Megadeal doesn't address Tigers' biggest need
By Sean Deveney - SportingNews
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --- Last month, at the general managers' meetings in Florida, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski was asked how much he thought his team needed in order to get back on par with the Indians, who had surged past Detroit to win the AL Central by a whopping eight games. He thought about it for a moment, then said, "I'll take as much as I can get."
Indeed, with the Indians setting a high standard, Detroit has been forced to respond. It began with a proactive, late-October deal that netted shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Braves. The deal allowed Carlos Guillen to move to first base and thus boost the infield defense. Now, as baseball's winter meetings grind through their second day, the Tigers are again a team of interest. They reportedly have reached a deal with the Florida Marlins that would net them stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.
That there's movement on a front other than that of Johan Santana is a welcome change here at the Gaylord Opryland hotel. What also is significant is that the Tigers are being aggressive in trying to catch the Indians, setting up an offseason divisional rivalry just below Yankees-Red Sox in prestige and importance. It very well could all come to nothing, but at least someone other than Santana is being discussed here.
Detroit wants to hit back at the Indians. But the Willis/Cabrera scenario doesn't seem to make sense. The Tigers have Renteria and added Jacque Jones in a trade with the Cubs, so offense isn't really the need. They were the third-highest scoring team in baseball and though they can't expect the kind of career years they got out of Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco, they'll have no trouble putting up runs.
The rotation had some struggles last year, with elbow problems hampering Jeremy Bonderman and Kenny Rogers (who also had surgery on a blood clot). But the first four starters are set: Justin Verlander, Bonderman, Rogers and Nate Robertson--with Andrew Miller and Chad Durbin among the pitchers vying for the fifth spot. The big problem, of course, is the bullpen, where Joel Zumaya is out for the year and Detroit will hope that Fernando Rodney can bounce back and be an effective setup man for closer Todd Jones.
That's what makes the Willis-Cabrera deal of particular interest. They don't need either guy, and the trade isn't necessarily rational. But, sometimes, finishing in second place makes a team do irrational things.
As for the Indians, manager Eric Wedge says he is aware of the Tigers' movements. "Obviously, you have to pay attention to it," he said before the deal went down. "But I focus on us. I think we are a good baseball team and if we focus on that, we can beat anybody."
That has been reflected in the way Cleveland has approached the offseason. They're not doing much. They signed Masahide Kobayashi, one of just three relievers with 200 saves in Japan League history, but Wedge emphasized that Kobayashi is a setup man for incumbent closer Joe Borowski. They're counting on their two aces, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, and expecting continued improvement from young guys like Grady Sizemore, Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta and Asdrubal Cabrera. "That's going to be the big thing for us, is just the players we have," Wedge says. "We're focused on getting those guys to improve."
They probably will, and you can be sure, the Tigers know it.
