SB Nation - Brent Clevlen

Braves Sign Joe Thurston; Vazquez Won't Cross the Rocky Mountains

gondeee — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:18:30 -0000

Utility man Joe Thurston, formerly of the Cardinals, has signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

A few tidbits of information today. First off, from Mark Bowman we learn that the Braves have signed light-hitting utility man Joe Thurston, who last year was with the Cardinals, to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Thurston is mainly a second baseman, but he's made himself more valuable in recent years be learning to play the outfield and most recently learning to play third base (though, not that well). He's played a tad bit of shortstop in the minor leagues, but mainly he'll be in camp competing for the second utility infield position.

In the same blog post, and later in a front page post, Bowman quotes a source who confirms that it is highly unlikely that Javier Vazquez would waive his no-trade clause to go to a West coast team. I tackled that rumor and debunked it last night, albeit with out a "source," I instead used logic. It's good to know that Javy is still interested in remaining in Atlanta beyond next season. I'd like to see that happen, but of course, all of this is predicated on the Braves moving Derek Lowe.

Speaking of Lowe, I expect that we'll begin to hear another team mentioned more frequently in trade rumors with Lowe -- the New York Yankees. They seem to be tackling one off-season priority at a time, and after acquiring Curtis Granderson and now signing Nick Johnson, many people expect them to focus on starting pitching. The Braves are rumored to have long been interested in Nick Swisher. If they can swing Lowe for Swisher, then that may free up the Yankees to go back and try to re-sign Johnny Damon, another move that is seemingly in the Yankees interest.

Another team that may be looking for more starting pitching is the Cubs, who just freed up a bunch of money by trading Milton Bradley. I'm not sure how they would match up in a trade with the Braves, though, as they don't seem to have any surplus at a position the Braves need to fill.

I also continue to hear that free agent Xavier Nady and the Braves are close to a deal, and that only lingering medical questions about Nady are holding up the deal. Getting Swisher and Nady would seem to wrap up the principal needs of the Braves off-season, and set us up with a good and deep team heading into spring training. One name that I haven't heard mentioned with the Braves, but one I'd like to hear mentioned is Troy Glaus. He's a year removed from a fantastic season, and while he would primarily play first base, he would be an excellent third base insurance policy against Chipper Jones getting injured.

The Braves front office also officially announced, via a press release, that the team has signed six minor league free agents this off-season. The list includes left-handed pitcher Mariano Gomez, catchers Orlando Mercado and J.C. Boscan, infielder Joe Thurston and outfielders Brent Clevlen and Mitch Jones. They join right-handed pitcher Scott Proctor, who signed in November.

Braves Re-sign Mariano Gomez, Add Six Other Minor League Free Agents

cbwilk — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:45:49 -0000

If Brent Clevlen can put all 5 of his tools together at once he could make himself a valuable part of Atlanta's team.

View full size photo »

Gondeee got an early scoop on the Braves inking some Minor League free agents this week, but it was unconfirmed. Well, it's now official and Gondeee did indeed have himself a scoop. The Braves have brought back LHP Mariano Gomez and have added 1B Gerardo Avila, 1B Mauro Gomez, 2B Luis Bolivar, 2B Juan Gonzalez, 3B Eric Duncan, and OF Brent Clevlen.

Gomez spent all of 2009 with Gwinnett and had the best season of his career, posting a 8-4 record, 8 saves, 1.99 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP in 72.1 innings covering 47 appearances. He is tall (6'6") and lanky, creating some unusual angles and difficulties for hitters. He'll be 27 during the 2010 season and will likely be invited to Major League Spring Training with the Braves and be given a chance to fight for one of the last spots in the bullpen.

Clevlen is the best of these signings; he is an top notch defensive outfielder, capable of playing all three outfield positions along with possessing a strong, accurate arm. The 26 year old has played in 55 Major League games with the Tigers, hitting just .233 in 80 plate appearances from 2006 to 2008, shining in 06 with when he hit .282 with a 958 OPS in 42 plate appearances, hitting 3 home runs. He's spent most of the last three years with AAA Toledo and hit .261 with a .768 OPS, 26 doubles, 16 homers, 64 RBIS, and 10 stolent bases there this season. Aside from his defense, his biggest upside may be as a right handed hitter able to mash lefties, as he hit .331 with a 1.002 OPS and 8 home runs against lefties this season in just 151 at bats.

The 23 year old Avlies comes to the Braves from the Mariners' system where he spent last year playing for their short season Everett affiliate (basically the same level as Danville), hitting .333 with a .950 OPS, 13 home runs, and 54 RBI in just 231 plate appearances. In a five year caree he has only played 211 games and has yet to make it out of A ball. While he played some outfield early in his career, he's now limited to first base and isn't the best defender. His numbers and age don't suggest much future success so a Braves scout must have seen something he like and convinced the organization to sign him for lower level depth.

The other M. Gomez is a 25 year old first baseman who has spent the last two years playing for High A Bakersfield in the Rangers' organization. He had a monster season, hitting .285 with a .868 OPS to go with 35 doubles, 38 home runs and 94 RBIs. He also managed to strike out a whopping 141 times, good for 26% of his plate appearances. He's played a little bit of third base in his career but doesn't seem to be very good there; conversely, he appears to be a solid, if unimpressive first baseman.

Bolivar, who will be 29 at the start of the 2010 season, could be a candidate to sever as a utility player on Atlanta's bench. Primarily and middle infielder, he's played every position except catcher during his 8 year career in the Reds' system. He's best suited for second base where his skill set fits the needs of the position, but he has a strong enough arm and is athletic enough to be more than adequate around the field. His versatility is key since his bat isn't strong; he hit just .232 with a .620 OPS in 380 plate appearances for AAA Louisville this season. And, he strikes out a lot for a player without power, wiffing 70 times this year. He did steal 28 bases, his highest total in 5 season. At worst, he'll provide versatile depth for Gwinnett.

Atlanta will be the 6th organization for Gonzalez, who will be 28 at the start of the 2010 season. Mostly a shortstop early in his career, he's played more second and third base in recent years. Like Bolivar, he's athletic enough and has a strong enough arm to play around the infield and, also like Bolivar, his skill set makes him most suited for second base. The similarities don't stop there as his bat is also weak; splitting his season between AA Chattanooga and AAA Albuquerque he hit just .229 with a .637 OPS in 288 plate appearances. Unfortunately though, he doesn't have much speed anymore. He probably won't get much of a shot to make an impact on the Major League team an actually seems destined to provide depth for AA Mississippi.

Duncan, who has played a fair amount of first base in his career, and a little bit of outfield, in addition to his natural third base, isn't related to Shelley Duncan, though the two have been teammates for several years. This Duncan was actually the 27th overall pick by the Yankees in the 2003 draft, though he's never lived up to expectations, failing to ever make it to the Majors with New York. Through the 2006 season he seemed to be progressing well, even if he wasn't living up to his lofty draft status expectations, but since then he has stalled out in AAA for three seasons, with his percentage stats falling each year until this season when he managed to hit just .242 with a .527 OPS in 345 plate appearances for Scranton-Wilkes Barre. A change of scenery may be what he needs to turn things around, as it was no secret that he became disenfranchised with the Yankees' organization, seeing little chance of moving up given their preference to trade for veterans and sign free agents instead of promoting from within.

It was reported that the Braves had also signed 1B-OF Mitch Jones but that has yet to be confirmed. If true it would be a great signing as the 32 year old is coming off an oustanding 2009 season that saw him make his Major League debut with the Dodgers and hit .297 with a 1.015 OPS, 26 doubles, 35 homers, and 103 RBIS in 434 plate appearances for AAA Albuquerque.

The Braves also lost one of their own Minor League free agents as 2B Chris Burke signed with the Reds. Burke played well for Gwinnett, hitting .285 with a .752 OPS in 309 plate appearances. One of Burke's Gwinnett teammates, LHP John Halama wasn't technically a Braves' free agent, since he was released just after the season to allow him to pitch in the playoffs for the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the same team the Braves signed him from during the year, was signed by Milwaukee. Halama was also decent for the G-Braves, collecting a 4-7 record, 4.48 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 90.1 innings covering 16 appearances (13 starts).

There will surely be more Minor Leaguers joining and leaving the Braves and, as always, we'll keep you up to date here at Talking Chop.

CB Wilkins is the author of the baseball novel Four-A. The story follows a relief pitcher over the course of a year as he bounces between AAA and the Majors, attempting to balance his dreams and his reality. It can be purchased here: https://www.createspace.com/3407939

Braves Sign Matt Diaz, Others

gondeee — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:21:56 -0000

Kudos to the Atlanta Braves for getting one of their arbitration eligible players signed already for next year -- something that can usually drag on into spring training. Matt Diaz agreed to a one-year $2.55 million deal in the last 24 hours, that's a raise of over $1 million from last year's salary of $1.237 million.

That leaves three players who remain unsigned by the Braves; second baseman Kelly Johnson, and relievers Peter Moylan and Boone Logan. Midnight tonight is the deadline for the Braves to offer them a contract. That doesn't mean they have to come to terms, they simply have to be tendered a contract for 2010. The Braves are expected to face a tough decision on Kelly Johnson, who is likely to make around $4 million and may not have a starting role.

I got an email from a reader alerting me to several minor league signings as well as international signings by the Braves. I'm trying to get them to source this information, so until then consider it as unsourced:

Minor League signings not posted on site yet: Mariano Gomez LHP, Gerardo Avila 1B, Luis Bolivar 3B, Eric Duncan 3B, Mauro Gomez 1B, Brent Clevlen OF, Mitch Jones OF, Juan Gonzalez OF

International Signings to date:
Mexico - Daniel Castro (ss), Javier Morales (rhp)
Panama - Abraham Espinosa (rhp), Luis Madrid (ss)
Venezuela - Erick Maldonado (of), Jesus Saldeno (rhp), Elias Valdez (lhp)
Nicaragua - Enrique Medina (lhp), Elieser Salmeron (of)
Dominican - Emmanuel Daniel (of)
Spain - Alejandro Martinez (ss)

Current players expected to receive visas from DSL: Juan Flores OF Victor Cadette RHP Luis de Luna RHP Amilcar Gaxiola LHP Andy Otero LHP Jorge Paulino RHP Williams Perez RHP Alexis Pinto LHP Ernesto Silva RHP Erick Epifano IF Omar Llapur 1B Edison Sanchez 3B

No, that is not the Juan Gonzalez, I believe he's an outfielder of the same name who played last with the St. Louis organization.

The reader also passed along this article on our baseball academy in Tenerife.

Jeff Larish Completes the Tigers Roster

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:30:23 -0000

The Detroit Tigers made it official this afternoon, finalizing their 25-man major league roster by giving Jeff Larish that final spot.

(We'd like to make a snarky crack about Steve Kornacki and MLive.com finally breaking a story this spring, but we really try to be graceful here at BYB. Oh, wait a minute, did we just blow that?)

Larish may not have been favored to win that last position player spot coming into the spring, but quickly changed that perception with an impressive performance, batting .270/.370/.524 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 72 plate appearances. He also led the Tigers in Grapefruit League play with seven doubles, showing some nice extra-base pop.

Tom Gage says the Tigers will still bring Brent Clevlen along with them to Atlanta, waiting until the last possible minute to outright him to the minors, in the hopes that he clears waivers. (That seems like kind of a raw deal for the kid, unless Clevlen really prefers to stay in the Detroit organization.)

Morning Prowl: Starting Rotation, Two Marlboros, Pepto Sales, and Dog Bites

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:04:28 -0000

If you're wondering how Detroit's starting rotation will turn after Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson next week, Zach Miner will go on Wednesday, Rick Porcello on Thursday, and Armando Galarraga will start the home opener on Friday.

Detroit4Lyfe posted a great quote from Jim Leyland about agonizing over the decision to cut Gary Sheffield, and what that drove him to. Definitely "Tao of Leyland" material. I smell endorsement deal.

Speaking of Sheffield being cut, DesigNate Robertson doesn't get all the applause over the decision.

Lynn Henning wonders how safe Nate Robertson's place really is on the Tigers' roster, dispensing some almost fatherly advice in the process.

Mack Avenue Tigers thinks naming Fernando Rodney as closer (for Monday, anyway) should boost Pepto-Bismol sales. Well yeah, unless you just go straight for the hard liquor. Maybe you should still get the Pepto, though.

Tiger Geist passes along some scuttlebutt from Buster Olney over some teams' concern that putting Dontrelle Willis on the DL for anxiety could potentially sent a bad precedent.

Why haven't the Tigers made the call on Jeff Larish over Brent Clevlen yet? Tom Gage says it's so Clevlen is more likely to pass through waivers when he's eventually outrighted to the minors.

I'm not big on April Fools jokes, but Sam posted a pretty great one about Justin Verlander yesterday. (Meanwhile, I'm kind of embarrassed that I briefly fell for this story about an Asheville, NC newsweekly becoming an all-Twitter publication.)

Today's completely random thought: I was describing Chuck Knoblauch's throwing problem to my friend Mis Hooz last night, and she told me that "Knoblauch" means "garlic" in German. Did anyone else (other than Dirk, of course) know that?

Better Know a White Sox Division Rival: Detroit Tigers

larry — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:00:10 -0000

This is the last in a series about AL Central division rivals and the race to be the tallest midget.

Offseason Comings and Goings

Back in 2006, Dave Dombrowski was the darling of GMs. He’d rebuilt the long dormant Tigers from both within and without to form a team that reached the World Series. In 2007, they won 88 games but ran into a rampant Indians team and, to remedy that, Dombrowski flexed his prospects and payroll muscles by first acquiring Edgar Renteria and then Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis (signing both to lucrative extensions for good measure). There was talk of a 1000 run offense. And then the 2008 season happened. They scored 821 runs – a solid performance, good for fourth in the AL – but gave up 857 as both their rotation and bullpen imploded.

Dombrowski’s past dealings had largely exhausted his formerly rich farm system. And his spendthrift ways (along with a super economy, especially in the Motor City, which has apparently almost halved their season ticket base) had largely exhausted his monetary advantage, as well. Still, with their collection of older talent and big contracts, the Tigers have to go all-in. And, to the best of their ability, that’s just what they did this offseason.

Knowing his rotation needed help, Dombrowski did about as well as he could and traded/overpaid for Edwin Jackson. Knowing his bullpen needed help, he signed Brandon Lyon to close. Knowing his defense needed help, he signed Adam Everett to play SS. And knowing his pitchers needed help by having someone catch the ball, he traded for Gerald Laird to do so.

Going out the door were Edgar Renteria, Matt Joyce to Tampa for Jackson, and a bunch of relievers – including Kyle Farnsworth – who helped their bullpen stink. The Gambler also appears to have retired.

Offense

A projected lineup: Curtis Granderson CF, Placido Polanco 2B, Magglio Ordonez RF, Miguel Cabrera 1B, Carlos Guillen LF, Gary Sheffield DH, Gerald Laird C, Brandon Inge 3B, Adam Everett SS

Bench and Spare Parts: Matt Treanor C, Ramon Santiago INF, Marcus Thames OF, Timo Perez OF, Ryan Raburn OF, Brent Clevlen OF, Ryan Larish INF/OF, Mike Hessman OF

This remains a potent offense. Granderson is an ideal leadoff hitter. The 33 year old Polanco keeps chugging along with his blend of batting average dependent OBP and decent pop. Ordonez also keeps chugging along. While his days of 30+ home runs are gone, his line drive ways should keep his batting average high and power numbers good. While Cabrera’s continued weight gains and plate discipline losses make his contract look more risky long-term, the short-term prognosis is still that of an offensive powerhouse. Guillen struggled with back problems late last season and missed all of September. The Tigers will hope that his power returns. Sheffield has been atrocious since coming over from the Yankees. The Tigers will hope to get anything out of him – though he’s healthy for the first time in a long time. Laird is an overall average catcher, though it will be interesting to see how he reacts to his return to a full-time role (it wasn't pretty last time). Inge and Everett are offensive black holes but their defense makes them adequate and this offense can handle their lack of production.

Pitching

Rotation: Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga, Edwin Jackson, Nate Robertson

Bullpen and Spare Parts: Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney, Joel Zumaya, Bobby Seay, Clay Rapada, Zach Miner, Ryan Perry, Juan Rincon, Alfredo Figaro, Scott Williamson, Dontrelle Willis

You want question marks, this pitching has them plastered all over the place. Verlander was not impressive last season and a return to prior form will be absolutely essential for the Tigers. While his peripherals suggest a decent rebound should be expected, the continued loss of fastball velocity is a concern. Bonderman’s 2008 campaign was cut short by surgery to correct a circulatory problem in his throwing shoulder. His velocity and command have yet to return so far this spring. Galarraga was the Tigers’ one bright spot last season as he turned from random offseason acquisition to staff ace; however, nothing in his history suggests anything close to a repeat and his peripherals show massive regression is on tap. Perennial breakout favorite Jackson will continue to entice but be nothing more than backend fodder. Left-hander Robertson looks to be the current favorite for the 5th spot, but a sprained thumb could cause him to miss the opening day roster.

Starting at the top of the bullpen, Lyon just isn’t that good. He’s a fine enough relief pitcher but he’s certainly not the lights-out closer that is usually associated with the role. This would perhaps be okay – because, after all, more of the high leverage relief innings happen before the typical bases empty ninth inning entrance of a closer – however, it’s not like there’s much else to really like in this bullpen, either. Zumaya is hurt again and will be opening the season on the DL. Rodney was erratic last season after returning from injury but, while he gives up too many walks, he does strike batters out and a return to adequacy is likely. Non-roster invitee Rincon has had an excellent spring and appears to have pitched his way onto the roster – though coming off two poor seasons, not much should be expected of him. Rapada will be the LOOGY while Seay, the man responsible for Jerry Reinsdorf’s hate of Scott Boras, will be the primary lefty set-up man. 2008 top draft pick Perry, a win now selection, is a hard-throwing righty whose fastball touches triple digits and has a slider and change which are also good; while his command can be shaky, he could be a repeat of 2006 Zumaya. Miner, who lost out in the 5th starter derby, will be the swingman. Although Willis was almost a certainty to not make the opening day roster, him being placed on the DL on Sunday was a bit of a shock and even more surprising was that it was for an anxiety disorder.

Farm

There’s just one man in this depleted system that will make an impact this year.

Rick Porcello is a 20 year old righty. There was talk early in the spring about him breaking camp with the Tigers in their rotation. That talk died down, not least because of control problems, but it is a near certainty that he will appear sometime this season in the big leagues. Last season, against older and more advanced competition, he was the Florida State League (High-A) Player of the Year. His 93 MPH sinking two-seam fastball, 95 MPH four-seam fastball, slider, and change are all excellent to good and his low strikeout rate at Lakeland was attributed to the Tigers not permitting him to use his slider in order to force him to work on his curve. He’ll start the season at Double-A Erie but expect the stay to be short.

Outlook

This midget is all-in but it still doesn’t look like it’s enough to take this contest.

Previously: Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians

The Quest For Relief: Closers Are Costly

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:30:06 -0000

Now that the Detroit Tigers have shored up their up-the-middle defense for the 2009 season by nabbing a catcher and shortstop, general manager Dave Dombrowski can focus on the most expensive item on his offseason shopping list: The closer.

Interest in free agent Kerry Wood seems to be between the Tigers and New York Mets. However, several reports out of Las Vegas say the Mets have zeroed in on Francisco Rodriguez, and after making an initial offer of a two-year, $24 million contract with a vesting option for a third year, it appears that the two sides have agreed on a three-year, $37 million deal that SI.com's Jon Heyman hears is "going to get done." So not only would this eliminate some competition for the Tigers, but the market for closers would finally be set.

However, Yahoo! Sports' Gordon Edes says the Boston Red Sox might be a surprise suitor for Wood, eyeing him as a set-up man for Jonathan Papelbon.

The other option that's generating heat is a trade for Seattle's J.J. Putz. According to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker, the Tigers have been the most aggressive team in trying to make a deal. (And we've seen over the past 36 hours what can happen when Dombrowski gets aggressive.) Putz would be cheaper than Wood in terms of dollars ($5 million next season, and a club option for $8.6 million in 2010), but he could cost Detroit some of its best young players.

Seattle's largest need is for a left fielder, which would seem to make Matt Joyce their trade target. Jeff Larish is also mentioned as a possibility, and the Mariners also have an opening at first base that he could fill. (Though they also just signed Russell Branyan and former Tiger Chris Shelton, who will surely compete for that spot.) Baker even mentioned Brent Clevlen as a possibility.

But could the Mariners want it all, so to speak? Check out what Jon Paul Morosi reported in the Freep:

Seattle officials believe they will be able to obtain a three-player package in exchange for Putz. For Detroit, that could mean parting with young left-handed hitters Matt Joyce and Jeff Larish, along with a big-league-ready pitcher.

That pitcher, by the way, would likely be Double-A prospect Luis Marte, who posted a 7-7 record and 3.76 ERA, with 78 strikeouts in 103 innings.

So Joyce, Larish, and Marte for a guy coming off an injury-plagued (torso inflammation, hyper-extended right elbow) season in which he pitched just 46 innings and earned 15 saves? Who is he, Jack Wilson? Putz was an elite closer in 2006 and 2007, accumulating 76 saves and 186 strikeouts (vs. 26 walks) in 150 innings. But is it worth wiping out what youth the roster has - not to mention yet another pitching prospect, which would make 11 total over the past three winters - for potentially just one season of Putz?

Didn't we learn anything from the Edgar Renteria trade?

The closer market is too loaded to give up such a haul, even if the Tigers might have to pay more than they'd prefer for Wood. Or perhaps Fuentes, if he becomes available and more affordable in lieu of a Mets/K-Rod pairing. (Additionally, Detroit is one of five teams that will be talking to Chad Cordero.) New Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is probably looking at Putz to make his first offseason a memorable one. But it shouldn't happen at the expense of the Tigers' future.

This Week's Jack Wilson Post

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:00:06 -0000

Okay, we know the Detroit Tigers don't want Edgar Renteria to be their shortstop. The team wouldn't even offer him arbitration, even though the San Francisco Giants' rumored interest in Renteria likely means he would've passed on it. We now also know, thanks to Jon Paul Morosi, that Detroit is no longer interested in making a deal with the San Diego Padres for Khalil Greene. And Morosi thinks the $6.5 million Greene is owed next season might be a big reason for that.

Yet the Tigers are still apparently circling around Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson. (Though Blake wonders if his $7.25 million salary for next season is now considered too pricey, as well.) Morosi reported yesterday (before the Greene news, it should perhaps be noted) that the Tigers and Pirates are in "ongoing" talks about a trade.

Our SB Nation broham Bucs Dugout wonders if Detroit's minor league system has the sort of prospects that the Pirates are looking for. But one of their commentors pointed to Jennifer Langosch's mailbag at MLB.com, in which she suggested several players the Tigers might be offering in a deal:

There is young depth at short in Detroit's system. The Tigers might be willing to part with Brent Dlugach since he's probably the organization's No. 3 shortstop right now. Trying to pry away the organization's No. 2 shortstop prospect -- Danny Worth -- would likely require the Pirates to offer more than just Wilson. But it is a possibility.

The Tigers have plenty of Minor League outfielders that they could offer, including Brent Clevlen, who the Pirates have shown interest in before, and Matt Joyce, a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder. But really, the Pirates already seem pretty set in terms of young outfield prospects.

As for pitching prospects that Detroit possibly would be willing to offer, Luis Marte, a young power arm, and Guillermo Moscoso were names that came up in discussions I had with someone in Detroit.

After all the pitching Detroit gave up last offseason, the idea of giving up more in a trade for a one-to-two-year stopgap might make some cringe. But it's also difficult to imagine the Tigers getting Wilson without sending over a young arm in return.

Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus's John Perrotto says the Dodgers are cool on dealing for Wilson now. (Hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors) But the Baltimore Orioles may have taken their place in the competition for making a deal. However, Bucs Dugout wonders if the O's want to give up prospects at this point. (Baltimore might be saving its younguns for a potential Jake Peavy deal, too.)

So Pittsburgh might be facing a one-team market for Wilson. Does that help the Tigers' chances of getting him or lessen the Pirates' willingness to to deal him?

One Take on Fixing the Tigers

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:33:23 -0000

In his "Being the GM" series for MVN Outsider, Evan Brunell writes what he would do if he was in charge of the Detroit Tigers. I think more than a few fans would agree with some of the moves he proposes, such as looking to trade Magglio Ordonez and/or Gary Sheffield, bringing back Freddy Garcia, and signing Brian Fuentes as a free agent closer.

But how about a trade for the shortstop whose name we've tried not to mention anymore?

The Detroit Tigers decline option on Edgar Renteria, acquire Jack Wilson from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dontrelle Willis and Brent Clevlen.

The Tigers won’t have any interest in bringing Edgar Renteria back and will instead acquire Wilson, a target of the Tigers for a while now. The Tigers will acquire a gifted defender who will become a free agent after the season, but has the added bonus of a team option. It is a situation the Tigers would covet to be in.

Or filling the bullpen with, well, scrubs?

The Tigers should also bring in several flotsam relievers (and let Kyle Farnsworth walk) in an attempt to shore up their bullpen, relievers like Rudy Seanez, Ron Villone, Juan Rincon could see invites to spring training.

Detroit's already gone the flotsam route with Aquilino Lopez, Casey Fossum, and Gary Glover. How did that work out? Using one of those guys to pitch mop-up duty or long relief would fill a necessary role. But having all three of them exacerbated what was already a fatal flaw in the roster construction of the 2008 Tigers.

After the hangover wears off and the post-mortems are written, I know we'll be discussing what the Tigers should do to revamp next year's team all winter long. But I thought this might be a good way to get the conversation started a bit. Check out Evan's entire post. Do you like these suggestions? What would you do instead?