OT: Tigers release SS Alex Gonzalez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10811835/detroit-tigers-release-alex-…
I love the Tigers but there are some glaring holes on this team.
April 20th, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
Drew is a former all star. He is a big upgrade over Worth. I would roll with Romine until the amateur draft and give Drew as much money as he wants as long as it is a 1 year deal.
Between Romine and Gonzalez, you knew only one would make it. Just a stopgap.
The bullpen continues to be a major weakness.
Grilli was such a gas gan, then he goes to Pittsburgh. Rodney did an ok job, we let him go to Tampa and had an amazing year and a good year. Maybe the bullpen is cursed because it's so close to Ford Field. . .
Grilli have the stuff but he added a pitch after he left Detroit which made him a dangerous RP.
Rodney always have the stuff. You know he has the ability to strike 3 hitters out with ease, but he has confidence issue. Change of scenary have done him good. His change-up may be arguably the best in the league.
It's an area of weakness, but with the hitters on this team I'd be fine with them signing a decent defender and putting him at the bottom of the order. Worth is a stop-gap, but hopefully around the trade deadline someone will become available for cheap.
Year to year, relief pitchers are always a crapshoot. That's really what the trading deadline is for. Come July the contenders can vulture the "hot" relievers from the rebuilding teams. Until then, I'm not going to sweat and will continue to trust in Dombrowski.
April 20th, 2014 at 10:30 PM ^
I agree. I actually don't ever worry about relievers because guys are inevitably available. Position players a bit less, but something should shake out, especially if all you need is a defensive guy. Hitters are harder to come by, but this team should be fine with a hole or two in the lineup.
They are not looking long term...they want to win now. The team is supposedly built to win now. If the kid had not gotten the shin splints at SS, there would be no panic now...but unfortunately the injuries have already hurt the team.
I doubt they trade Max, unless the package includes some players of value that can help now. Also, it would have to be a team that could negotiate with Max and potentially sign him next year, which narrows the field of prospective buyers. My guess is they keep Max, hope they can plug the issue at SS, and pray that Avila can get some hits.
You either have unrealistic expectations as a fan
or are an idiot.
Also this is the first #FIREDUMBROWSKI post I have seen this year.
We got the best hitter of this generation for Drew Miller and Cameron Maybin. Think about that.
Dombrowski was GM of the Marlins right?
Again, not saying he is doing a poor job, but people talk like he's never made a mistake and he alone is the reason the tigers are good. We outspend everyone in the division and had a pretty solid manager in Leyland for many years.
How does the Fister trade look bad right now? Fister is hurt and has not pitched for Washington yet. Lombardozzi didn't work out but the Tigers got an ok lefty reliever in Krol and a solid prospect in Robbie Ray. If Fister comes back and pitches like he used to then you can say it was a bad trade, but he is still out a few more weeks.
Like you said, time will tell on that trade, but the Tigers are "winners" of that deal as of now.
Because he traded a guy who statistically is the quality of a #2 starter for a marginal prospect, a garbage utility man, and a mediocre reliever. The odds of Robby Ray ever being as good as Doug Fister are about 5%. Dave has made mostly good moves, but he's made a few total stinkers. The Renteria deal was an obvious stinker from day 1, and the Fister deal looks like a pretty terrible move too. The fact that Fister has a minor injury right now doesn't change that.
Every GM makes a bad decision here and there, even the best ones. Fortunatly, Dave D's worst decisions haven't really hurt us that much.
Also, Dave D was the one that hired Leyland after everyone thought he was done and washed up. He also stuck with him and gave him an extension when many thought his job could be in trouble.
I don't agree with you here and it appears you don't know what you are talking about, but the Fister for Lambardozzi trade appears bad. They traded Lombardozzi for Gonzalez who everyone thought would be released. He was, but by our team, while Lombardozzi is hitting .286 (I know, sample size). Just looks like a string of irrational decisions by Dombrowski triggered by being caught ill-prepared with the Iglesias injury.
...exactly how good were the Tigers before Dombrowski arrived? Illitch had owned the team for more than a decade and hadn't accomplished shit before Dombrowski came to Detroit.
I find that idea pretty funny. Fielder had negative trade value. Getting someone useful for a player they could not have given away is a damn good deal.
...Avila a "bum" is a bit harsh. I'll concede that his hitting is abysmal these days but a catcher plays a big role beyond just hitting. He's (perhaps arguably) half the equation in the performance of the pitching staff. And given the success of Detroit pitching in recent years (especially the starting pitching), it's hard to fault Avila on that end of his job.
Would I like a better hitting catcher on the Tigers? Yes, of course. But where exactly do you find this perfect catcher? Of the 30 MLB catchers (presumably the 30 best in the world), who exactly do the Tigers acquire to take over this role tomorrow? If you look at it objectively then the pickings are pretty slim.
I would have to think that, at 37 years old, this move probably is the end or near the end for Alex Gonzalez in the pros. It was a move that I wasn't sure about only because it has been a few years since Gonzalez has had a really attractive OPS and as I recall, he had not played much at shortstop in recent years.
I am inclined to believe that a Romine / Worth platoon might be an offensive and defensive upgrade at the present, though I could be wrong there. I know Ausmus insisted publicly that Gonzalez still could handle things at SS, and maybe he saw something no one else did, but in the end, obviously Gonzalez was not the answer.
You're absolutely right. As an Orioles fan (Tigers are my second-favorite team but I'm from Baltimore) Lombardozzi for Gonzalez was considered a real coup, he is a great addition for this team so far. Honestly I am not sure what the Tigers were thinking at the time- Lombardozzi is still a young player with defensive versatility. Gonzalez was never considered a long-term part of the O's future, but fans are excited about Lombardozzi as a role player for them.
i still don't get that trade. Lombo could have platooned at SS a bit. At worst he's a solid utility for the next several years. Instead DD trades him for a recently released old washed up SS. Can't imagine what he was thinking on that one.