tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post3201863960973992951..comments2023-10-10T03:21:23.580-04:00Comments on Motown Sports Revival: So long, Curtis Granderson (and E-Jax)Jakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-58752856360708405092009-12-16T04:39:01.525-05:002009-12-16T04:39:01.525-05:00Yeah, I think we at least should've gotten a g...Yeah, I think we at least should've gotten a good young starting SS / 3B or a top prospect at one of those positions in the trade. Or dumped enough salary that we could sign a good one.<br /><br />I also think Granderson is going to be really good for the Yankees. He's going to hit a lot more home runs in that ball park, and there are only a few major home run threats at CF in the league.<br /><br />I also think its likely he'll do a lot better against lefties this year, due to a new hitting coach (the old one clearly wasn't helping him), and if nothing else, regression to the mean.Michael Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-70035915018409228652009-12-15T16:59:05.303-05:002009-12-15T16:59:05.303-05:00I don’t agree that for this trade to be a success ...I don’t agree that for this trade to be a success (or “not a failure”) we need two of the four players we got in return to become All-Stars. E-Jax was likely gone after this year anyway. So, he may be an All-Star but it doesn’t do the Tigers any good if he’s pitching for another team. As for Granderson, yeah, I think it’s fair to expect we’d get an All-Star in return for him. Is there a future All-Star among the four players we got? I have no idea. I would be pretty happy with just three to four contributors since that’s something the Tigers have significant need for. In my opinion, that would make this a good trade.<br /><br />CG should not have been hitting leadoff for sure. That said, you’re severely underestimating how much time he would spend on the bench as a platoon player (or totally ineffective as an everyday player) which is where he is headed with his numbers vs lefties. In the American League last season, the starting pitching breakdown was 65/35 in favor of righties. He’ll also face a healthy dose of situational lefties in later innings bringing that number down even further. That might be an OK situation for $5.5 million but not for $10 or $13 million.<br /><br />I agree about the idea of getting the Yankees to take on a contract. If this was truly a cost-cutting maneuver then getting rid of Robertson or Willis should've been a requirement of any trade? I don’t think this was strictly cost-cutting, though. They sent away two All-Stars who were set to make $10.5 million combined next season. $55 million comes off the payroll next season. DD has plenty of money to afford Granderson through the end of his contract. If this was strictly a cost-cutting move, then DD needs a remedial math class. I think DD’s primary motivation was to sell E-Jax and CG while their value is peaked. If E-Jax leaves next year (which seemed likely) and Granderson continues to struggle hitting lefties and getting on base, then where does that leave the Tigers? Instead of facing that likely future, DD got four highly-rated prospects in return. I can’t blame that sort of thinking. <br /><br />I just don’t understand why we took two reliever prospects when we spent 8 of our first 10 picks on relievers in the 2008 Draft. We've needed a viable starting lefty since Columbus sailed the ocean blue. I'm pretty sure you can get one of those for two All-Stars.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-53048825830838948932009-12-14T00:45:24.527-05:002009-12-14T00:45:24.527-05:00If we traded two under 30 all-stars for prospects ...If we traded two under 30 all-stars for prospects of which you don't think we'll get two all-stars out of, aren't we the clear loser in the trade?<br /><br />Frankly, I think Granderson's biggest problem has been being misused. He's not a leadoff hitter, he's a 5-6 guy against RHP. Against LHP he should either be sit or put in the 7-9 spot (7 for us, maybe 9 for the Yankees). Being a platoon player isn't that bad when you're a lefty since 80% of starters are RH.<br /><br />The trade bothers me because financial motives were obviously the main reason behind the trade. Also Granderson's offensive production has been greatly underrated as most fans aren't comparing him to other CF (and they overvalue average). Even in a down year last year his OPS and VORP were very good for a CF. And that doesn't even factor in his was well above average defense, which was vital in a park like Comerica.<br /><br />If we were going to give up a player like that we needed to either get a proven top position player back or at the very least make the Yankees eat a large part of one of our much worse contracts. If we were able to throw in Dontrelle or Robertson, even if we had to eat 50-75% of their salary, the deal would make a lot more sense to me.<br /><br />As is it feels like the Tigers are purposely taking a step back, now and in the future, just to save money, and then hoping it won't be too big of a step back. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth.Michael Cnoreply@blogger.com