Tigers ready to pounce at winter meetings
By Punch N. Judy
BaseballBigMouth.com baseball news
It was of course Dickens who famously penned the words, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” and as it relates to BBM’s flagship team, the Detroit Tigers, those comments represent a very accurate microcosm of a club with plenty of question marks heading into an off-season that is sure to contain at least a major trade or two.
At their best the Tigers were a runaway locomotive whose lineup one through nine could sting any pitching staff from starting ace to unstoppable closer. Sometimes Jim Leyland could boast a bottom third of the order that would feature three members of the 20 HR club. Like the Count of Detroit (Count Scary) used to say, “Ooh that’s scary.” However, at their worst the local nine seemed no better than the 2003 edition. Bumbling, inept, and unable to muster even a meow against anybody. Former manager Alan Trammel used to say that “water usually finds its level,” but with this group the term closer to reality would be “either feast or famine.”
Without painfully recounting a season that at this point seems a blur, let’s just say Tiger management’s everyman, Dave Dombrowski, has some work to do.
The Free-Agent Route
Some of the Dombrowski era’s most poignant moments have involved these types of acquisitions. Rolling the dice on Magglio Ordonez seemed like a hit or miss move then and still does today. The key residual however may be in the signing itself, which served notice to the rest of MLB that the Tigers were back in the business of trying to become a winning franchise. Bringing Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers on board wasn’t exactly greeted with party streamers by the Heckler and myself, but in retrospect these were moves that eventually brought home a pennant. Taking into consideration the context of the moves, (meaning that they would overpay for just about any decent player) Dombrowski gets a pass here for Troy Percival and Fernando Vina. Shoot, it’s not our money.
Trades – The Winter Meetings
I honestly don’t remember the last time a lodge meeting meant this much in the Judy household since Fred and Barney duped the wives before making off to Frantic City. While on the surface Detroit’s needs seem clear – power hitting sticks in the corner outfield and first base – it’s anybody’s guess what could happen in the wake of the first transaction. Surely a pitcher will be lost as the club attempts to fortify a lineup that needs at least one legit power threat along with somebody - anybody - who can get on base with some regularity.
Please Tread Lightly
With a newly minted four year contract in his hip pocket, Dombrowski will hopefully suppress the urge to go for broke in 07.’ While a fine line exists in determining a prospects value to one’s own club vs. the open market, it’s those types of decisions that earn the CEO the big bucks. With a surplus of pitching prospects toiling at all levels, the probability of arm strapped teams knocking on Dombrowski’s suite door would appear certain. Hopefully it takes more than a bottle of Dom and a 12 pack of roses to warrant entry.