SB Nation User Blog: Ian Casselberry

Could Curtis Granderson Be Available For Trade, As Well?

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:07:04 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

What might the Detroit Tigers get in return for Curtis Granderson in a trade? It appears they're interested in finding that out.

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If the Detroit Tigers are making Edwin Jackson available for trade offers in hopes of trimming payroll, should it be a surprise that they could be doing the same with centerfielder Curtis Granderson?

The New York Post's Joel Sherman heard from a National League executive (Lynn Henning in disguise?) that the Tigers are dangling Granderson around baseball, telling teams that he could be theirs in return for the right trade package. And as someone who covers the Yankees, Sherman believes the World Series champions might be extremely interested.

(via MLB Trade Rumors)

The Yankees will very likely have a vacancy in the outfield with Johnny Damon's contract expiring. And along with the seemingly imminent departure of Hideki Matsui, Sherman thinks Granderson would provide a much needed left-handed bat. Not to mention that he'd be an upgrade over Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner in centerfield.

Sherman did clarify in his report, however, that the Tigers don't want to trade Granderson or Jackson. But as we said in last night's post about Jackson, you can only trade players other teams want. And no one wants any of the bad contracts Detroit would love to shear off their bloated payroll. So if the Tigers need to make a deal to fit players they need under their budget, maybe it's worth checking out what other teams might offer in return.

What could be in this for the Tigers? If they want to shed some payroll, Granderson is scheduled to be paid $5.5 million next year (and $25.75 million over the next three seasons, with a $13 million option for 2013). Perhaps Detroit is also worried about his regression at the plate this season, especially against left-handed pitching, and just isn't sure he can turn it around.

Granderson hit .183/.245/.239 against lefties this year. (There's a word for that, and "good" isn't one of them.) He also had a .234 batting average in August and September combined. And while he did hit eight home runs in that same span (and 30 for the season), that's probably indicative of an approach far too inconsistent (and strikeout-prone) from someone expected to be one of the Tigers' best hitters. For the year, he batted .249/.327/.453.

But it's not just about the bat with Granderson. He provides excellent outfield defense (though it didn't look that way at times, late in the season), in arguably one of the more difficult centerfields to play in the majors. UZR ranks him among the top centerfielders in baseball.

That's not something easily replaceable. Especially when there don't appear to be any suitable replacements in the minors. (Maybe Casper Wells disagrees with that.) A replacement centerfielder might be part of the return trade package, of course. Sherman names Austin Jackson as a top prospect that the Yankees would presumably give up in a Granderson deal.

You're also talking about someone who's made an impressive effort to help out the local community. Granderson won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award for the work he's put in with his Grand Kids Foundation, as well as through the Detroit Tigers Foundation, to raise funds that help provide books, supplies, and athletic equipment to inner city schools in Detroit and throughout Michigan.

Those efforts might not be tireless, unfortunately, as Lynn Henning and Jim Leyland both raised concerns that Granderson wore himself down with his off-field work, and perhaps needs to devote more of his focus to baseball.

No, that charity work might not result in wins on the field (and ultimately, maybe that's what matters most). But you'd like to think that sort of thing goes a long way toward a team ingratiating itself with a community, and building some support and devotion among fans. Trading a player who's arguably the face of the team to many fans (especially the young ones Granderson helps) isn't something that should be taken lightly. Surely, the Tigers know that.

Once again, this raises the worst fears about next year's budget. What exactly are the Tigers looking to do? What figure are they looking at? On one hand, I'd like to say this is smart business, looking to see what a marketable young player might yield in return. On the other, it sends a pretty bad message to your fanbase.

Phillies Looking at Fernando Rodney?

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:07:24 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Could the Philadelphia Phillies be pointing to Fernando Rodney this offseason? And might Rodney point back at them?

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One of the biggest differences between the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies and the 2009 runners-up was the performance of their bullpen, specifically closer Brad Lidge. In 2008, Lidge racked up 41 saves without blowing a single opportunity. It was one of the more (if not most) remarkable runs seen from a closer.

This season, however, was a far different story. Lidge blew 11 saves, the highest total in the majors. Late in the year, Charlie Manuel agonized over whether or not to replace him in the ninth inning. Lidge seemed to pull himself together in time for the postseason, but had a rather memorable meltdown in Game 4 of the World Series, giving up three runs.

And though Lidge's struggles may be attributable to bone chips in his elbow (which he's having surgically removed this week), along with a sprained knee, it appears that the Phillies want to insure themselves against their closer having another troublesome season. Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal report on their blog from the GM Meetings that the Phillies are "showing preliminary interest" in Fernando Rodney.

Presumably, the Phillies would look at Rodney as a set-up man for Lidge. But if Lidge had problems again next season, being able to call on a pitcher who had 37 saves last year (blowing only one) might not be a bad way to go.

You'd have to think Rodney is looking for a closer job though, if for no other reason than the bigger paycheck. (Dollar, dollar bills, y'all.) And as a Type B free agent, he might be a bit more appealing to a team looking to hold onto its first-round draft pick. Rodney's made it known that he's hoping to find a three-to-four-year deal. But other teams might look at his 4.40 ERA, along with his 61 strikeouts and 41 walks in 75.2 innings, and make a lower contract offer.

2009 SBN Baseball Awards: AL Cy Young Award

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:13:43 -0000

This week, we're posting the results for each of Major League Baseball's regular season awards, as voted upon by the SB Nation baseball bloggers. (Each site gets two ballots; Mack Avenue Tigers' Kurt Mensching helped me out with a vote.)

Today's announcement is for the 2009 Cy Young Award balloting. I'm sure everyone can guess who won this one, but did the Tigers' candidate make the vote interesting?

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Zack Greinke	Kansas City Royals	28	1	-	143
2	Felix Hernandez	Seattle Mariners	-	17	6	57
3	Justin Verlander	Detroit Tigers	-	8	9	33
4	Roy Halladay	Toronto Blue Jays	1	2	11	22
5	CC Sabathia	New York Yankees	-	1	2	5
6	Jon Lester	Boston Red Sox	-	-	1	1

Okay, pretty much a landslide here.

This is the one award where I can't remember my voting exactly, because I know I had a hard time trying to decide between Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez for second place. King Felix's numbers (19-5, 2.49 ERA) were just too good to ignore. But I think I ultimately gave the nod to Verlander for pitching under pennant race pressure. (Game 162 might have been a heavy influence.)

Would you have voted for anyone but Zack Greinke? And where would Verlander have gone on your ballot?

Tomorrow, we'll conclude this year's SBN Baseball Awards with the Most Valuable Player winners.

The National League ballot is after the jump:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tim Lincecum	San Francisco Giants	18	13	-	129
2	Chris Carpenter	St. Louis Cardinals	9	4	7	64
3	Adam Wainwright	St. Louis Cardinals	4	4	10	42
4	Javier Vazquez	Atlanta Braves	-	5	7	22
5	Dan Haren	Arizona Diamondbacks	-	3	4	13
6	Ubaldo Jimenez	Colorado Rockies	-	1	1	4
7	Cliff Lee	Philadelphia Phillies	-	-	1	1
8	Jair Jurrjens	Atlanta Braves	-	-	1	1

Is Edwin Jackson On the Trade Market?

Ian Casselberry — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:25:13 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Might the Detroit Tigers make Edwin Jackson sweat out the winter, wondering where he could play next?

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As a Detroit Tigers fan, you might presume that the team would field offers for virtually any player on the roster. It seems like a smart approach. Why not see what other teams might be willing to give up in return, even if you're not really serious about making a trade?

So when Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal report "multiple major league sources" are telling them that the Tigers are putting Edwin Jackson on the trading block, it might seem like business as usual during the offseason.

But what if Detroit is looking to deal Jackson as way of keeping payroll down for next season? The sources who spoke with Morosi and Rosenthal said that was the case.

Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising for a team locked into paying almost $100 million to nine players next season. Yet Jackson also looked to be a cornerstone of next year's pitching staff, which presumably would once again be the strength of the team.

As you might expect, Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski was vague when asked about the situation:

"We're listening to a lot of different things," he said. "People are talking to us about different stuff. I think we're open-minded, based on the fact that we didn't win a championship."

When asked directly about Jackson, he refused to get into specifics. And he didn't indicate whether any sort of deal was in the works or close to being made. But other executives around baseball are apparently doing the talking for him.

Are the Tigers worried about what sort of raise Jackson would get next season, due to arbitration? Dombrowski's never had a player go to a hearing since he's been with Detroit. But the team would have to pay up to avoid the process, as they did last year (and will have to do again this year) with Justin Verlander. Maybe the Tigers feel they can afford to give only one of their pitchers a big raise.

Last year, Jackson made $2.2 million. After a season in which he won 13 games, was among the top ten lowest ERAs among AL starting pitchers, and up until September, was considered the team's second-best pitcher, would he be in line for twice that salary? $4 million? Maybe more?

Perhaps the Tigers are also concerned about Jackson's September tailspin, and wonder if he can sustain a high level of performance over a full season. In his last seven starts, Jackson posted a 3-3 record and 6.14 ERA, while giving up 50 hits in 44 innings. Opposing hitters began to lay off his slider (perhaps because he was tipping it), forcing him to throw more pitches, and taking him out of ballgames earlier.

This could be a classic "sell high" circumstance for the Tigers. Trading away a lower salaried player who's still under club control for two more seasons isn't typically the way to keep payroll down. But the contracts that Detroit would surely prefer to trade - Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, or Nate Robertson - won't interest anyone. So if you're looking to trim payroll somewhere, it has to be done with a player another team would take. (This is Lynn Henning's thought process with trading Curtis Granderson, as well.)

This would also seem to confirm the worst fears about next year's budget. Just how much do the Tigers want to spend on payroll next season? Would they like to keep it in the $130 million range? Or do they plan on reducing it? If so, there's not much money to add a shortstop and closer, while also giving Verlander his raise. Unless some wiggle room is created. (Of course, a raise for Jackson was presumed in that budget, as well.)

So how does this development strike you? I'll admit I was a bit stunned to read this. But if Dombrowski wanted to make a big move, this might qualify.

Placido Polanco Regains His Gold Glove

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:00:36 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

The Detroit Tigers' Placido Polanco was awarded the American League Gold Glove at second base for 2009. It's the second time in the last three seasons Polanco has won the honor.

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If 2009 was Placido Polanco's last in a Detroit Tigers uniform, he leaves with his head held high and his fielding glove golden.

Polanco was awarded the American League's Gold Glove at second base today, the second time he's won the honor in the last three seasons. He committed only two errors this season, the second-lowest total of his career. (In 2007, he had no errors.)

Polanco also turned a career-high 112 double-plays (finishing behind only the Blue Jays' Aaron Hill - who turned 129 - among second basemen). And he finished with the highest UZR rating at his position.

In addition, Polanco is the third infielder in Tigers history to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining Alan Trammell (who won four) and Lou Whitaker (three) in that exclusive club.

Catcher Gerald Laird, third baseman Brandon Inge, and outfielder Curtis Granderson were thought to also have chances to win a Gold Glove, but apparently didn't get enough votes among major league managers and coaches. The Twins' Joe Mauer was the winner at catcher, the Rays' Evan Longoria at third base, and though Gold Gloves aren't given to individual outfield positions, centerfielders Torii Hunter (Angels) and Adam Jones (Orioles) were each awarded.

Did those Tigers get snubbed? Well, Laird threw out 42% of opposing basestealers this season. (Mauer, by comparison, threw out 26%.) Inge, however, was fourth in UZR among third baseman. (Longoria was first.) Granderson was better in UZR than Hunter or Jones, but far behind the Mariners' Franklin Gutierrez. (Gutierrez didn't get a Gold Glove either, so take that for what it's worth.)

Whether or not Polanco returns to Detroit in 2010 is still to be determined, but if Scott Sizemore ends up taking over at second base, he'll have an enormous glove to fill. How long into next season will it be before it's mentioned that the Tigers are suffering a defensive downgrade at that position? (Hopefully, it's not after Sizemore boots a ball for an error.)

2009 SBN Baseball Awards: AL Rookie of the Year

Ian Casselberry — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:29:57 -0000

Today's announcement is for the 2009 Rookie of the Year balloting. This is the one award a Tigers player may have had his best chance with. How did Detroit's Kid Rick do?

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Elvis Andrus	Texas Rangers	6	9	6	63
2	Andrew Bailey	Oakland Athletics	11	1	3	61
3	Jeff Niemann	Tampa Bay Rays	3	5	3	33
4	Rick Porcello	Detroit Tigers	2	7	2	33
5	Brett Anderson	Oakland Athletics	5	1	3	31
6	Gordon Beckham	Chicago White Sox	1	2	8	19
7	Nolan Reimold	Baltimore Orioles	1	-	1	6
8	Matt Wieters	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	3	6
9	Brad Bergesen	Baltimore Orioles	-	1	-	3
10	Ricky Romero	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3
11	Travis Snider	Toronto Blue Jays	-	1	-	3

I have to say, this one surprises me. I'm not surprised Rick Porcello didn't win. Everyday position players usually (and should) get more consideration. But I didn't think Kid Rick would finish behind two other pitchers. I'm biased, of course. Guess who my first-place vote went to?

Elvis Andrus got the second-place vote on my ballot, with Gordon Beckham in third. There was probably some AL Central bias there, as I saw Beckham play more than the other candidates. I suppose that gave him the edge over Andrew Bailey for me.

How would you have voted?

Tomorrow, we'll have SBN's Cy Young winners, and we'll conclude with the Most Valuable Players on Thursday.

The National League ballot is after the jump:

Rk	Player	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Tommy Hanson	Atlanta Braves	9	9	6	78
2	J.A. Happ	Philadelphia Phillies	6	9	7	64
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pittsburgh Pirates	8	3	5	54
4	Chris Coghlan	Florida Marlins	7	5	4	54
5	Dexter Fowler	Colorado Rockies	-	3	1	10
6	Randy Wells	Chicago Cubs	-	-	6	6
7	Garrett Jones	Pittsburgh Pirates	1	-	-	5
8	Casey McGehee	Milwaukee Brewers	-	1	2	5
9	Seth Smith	Colorado Rockies	-	1	-	3

Tom Brookens Named Tigers First Base Coach

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:21:00 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

Former Tiger Tom Brookens won't just be coaching alongside Jim Leyland in Spring Training anymore. He'll be the team's first base coach next season.

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After 22 years, Tom Brookens will be back in a Detroit Tigers uniform next season.

Brookens, who played for the Tigers from 1979 to 1988, is Jim Leyland's new first base coach, the team announced Monday. He will also coach outfielders and baserunning, duties previously overseen by Brookens' predecessor, Andy Van Slyke.

(Thanks to those who passed along the news today in the comments of earlier posts.)

The other finalists for the job were minor league roving instructors Mike Rojas and Gene Roof.

Brookens has been managing in the Tigers' minor league system for the past five years, starting at the lowest levels and working his way up through the organization. He began at Class A Oneonta, managing two years in the short season (75 games) league. In 2007, Brookens moved up to Single-A West Michigan, where he led the Whitecaps to a first-place finish and league championship. For that effort, he was named the Midwest League's Manager of the Year.

For the past two seasons, Brookens has managed Double-A Erie. And while he compiled a 139-154 record with the Seawolves, he's coached several prospects who could be called up to Detroit in the next few seasons to come. Overall, his managerial record is 310-262.

Now that he's coaching in the majors, could the next step for Brookens be to replace Leyland in the manager's seat after 2011? That certainly seems to be his current career track. (Matt Walbeck once seemed to be on the same path, but apparently took himself out of consideration when he left the organization to take a job with the Texas Rangers' staff in 2007. Walbeck has since moved onto the Pirates' minor league system.)

A first base coaching gig usually isn't a stepping stone position to a manager's job (bench and third base coaches often seem to be favored), but Brookens paying his dues through the minors, along with a possible two-year internship in the majors, could be an equalizer for him. I guess we'll see about that.

In his 10 seasons with the Tigers, Brookens played all over the infield, but mostly at third base. He compiled a .246/.297/.369 average and was a member of the 1984 World Series championship team.

(If only Brookens could've been a coach on Phil Garner's staff between 2000-2002. With their similar mustached looks, Brookens, Garner, and Doug Mansolino might have caused great confusion among opposing coaches and players. Which one of those guys is giving the right sign? But maybe that would've perplexed their players, as well.)

2009 SBN Baseball Awards: AL Manager of the Year

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:09:49 -0000

This week, we'll be posting the results for each of Major League Baseball's regular season awards, as voted upon by the SB Nation baseball bloggers. Today's announcement is for the 2009 Manager of the Year balloting.

Each SB Nation blog was given two ballots to fill out, voting for awards in the particular league their team belongs to. Those with only one primary writer, such as BYB, were allowed to invite another team-specific blogger to submit the other ballot. Voting with me for the American League awards was Kurt Mensching from Mack Avenue Tigers.

You can see how each of the SB Nation baseball bloggers voted at their respective sites, as we'll all be sharing our ballots. The remaining SBN Baseball Awards will be announced in succession throughout the week. Rookie of the Year winners will be posted tomorrow, with Cy Young winners to follow on Wednesday, and we'll conclude with the winners of the Most Valuable Player awards on Thursday.

Here are the 2009 vote totals for American League Manager of the Year:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Mike Scioscia	Los Angeles Angels	9	8	3	72
2	Ron Gardenhire	Minnesota Twins	9	5	1	61
3	Don Wakamatsu	Seattle Mariners	6	3	8	47
4	Joe Girardi	New York Yankees	2	4	2	24
5	Ron Washington	Texas Rangers	1	4	4	21
6	Terry Francona	Boston Red Sox	1	1	3	11
7	Jim Leyland	Detroit Tigers	-	2	4	10
8	Joe Maddon	Tampa Bay Rays	-	1	1	4
9	Ozzie Guillen	Chicago White Sox	-	-	1	1
10	Trey Hillman	Kansas City Royals	-	-	1	1

On my ballot, Don Wakamatsu got the first-place vote, with Mike Scioscia second, and Jim Leyland third. Scioscia deserved strong consideration, given all that his team had to go through this year, but ultimately, I felt no other manager got better results from a less talented roster (though they had great talent on defense) than Wakamatsu did. And I'm not sure anyone had to deal with more underperformers (especially in his lineup) than Leyland.

How would you have voted?

The National League ballot is after the jump:

Rk	Manager	Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Pts
1	Jim Tracy	Colorado Rockies	24	1	2	125
2	Tony LaRussa	St. Louis Cardinals	3	7	10	46
3	Fredi Gonzalez	Florida Marlins	2	6	5	33
4	Joe Torre	Los Angeles Dodgers	-	9	2	29
5	Charlie Manuel	Philadelphia Phillies	-	3	5	14
6	Bruce Bochy	San Francisco Giants	1	1	1	9
7	Bobby Cox	Atlanta Braves	-	1	4	7
8	Bud Black	San Diego Padres	-	1	1	4
9	John Russell	Pittsburgh Pirates	-	1	-	3

Morning Prowl: Arbitration Dilemmas, Free Agent Predictions, and Gibby's Managerial Aspirations

Ian Casselberry — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:01:35 -0000

The Tigers face quite a dilemma with their free agents, in regards to offering arbitration. Kurt Mensching tries to predict what decisions the team will make on Placido Polanco, Adam Everett, Fernando Rodney, and Brandon Lyon at Mack Avenue Tigers.

MLB Trade Rumors listed their Top 50 Free Agents for 2010, and Tim Dierkes forecasts where each of them will end up. He sees the Tigers being in on a couple of guys (you'll have to scroll down the list), and he has an interesting destination for Placido Polanco. (And if his Yankees predictions come true, I might just be disgusted.)

Will Detroit's effort to fill its shortstop vacancy be made more difficult by the Red Sox now also cruising the market after declining Alex Gonzalez's option for next year? Might they be interested in Adam Everett, or do they want more offense at that position? (Boston tried to get J.J. Hardy before the trade deadline, as well.)

The Freep's John Lowe exchanged e-mails with Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who said he never contacted the Tigers about Hardy because they didn't have what he was looking for in return.

At The Detroit Tigers Weblog, Bill Ferris takes a look through The Bill James Handbook and lets us know how the Tigers stacked up in a variety of categories and stats.

More from Lowe: Did we know Kirk Gibson interviewed for the Cleveland Indians' manager job? I don't recall reading that anywhere else, but apparently he did. Gibby wants to be a major league manager, and feels his six years working as a bench coach (between the Tigers and Diamondbacks) have taught him plenty that he'd use in that role.

How did the two Tigers prospects do in Saturday night's Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Showcase? Casper Wells went 0-for-3, and Andrew Oliver allowed three baserunners in one inning of work, but didn't give up a run. (Here's the boxscore.)

Staying in Arizona for one more item, Lynn Henning reviews the performance of four Tigers prospects playing out there, including the aforementioned Wells and Oliver. (Cue your sad trombone for Cale Iorg.)

The Oakland Press' Pat Caputo thinks that Comerica Park (or its field) should not be named after Ernie Harwell.

Oh, the bonds that develop between baseball players and the beat reporters who cover them. MLB.com's White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin laments Chris Getz getting traded to the Royals, depriving him of someone to discuss University of Michigan football and basketball with. You can e-mail me, Scott.

Former future Tigers superstar-in-the-making Cameron Maybin is having shoulder surgery this offseason. Maybin has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. ("Always a Tiger," as Old English D says.)

And this is self-indulgent, but in our farewell post to Marcus Thames, rook34 mentioned his favorite Thames moment. It's one of my favorite memories of 2006, as well, and here's what I wrote about it in my pre-BYB days.

The Quest For Relief Revisits J.J. Putz

Ian Casselberry — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:59:21 -0000

by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Would J.J. Putz be happier (and healthier) playing for his hometown Detroit Tigers than he was with the New York Mets?

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One year after losing out on trading for reliever J.J. Putz, could the Detroit Tigers get another chance to add him to their bullpen?

After the New York Post reported on Thursday night that the Mets planned to buy Putz out of his contract option for 2010, the team made it official yesterday. Though Putz hasn't yet officially filed for free agency, he's expected to do so. (Re-signing with the Mets hasn't been ruled out, and they have exclusive negotiating rights with him until November 20.)

Putz is still recovering from surgery in early June, which removed a bone spur from his pitching elbow. Working in a set-up role, he was able to pitch in only 29 games for the Mets this season, finishing with a 1-4 record, 5.22 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 29.1 innings.

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski sounds as if he'd prefer a veteran closer for next season. Re-signing Brandon Lyon or Fernando Rodney is a possibility, but the free agent market could end up pricing both of them out of the Tigers' range. (Rodney has already said he's hoping for a three-to-four-year deal.) If that's the case, Detroit will have to look elsewhere, so we're dusting off The Quest For Relief for yet another offseason.

And The Quest could begin with Putz. At his best, he was a dominating closer. Between 2006 and 2007, Putz racked up 76 saves in 85 opportunities, with 186 strikeouts and 16 walks in 150 innings. But he's struggled with elbow and rib cage injuries the past two seasons, limiting him to 76 games. (And his elbow gave him problems in prior seasons, as well.) This is what compelled the Mets to decline Putz's 2010 option.

The Tigers went after him hard last winter, but backed off when the Mariners wanted both Matt Joyce and Jeff Larish. As it turns out, Detroit needed a third team involved to give Seattle the centerfielder they wanted. When the Mets were able to get the Indians to give up Franklin Gutierrez, they swooped in and got Putz.

But the Tigers ended up salvaging a deal for Edwin Jackson out of those negotiations, which was an excellent consolation prize. (Especially when Putz was done by June.)

So is this a possibility the Tigers should pursue? (Most of the team's beat writers seem to think so, as does MLB Trade Rumors.) Putz presumably wouldn't cost much, as teams wouldn't want to spend big money on an injury risk. He'd probably be willing to sign a one-year deal (maybe with an option) to prove he can make it through a full season healthy. (The Tigers being his hometown team might not hurt, either.) And if he stays healthy, the Tigers might have themselves a closer.

To me, Putz seems far too risky to be Detroit's only option for that role. If a team doesn't know who the guy is in the ninth inning, it can screw with their confidence. Look at each of the eight playoff teams; their closers were established for the stretch run. (Though the Cardinals and Rockies took a while to settle on a guy.)

Would the Tigers be able to sign Putz and Lyon? Or are they confident enough in Ryan Perry or Joel Zumaya to take over if Putz's elbow fails him again? Which direction would make you feel most comfortable?