll concede this one. But I don't like the approach at all. Step out and regroup before number five.
5. Trades that may or may not make sense: Prized Yankees OF recruit Austin Jackson and RP Joba Chamberlain is probably too much (not for us; they both have high value due to being young and cheap), though we would do it with question. Would a package of Jackson, Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and maybe David Adams do the trick? Insert Granderson in CF, shift Melky to LF, and the outfield will have no holes. Resign Matsui to be your DH. If Scott Boras is serious, and he thinks Johnny Damon can get anywhere near $13 million a year while Granderson can be had for much less (and is an upgrade in nearly every way fathomable) … the Yankees have to do this.
Now we're kind of talking. Start throwing out some potential trades and explain why in the hell this would make sense for Detroit. Yeah, we know the Yankees would be better off with the cheaper, younger, player in Granderson as opposed to Damon. We got it. But why does this make sense for the Tigers?
One thing is for sure, the Tigers aren't going to take the Yankees garbage. Joba doesn't make sense. That'd be the last name I'd want to see in a potential Yankees trade. Just what the Tigers need is Joba and Miguel drinking together, causing problems, and Joba not pitching well to boot. Austin Jackson, I assume, is someone the Tigers would demand if a deal were to be made. "Meh" to Ian Kennedy and "ehhhh" to Hughes. Adams might not be a bad toss-in guy because the Tigers did draft him in 2005 his first time around.
He's making a lot of money and if the Tigers think his batting average vs. lefties is a serious problem, making him a platoon player, then he's not worth the "big" contract he received (a sad pattern for Dombrowski ).
The Big Lead mentions that the Tigers want to cut the payroll, but fail to mention why Granderson would be a part of those plans. Instead they cite irrelevant precedence of the Tigers trading two other CFs (one who was not good and the other who hadn't proved anything yet) and an unconvincing discussion of filling other holes with the trade. The reasons they did nail they surrounded with balderdash.
Again, the Tigers, like most teams, are entertaining ideas right now. Of course the Yankees want Granderson. Who wouldn't? He has a powerful bat, speed, makes great defensive plays despite sometimes needing a GPS system, and he's an upstanding person.
Will his remaining potential, what he provides Detroit's offense despite his poor BA vs. LHP, his defense, and his popularity amongst the somewhat dwindling fan base be enough to make Dombrowski keep Granderson around? I certainly hope so.
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The only way Granderson (also Inge and Jackson) are traded is if the Tigers get legit major league players in return. Hell, teams need to OVERPAY to get them.
Because, 9 times out of, 10 in a trade of legit MLB players for prospects, the team receiving MLB players get the better of the deal.
See Cabrera for Miller/Maybin...even with the dead weight of Willis being in the deal, the Tigers win the trade in a walk when you look at pure, on-field production.
When you have a $100 million payroll, Granderson's contract really is a drop in the bucket. I doubt the Tigers are strictly clearing salary. I think they can't/won't jump into the FA pool and are trying to make the themselves better via trades.
I hope that's Dombrowski's plan. If I hear the Tigers get nothing but prospects for any of the players supposedly on the block, I'm going medieval on the Tigers' asses.