Edwin Jackson available?
Met-in-PR
Tigers have financial problems they will trade a pitcher like him, who
just earned about $2M. Why not just deal 1 of the big stars, save
money and obtain top talent? Makes no sense.
-----
Sources: Tigers open to trading All-Star Jackson
by Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, FOXSports.com
CHICAGO - Edwin Jackson was an All-Star pitcher for the Tigers this
year. He looked like one of the great acquisitions in baseball for
most of the season — a starter who pitched deep into games and
wouldn't become a free agent until 2011.
Now?
The Tigers have made Jackson available on the trade market as part of
an effort to alleviate their payroll crunch, multiple major league
sources told FOXSports.com.
It's not clear if club president/general manager Dave Dombrowski is
engaged in serious talks with other clubs about Jackson. There is no
indication that a deal is close. But it's telling that the team is
considering trade scenarios involving Jackson at all.
The Tigers' Opening Day payroll this year was roughly $132 million,
among the highest in baseball. Even if that figure stays the same,
Dombrowski will need to shift resources in order to make upgrades.
Why? It's simple: Escalating contracts signed during better economic
times are causing a squeeze.
Dombrowski declined to provide specifics about his discussions with
other GMs. "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 if teams have been inquiring about Jackson in particular,
Dombrowski replied, "I wouldn't get into talking about specific
players."
Jackson went 13-9 with a career-best 3.62 ERA and 214 innings. But he
faded in August and September, compiling a 5.83 ERA over his last 11
starts as Detroit's seemingly insurmountable lead in the American
League Central whittled away.
Industry sources also indicated that the Tigers are willing to
consider offers for catcher Gerald Laird, who batted .225 this year.
Laird is a terrific defender, but it may be difficult for Detroit to
justify a salary near $3.5 million for someone who was so inconsistent
offensively.
The Tigers maintained a robust payroll throughout the 2009 season,
increasing it with the in-season acquisitions of Jarrod Washburn and
Aubrey Huff. That was somewhat surprising, given that Michigan's
economy has been severely impacted by the recession.
Dombrowski said the team hasn't "officially established" a 2010
payroll but added, "We're all aware that the economy is not the same
all over the country. We've been hit hard in our area."
Dombrowski generally hasn't had to make cost-cutting moves, thanks in
large part to team owner Mike Ilitch's perpetual desire to win a
championship. The Tigers' strong start this year gave Ilitch reason to
expect his team would reach the playoffs, and he authorized trades for
Washburn and Huff to help them get there.
"There's no question he's very committed," Dombrowski said. "I don't
think anybody would doubt that. We'll just wait and see (about the
payroll figure)."
In theory, the team was going to gain additional revenue by hosting
postseason games at Comerica Park. But that never happened. The Tigers
blew a seven-game September lead and lost an epic one-game playoff to
the Twins.
Home attendance — a major source of revenue — also fell. The average
home crowd this year was 31,694, down roughly 20 percent from the
record figure of 39,538 in 2008. But the Tigers still ranked fourth in
the AL, behind the big-market Yankees, Angels and Red Sox.
At a time when gate receipts are down, payroll commitments are going
up. That's not an encouraging trend for the Tigers.
Nearly $100 million is owed to nine players for 2010: Miguel Cabrera,
Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson,
Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis and Rick Porcello.
Aside from Porcello, every player in that group caused frustration or
disappointment for the Tigers at one point or another in 2009.
Bonderman, Robertson and Willis were paid a combined $30 million, the
sort of investment a team makes in reliable 200-inning starters. But
they combined for three wins.
Including Jackson and Laird, the raises to arbitration-eligible
players (including ace Justin Verlander) could total roughly $20
million, according to an estimate by one person in the industry.
Under that scenario, if the Tigers are indeed operating on a $132
million budget, they will have only $12 million to improve the club.
And that won't be enough to buy frontline players at shortstop, second
base, setup man and closer, all of which are needs right now.
(Dombrowski said he's not looking to add a full-time designated
hitter, preferring instead to rotate Guillen, Ordonez and Cabrera
through the position.)
If the Tigers don't re-sign second baseman Placido Polanco, Dombrowski
said Scott Sizemore is the strongest internal candidate to take the
job. Sizemore, 24, is a highly-regarded prospect. But he has no major
league experience and has missed time with injuries in each of the
past two years.
Shortstop Adam Everett enjoyed his season in Detroit and would like to
return. But he also wants a raise on his $1 million salary, one source
told FOXSports.com. It's unclear if the Tigers will be able to oblige.
Despite coming within one victory of a division title, the Tigers may
have a long, tumultuous off-season ahead. As one rival executive put
it, after reviewing Detroit's payroll obligations: "For a team in that
situation, they should be listening to offers for anyone making money.
Anyone ."
jonathan
> If it were true, I love to see him as a Met. Just don't believe if the
> Tigers have financial problems they will trade a pitcher like him, who
> just earned about $2M. Why not just deal 1 of the big stars, save
> money and obtain top talent? Makes no sense.
>
> -----
Jackson was not good in the second half. Maybe they know something
and are trying to sell high.
Either way, the Mets realistically have nothing to trade for him, as
the Tigers would want young, cheap talent, something the Mets don't
have enough of in the first place.
KathyGlickstern
Here's my thinking about the Mets' off-season, which I have admittedly
failed to share with rest of you heretofore: It all revolves around
Frenchy.
I'm not a Frenchy fan but, despite my loud cautions against it, I
believe Omar will re-sign him to a multi-year deal. This would
effectively lock up rightfield for several mediocre years to come.
Positionally speaking, that leaves LF and 1B as the logical
destinations for any acquired sluggers (unless, of course, they
finally fulfill Mike Francesa's deepest, wettest dream and acquire
Brandon Inge for the catching vacancy). And, if the Mets were to
sign, say, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay to play LF that would
effectively block either Fernando "I have weak thumbs" Martinez or Ike
Davis from an everyday job for the duration of Frenchy's contract. Do
the math here, and you'll see that signing Holliday or Bay would
render either F-Mart or Davis as trade bait.
So, in the end, it all revolves around Frenchy.
Donning my Miss Cleo doo-rag for old times' sake, I see a multi-year
deal for Frenchy, followed by the failed pursuit of Holliday and Bay.
Feeling more desperate than Steve Phillips around a portly intern,
Omar will then trade F-Mart and Castillo in exchange for Milton
Bradley ("It was a move we felt we had to make," he will say at the
press conference) before unveiling his piece de resistance: A five-
year deal for Rich Harden.
Read my posts...think deeply about the Mets.
POPS
"KathyGlickstern" <glck...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:f0414a86-7b0f-4d1f...@h2g2000vbd.googlegroups.com...
================================
Thanks for ruining it for me, Joe.
Uncle Abogado�
<glck...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>Read my posts...think deeply about the Mets.
It's been pretty much all downhill ever since they passed on
Matt Whisenant.
-- Uncle A�
In Memory of Jay Kleven (1949-2009)