Soriano-to-Detroit talk should stop at Maybin
By the Heckler
BASEBALL BIG MOUTH baseball blog
The Alfonso Soriano watch continues to keep the rumor mill-a-chuggin’ with baseball’s first-place team – the Detroit Tigers - continually mentioned as the leading candidate to acquire the power hitting leftfielder/second baseman. The real question for Tiger fans, however, is why? Not only is Soriano not the big, left-handed stick the lineup could use (provided, of course, that Dmitri Young – a career .290 hitter – fails to find his usual stroke after his recent return from off-field troubles) but the former Yankee is also a free agent at the end of the year. Is Detroit really a destination he would sign-on to long-term? Highly unlikely in the Heckler’s book, not to mention that he would demand anywhere in the $11-12 million range.
Casting those points aside, however, and the real horror begins to unfold for long-suffering Bengal fans with some of the names being mentioned as possible players who may go the other way in such a transaction. Truly, they are the stuff of nightmares, especially for those who still haven’t gotten over trading John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander back in 1987. In today’s Detroit Free Press, columnist Rob Parker reported that the Washington Nationals won’t deal Soriano right now unless they receive all-world outfielder prospect Cameron Maybin in return, not to mention the Tigers’ top pitching prospect in Humberto Sanchez. Another report earlier in the week had the same players sought – with an additional pitching prospect by the name of Jair Jurrjens thrown in as well.
Gimme a break. Let me state here and now that there really isn’t one player in all of baseball right now past the age of 30 that I would trade straight-up for 19-year-old Cameron Maybin – period. The scouting reports on this guy compare him to a combination of Andre Dawson and Vladimir Guerrero. Others say he’s the next Ken Griffey Jr. That’s plenty good enough for me, to say the least. He is on the fast-track to the big leagues (specifically, centerfield in Comerica Park) and he should unequivocally be off-limits in this (or virtually any-other) trade discussion. Yes, Soriano is rare talent who can beat you with either his bat or his speed. He is an outstanding hitter that would add an imposing presence to the Tigers lineup amid their collection of already-powerful hitters. But if I were Dave Domrowski and the Nationals came calling with Maybin’s name mentioned on the other end, it would be a very short conversation for the Heckler.
This goes without even mentioning the fact that Humberto Sanchez has yet to even sniff the big leagues despite tearing it up this year in AAA, stands 6-6” and throws in the 90s with a sinker in the same range. Oh, and he has also been compared to Bartolo Colon (both for his pitching repertoire and imposing girth). Again, it would have to be more than a rent-a-player scenario to seriously entertain including him in a Soriano package in my eyes.
Far cheaper alternatives – that actually hit from the side of the plate the Tigers need – include Pittsburgh’s Sean Casey, Philadelphia’s David Dellucci, Kansas City’s Matt Stairs, Arizona’s Shawn Green, San Diego’s Brian Giles and Ryan Klesko – as well as the Phillies’ Bobby Abreu (whom the Tigers are reportedly not-as-interested in as previous reports would seem to indicate).
Make the team better – yes – but not at the expense of the future. Tiger fans have waited a long time to have a winning team again. Let’s not overstep our new-found good fortune by casting aside two top prospects for the sake of some fantasy league dream. Soriano and the Tigers simply don’t fit at the price currently being asked.
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