SB Nation - Dontrelle Willis

Tigers Need Room on 40-Man Roster: Who Goes Next?

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Gary Malerba - AP

Could Bobby Seay be the next player to be trimmed from the Detroit Tigers' roster?

On his Twitter feed earlier tonight, Jon Paul Morosi pointed out that the Tigers' 40-man roster was full before Tuesday's trade. So with Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson moving over to new teams, and Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke coming to Detroit, there are now 42 players on the roster.

A source told Morosi that Bobby Seay, Jeff Larish, and Dusty Ryan are now available. Seay seems like a candidate to be non-tendered, with all of the left-handed relievers that the Tigers now have. Ryan also could be expendable, with the signing of Robinzon Diaz. And Larish just doesn't seem to have a very high stock in the organization right now. There's no buzz about him, giving the impression that the team has given up on him.

The Tigers probably want to clear at least one spot before Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, unless they're just not interested in selecting any available players.

The implication from Morosi's report is that Detroit would like to deal off Seay, Larish, or Ryan in the remaining two days of the Winter Meetings. But as The Detroit Tigers Weblog points out, couldn't the team also release any players that could've been left unprotected three weeks ago, such as Dontrelle Willis or Don Kelly?

I know the smoke still hasn't cleared from the big trade, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that the Tigers probably aren't done making moves this week. So who could go? Who should go?

EDIT: It would probably be helpful to link to the Tigers' 40-man roster. Sorry about that.

Twitter Is Ridiculous Applesauce - Omar Meets The Agents, Juan Pierre Is Available And Nonsensical Rumors

James Kannengieser — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:05:48 -0000

It seems reporters/"journalists" are neglecting to consider source bias and failing to corroborate rumors with multiple sources before posting on Twitter or a blog. All in the name of page hitzzz I suppose.

Meet the Mets

Omar Minaya met with the agents for various players last night, including John Lackey, Jason Marquis, Bengie Molina, Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.

In an interview with Daily 'Stache, Adam Rubin says the Mets should focus on pitching this offseason, namely Lackey. He also says Jeff Francoeur is the most reliable provider of good quotes.

Steve Henson says that 3-4 teams are interested in Dodgers OF Juan Pierre. A trade for Pierre would likely include a bad contract player, AKA Luis Castillo. No thanks on Pierre. Speaking of undesirable players, Jerry Crasnick reports that Elmer Dessens will likely re-sign with the Mets. If it's a major league deal you better get ready for Dessens Avenue.

Ken Davidoff tweets that Yorvit Torrealba is on the Mets radar. Interesting, considering the bizarre chain of events involving the Mets and Torrealba two offseasons ago.

Joel Sherman reports that a John Maine for Corey Hart trade is being discussed. Hart is just 27 years old and two years removed from a 4+ win season but I'd rather hold on to Maine. Will at BlueAndOrange agrees and thinks the deal is plausible, especially considering Omar Minaya's affinity for bad corner outfielders.

Mets Fever is also a fan of Adam Kennedy. If Castillo can be moved, Kennedy is the way to go.

LOL Rumors of the Day

Early yesterday it was reported that Pat Burrell had been traded to the Mets. This story was debunked almost immediately and the original story has been taken down from PhillyBlurbs, the website with the original report. Folks, cool it with your bogus anonymous sources, you're not providing a valuable service and it's annoying. No one is impressed.

Ed Price of Fanhouse tweeted the following yesterday:

Rumor that #Mets acquire Edwin Jackson

This was followed shortly by a clarification tweet from Price:

To be clear: #Mets and Edwin Jackson not confirmed. Heard in the lobby.

Why not get confirmation before posting the rumor? Does "heard in the lobby" count as a reliable source nowadays?

Around MLB

The Nationals gave Pudge Rodriguez 2 years, $6 million for some reason.

Randy Wolf reportedly signed with the Brewers for 3 years and an unknown dollar amount.

Chuck Brownson at The Hardball Times discusses swaps for bad contracts, including Dontrelle Willis, Milton Bradley, Gil Meche and Kevin Millwood.

Tim Marchman thinks an intra-Chicago trade between the Cubs and White Sox involving Milton Bradley makes sense.

Matt Murton, a notorious ginger and player good enough to start on many major league teams, is going to play for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. I wonder if Murton realizes he's good enough for MLB.

Off topic link of the day: Tom Tango reviews the incredibly enjoyable movie Taken and heaps justifiable praise on Liam Neeson. I agree with him, Taken is fantastic.

Discussion: Marlon Byrd vs. Mike Cameron

Al — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:49:09 -0000

More photos » by Luis Alvarez - AP

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Yesterday, I posted an idea regarding a potential free agent signing for a Cubs bench position in 2010. Admittedly, this wasn't the most important possible addition to the roster for next year -- however, the Cubs had a very poor bench in 2009 and I still think Chad Tracy (at the right price) would be a good addition.

Today, I'm going to analyze two players who have been mentioned as possible center fielders for the Cubs in 2010. Again, for the purposes of this exercise, assume that Milton Bradley has already been traded somewhere and not for another outfielder; that Kosuke Fukudome will be returned to right field, and that the Tigers' Curtis Granderson (who would be my first choice) is either not made available for trade by Detroit or has been dealt somewhere else.

So, let's look at two other choices -- Marlon Byrd and Mike Cameron.

Marlon Byrd has played eight seasons in the major leagues with three teams (the Phillies, the Nationals and the Rangers). He was the Phillies' regular center fielder in 2003, his rookie season; he played well enough to finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting (behind Dontrelle Willis, Scott Podsednik and Brandon Webb). Declining quickly in his second year, he found himself dumped to the Nats, and signed with the Rangers as a free agent after the 2006 season. He never got full-time playing time again until last year, when he put up a very good .283/.329/.479 year with a career-high 20 HR and 89 RBI, numbers he hadn't come close to previously. His .808 OPS was in the same general area as his other two part-time seasons in Texas; overall he hit .295/.352/.468 (.820 OPS) in his three years as a Ranger.

Further, he seems to have been helped by Rangers Ballpark -- he posted an OPS over 100 points higher at home in each of his three seasons in Texas, although his career OPS is also higher at home (.810) than on the road (.716).

Byrd is 32. He will be 33 in August. His 2009 season appears to be an outlier in terms of power (his 43 doubles tied for 8th in the AL) and these are just the types of numbers that Jim Hendry often gets sucked into giving a three-year backloaded contract to. I'd stay away from Byrd.

With Mike Cameron, you know exactly what you're getting. He will be 37 in January, and over the 11 seasons since he became a fulltime regular in 1999 (not counting the two years prior to that when he had fewer than 500 PA for the White Sox), his OPS has ranged from .759 to .837. He's averaged 22 HR, 75 RBI, 66 walks and 143 strikeouts over those 11 seasons -- and his 2009 season was pretty close to that (24 HR, 70 RBI, 75 BB, 156 K).

At 37, he might have to be rested from time to time and for that, the Cubs have Sam Fuld. In a lineup that has Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and (presumably) a healthy and 2008-style Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto, Cameron could hit sixth or seventh, as he did in Milwaukee, and produce the same way he did there. In 138 career PA at Wrigley Field, Cameron has hit .261/.355/.521 with 8 HR, and hits .257/.349/.454 in day games.

At 37 -- well, you wouldn't want to give a longterm deal to a guy like that. But a one-year contract with a mutual option for a second year based on incentives -- I'd do that. Cameron is also familiar to Lou Piniella, who managed him for three years in Seattle -- two of those years the Mariners went to the postseason.

Mike Cameron isn't my first choice; as I wrote last week, that would be Curtis Granderson. But -- if Granderson isn't available, Cameron would be a good second pick.

Playing With the Tigers' 40-Man Roster

Ian Casselberry — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:10 -0000

With major league teams having to finalize their 40-man rosters by Friday, the Detroit Tigers have some decisions to make about which players they want to protect and which to leave exposed for the Rule 5 Draft that takes place at the end of next month's Winter Meetings.

If you look at Detroit's current 40-man roster, you'll notice 42 names are listed. However, six of those names will be free agents as of Friday. That leaves four openings. But at least two of them are already spoken for, as Scott Sizemore and Ryan Strieby will need to be added.

(Jason Beck and Lynn Henning seem to be high on Brennan Boesch, who hit 28 homers for Double-A Erie this year. Me, I think he looks a bit like Number Two's son on The Prisoner. He could take up a third opening.)

So the Tigers will probably have to make some moves to create more room on the roster. Who else should go? And which prospects need to be protected?

At Mack Avenue Tigers, Kurt Mensching listed the players he thinks should go, and the ones that could stay. In his article on the subject, Beck also suggested a couple of other players Detroit could protect. (Just to clarify, players generally don't have to be protected until they've played four minor league seasons, which is why prospects such as Casey Crosby, Cody Satterwhite, or ~~Brett Jacobsen~~ Scott Green aren't being mentioned.)

[EDIT: Take 75 North's Matt Wallace reminds me that Jacobson was traded to Baltimore in the Aubrey Huff deal. My mistake. I keep trying to forget that trade ever took place.]

Almost two weeks ago, demondeaconsbaseball requested that we have a 40-man roster discussion thread, so this is probably the best time to do it. I know some are more familiar with the Tigers' minor league system than others. (I'm probably not as familiar with some prospects as I should be, either.) But I think plenty of you have an opinion on this.

Just to get the thread started, four names immediately stood out as players who could be cut when I looked over the roster. I'd send off Freddy Dolsi, Clay Rapada, Don Kelly, and Dontrelle Willis. (All but Willis have minor league options remaining, however, and could stay in the organization. As Kurt pointed out in his post, Eddie Bajek has listed who still has options at his blog, Detroit Tigers Thoughts.)

So what moves would you make? Is there anybody else you'd cut loose? Who's an important player for the Tigers to protect? Play with the 40-man roster!

Examining the Ex-Fish

Tommy Bennett — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:17:56 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

about 1 month ago: New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, left, talks to Derek Jeter giving up a run on a single by Philadelphia Phillies' Matt Stairs during the second inning of Game 2 of the Major League Baseball World Series Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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The 2003 Florida Marlins featured a sensational group of young starting pitchers. The attention-grabbing youngsters were Josh Beckett, Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, and Dontrelle Willis. Their ace from the year before, the also-young A.J. Burnett, was sidelined in the spring with Tommy John surgery, and did not participate in the pennant run or successful World Series bid.

After the major parts of the 2003 Marlins were shipped off, these five young pitchers were scattered at different ends of the Earth. As A.J. Burnett finally gets to show off his stuff in the World Series, I have search high and low for tales of these star-crossed hurlers, doomed to wander the countryside.

Here is a composite chart featuring the WAR stories of each of the five pitchers since 2002 (beyond that, there be monsters!).

Notice just how differently their careers have gone. Each has had some major lows: Burnett to injury in '03, Beckett to ineffectiveness in '06, Willis to control problems and anxiety from '07 to the present, and Penny to ineffectiveness in '08. Carl Pavano seemingly recrossed the river Styx in '09 after years in Hades.

It ought not to be surprising that Beckett has been the most valuable, in terms of WAR, of any of these five. He is the best-known, and he is the only one with a World Series ring outside of Florida so far.

None of these pitchers is quite like any other. Willis was remarkable for his windup and delivery, as well as his ability to induce grounders. Beckett was always an overpowering flamethrower in the Texas mold. Penny, at his most effective, relied on decent control and pitcher-friendly home parks. Pavano's trick was always to keep the strikeouts outpacing the walks just enough so that the home runs didn't bite him too hard.

But Burnett was the one whose stuff most often made observers look agog. He is a rare bird capable of striking out hitters as easily as he induces ground balls. His fastball has late, heavy action, and his breaking ball, when located, is one of the nastiest in the league.

His last time out, in Game 2, was a masterful performance: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 UBB, 9 K. Tonight, he will look to repeat his success.

Milton Bradley Update

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:17:28 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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The Cubs ownership sale is finally complete. Now it is time to go to work.

The Cubs have been trying very hard to move disgruntled outfielder Milton Bradley for the past month, but haven't found any serious takers. There are several teams, however, with big contracts that they are trying to move, so it is safe to say that there is a match out there.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists several possible names including Gary Matthews of the Angels, Barry Zito of the Giants, and even Dontrelle Willis of the Tigers.

The Vernon Wells-for-Milton Bradley rumor was quickly shot down, which makes sense considering there is an 86 million dollar difference in their contracts.

The Cubs could also explore a deal for Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins. Hermida is arbitration eligible, but the Marlins could be interested in Bradley because the Marlins do not draw the same media attention like in Chicago.

It is safe to say Bradley won't be in Chicago in 2010. Where do you see him going this offseason?

2009-10 Do-It-Yourself Offseason Trade/Free Agent Post

Al — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:23 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

Some guy named Brian Roberts. Ever heard of him? Me, either.

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This morning, wrote that the Cubs are interested in acquiring . Cubs GM Jim Hendry . Meanwhile, Hendry said that Milton Bradley would be traded to the . Hendry also said that Rich Harden , and that Carlos Zambrano . Former Cub Mark DeRosa while Bradley was offered to the . The Cubs tried to get the to take Aaron Miles' contract, but they refused because . In the upcoming Rule 5 draft, the Cubs are going to select . The Cubs' plans for Sam Fuld in 2010 include Brian Roberts was located and had this comment on his possible trade to the Cubs: Finally, manager Lou Piniella's comments about the rumors included:

Josh Johnson best winning percentage in Marlins history

craig — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:23:19 -0000

Josh Johnson will finish the season with the best winning percentage in the history of the Marlins franchise.

By virtue of his no-decision, Josh Johnson secured the Marlins' single-season winning percentage record. It's currently .750 (15-5), but even if he loses Sunday's season finale at Philadelphia and it drops to .714, he'll still eclipse Dontrelle Willis' 2003 record (14-6, .700).

I doubled check this to see if JCR was right, he is. I really thought that Dontrelle's 22 game win season had to be better, I was wrong. In 2006 when Willis went 22-10 he only logged a .688 win percentage.

Congrats JJ!

Showdown In Dome Town: Twins Playing Host to Tigers

Jesse — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:32:32 -0000

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys
@ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town

Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT
Metrodome

Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing

Complete Coverage >

Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT

Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT

Games back: 4.0

For weeks we've been back and forth on this. Every time the Twins hit a streak of luck and run off a couple of wins they manage to take a step back. And yet every time they're pushed to the brink, to the point where it seems they can do no right and nothing more than a whisper would push them into the abyss of elimination, they find a way to scratch and fight back above .500.

In most divisions that wouldn't be good enough. But in the AL Central it's a reality, and it's making for another heartburn-happy September.

Thanks to Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals, the Tigers will be prowling through Minneapolis this weekend with a four-game lead over our Minnesota Twins. Forget records, this is all about the gap to first place. We all understand what's at stake here.

Injury Report

Twins:
Both Justin Morneau and Joe Crede are out for the season, leaving the middle of the order down 40% on their power hitters. Michael Cuddyer is filling in at first base, giving Ron Gardenhire the chance to play Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young everyday. Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris will be picking up more of the time at third.

Tigers:
Dontrelle Willis has been out for some time, but both Nate Robertson and Jarrod Washburn are fighting injuries and won't pitch this series. Detroit has no scheduled starter for Sunday's contest.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, September 18: Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing
Saturday, September 19: Justin Verlander vs Carl Pavano
Sunday, September 20: TBA vs Scott Baker

Opposition Focus

Rick Porcello: For a kid who won't be able to legally drink until two days after Christmas, Porcello doesn't seem to be too worked up over the pressure he's been facing with his team down the stretch. His fastball has good sink and it's been his best pitch, while his breaking ball(s) and off-speed pitch haven't been quite as effective. Porcello will beat you by inducing contact, and because his ground ball rates are so good (54.8%) you'll need to string together two or three hits on most occasions before you score a run. If he does let one get up, however, they're a little more likely to get a little boost. If the Twins are getting a lot of line drives or are hitting some hard flies on Friday night, it should be a sign that they're seeing him pretty well. Hopefully that would turn into runs. If Porcello gets into a groove, however, those innings could start flying by with nothing more to show than a string of 6-3 put outs.

Justin Verlander: Verlander is good. I'd probably vote for Zack Greinke for the Cy Young, but Verlander isn't too far off. Over 12.1 innings in two starts versus the Twins this year he's allowed seven runs over 12.1 innings, giving up 12 hits, five hits and striking out 19. Yes, 19.

Magglio Ordonez: He's really bounced back, and all that's missing from his game is power. Sort of like Bobby Abreu. Only with less power. He's back to hitting third for the Tigers, hitting .347/.418/.493 since the All-Star break.

Brandon Inge: Still looks like the biggest jerk to ever jerk a jerk. Doing a great Joe Crede impression this year. If Joe Crede were healthy.

Adam Everett: Anybody wish we'd given him another shot? He's hitting a paltry .244/.296/.335, but that's not much worse than some of our other infielders. His UZR/150 is only 4.2, but that's better than any of the five guys the Twins have tried at the spot this year. For reference, Orlando Cabrera's UZR/150 with the Twins is -17.9. He's also still making plenty of plays outside of his zone (36 and counting), although not as frequently as he once was.

Miguel Cabrera: Also awesome. The man is only 26 and has amassed ~~438~~ 205 home runs. In the history of the Minnesota Twins, only Harmon Killebrew [edit: and Kent Hrbek and Bob Allison and Tony Oliva and Kirby Pucket end edit] and has ever hit more home runs than a 26-year old. Incredible. And let's not even pretend he's a one-dimensional offensive force.

Fernando Rodney: Tigers fans, this is a closer. Rodney isn't a bad pitcher, but after dealing with Todd Jones for so long it has to be like watching the second coming of...wait...oh my god, really? Todd Jones is Detroit's career save leader? I feel so dirty.

You want meaningful autumn baseball? This might be as close as we get. Get out and support the Twins this weekend if you can, and if not, then we'll see you here.

Morning Prowl: Guillen's Switch-Hitting, Porcello Watch, the Double Play Monster, and Crosby's Blister

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:15:12 -0000

Carlos Guillen has given up on switch-hitting for the year, according to Jason Beck. Batting right-handed is still uncomfortable for him, and Guillen is worried that if he pushes it, he could hurt that right shoulder again.

Sounds good here. No sense in taking a risk, since Guillen has been one of the Tigers' more dependable middle-of-the-order bats and is playing a decent left field.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick looks at nine young starting pitchers whose workload will have to be closely monitored as they pitch more innings than they ever have before in a season. Of course, the Tigers' Rick Porcello is high on Crasnick's list (second, to be exact).

Ditching his curveball in favor of a slider appears to have made a huge difference in Porcello's game, and pitching coach Rick Knapp thinks Kid Rick is pitching better now than he was earlier in the season.

(via The Spot Starters, who lists the pitch counts from each of Porcello's starts this year)

Both The Detroit Tigers Weblog and Fire Jim Leyland take a look at Jeremy Bonderman's last two outings through Pitch F/X and are encouraged by the results. His velocity is improved, his release point is consistent, and he's pounding right-handed hitters inside.

Mack Avenue Tigers warns us not to compare 2009 to 2006. The two Tigers teams are quite different. However, Kurt wrote this column before the Tigers finished losing three straight in Kansas City. Coincidence or... jinx?

Eye of the Tigers tries to put together an all-time starting nine for the Detroit Tigers, picking from the best seasons at each position in team history. Definitely a fun exercise when you need a break from the pennant race grind.

Tigers Tracks favors moving Zach Miner during the offseason. I assume John felt that way before yesterday, but watching Miner give up three runs in one inning surely strengthened those beliefs.

Sci-fi and horror movies are really popular these days. Roar of the Tigers may have just created one starring the 2009 Detroit Tigers and the monster that's plagued them. Be warned: the image is terrifying!

Jim Leyland would like to see Dontrelle Willis pitch in the Florida Instructional League and winter ball this offseason. If I recall correctly, Willis opted not to play winter ball last year, in favor of working out on his own.

Casey Crosby's blister problems on his left index finger popped up again during the West Michigan Whitecaps' opening playoff loss to the Great Lakes Loons on Wednesday. Crosby left after 2.1 innings when the finger began to bother him and affect his velocity.

(via Take 75 North)

According to MLive.com, FOX Sports Detroit's "Tigers Live" pregame show will talk to three of the team's draft picks tonight. Jacob Turner, Andrew Oliver, and Daniel Fields will be interviewed. The show, as you probably know, begins at 6:30 p.m. EST.

MLB Network is naming its production studios after Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully, and Mel Allen. Harwell called the honor "fantastic."

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys @ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT Metrodome Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing Complete Coverage >
Sat 09/19		4:10 PM EDT
Sun 09/20		2:10 PM EDT

SB Nation - Dontrelle Willis

Tigers Need Room on 40-Man Roster: Who Goes Next?

Twitter Is Ridiculous Applesauce - Omar Meets The Agents, Juan Pierre Is Available And Nonsensical Rumors

Discussion: Marlon Byrd vs. Mike Cameron

Playing With the Tigers' 40-Man Roster

Examining the Ex-Fish

Milton Bradley Update

2009-10 Do-It-Yourself Offseason Trade/Free Agent Post

Josh Johnson best winning percentage in Marlins history

Showdown In Dome Town: Twins Playing Host to Tigers

Current Series 3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys @ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT Metrodome Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing Complete Coverage > Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Games back: 4.0

Injury Report

Probable Pitchers

Opposition Focus

Morning Prowl: Guillen's Switch-Hitting, Porcello Watch, the Double Play Monster, and Crosby's Blister

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys
@ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town

Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT
Metrodome

Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing

Complete Coverage >

Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT

Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT