1 year, $10M. I love it.
– Freep reports that Maggs turned down 2 year offers (via Jon Heyman’s twitter feed) elsewhere. Not sure how much those were for.
– Tom Gage breaks down the payroll implications.
I love the 1 year commitment. If he does well, we’ll overpay for another year, but we don’t have to do that now.
Jackson
Raburn
Maggs
Cabrera
Martinez
Guillen
Peralta
Inge
Rhymes
I can deal with Inge as a #8, maybe a #9 if Rhymes starts to hit.
I agree 1 @ 10 is better than 2 @ 8/y. Maggs can be clutch at times and really fits well into that #3 spot to cover Miggy. While our pitching could use an upgrade, we are starting off the year with a good starting line up. Fielding should be fine. Really looking forward to April and another year of Tiger ball.
While some people have written they do not like whats happening in the D with the Tigers. How would you like to be a KC, Indians, D-back, Astro, Brewer, Pirate fan?…. Realistically no real hope as these owners are not willing to spending big bugs for free agents. Mike and DD collectively have shelled out massive cash in the past for some that have worked out and some that have not. I applaud their willingness to sign, trade or upgrade the club.
See you ate the park this summer………..
Merry Christmas to all…………..
Steve
I like this lineup. Now backing up these guys from the bench is another story 🙁
I hope they stay healthy all season.
If Rhymes continues to hit and get on base. I would say leave him in the #2 slot, I think that if he can start getting on base he might have some potential to move Jackson over. for the 3-4 hitters. I am just not a big fan of Rayburn.
Tiger Talk tonight. From Dickerson’s twitter feed:
Tiger Talk tonight – special time! 10pm on 97.1 FM. Talking Magglio, best rotations in Central and more…
Kevin: I assume your above lineup is with VM catching and Guillen at DH. That would be the lineup vs LH starter. For the other 110 games vs RH Avila would start most games at C. What do you propose there. I suppose VM at DH, Guillen at 2B, with Avila batting 8th and Inge moving to 9th with Rhymes/Sizemore/whoever out of the lineup. I understand these are the “ideal” lineups since realistically we will probably only see them 5-10 times each max.
Excellent point. I was thinking that’s our “one game playoff, if that ever happened in April” lineup.
After further inspection, our lineup doesn’t really fit well as is. I’m really high on Raburn (did you know that he’s a career OPS+ 110, and last year was 119?), but his spot is where Boesch/Wells would see time. My guess is that Boesch will spell Maggs from time to time against righties, but I don’t see how Boesch gets as many ABs in 2011 as he did in 2010. Not planned ABs, anyway.
I liked it better when Raburn was an infielder. If we could convert him to 3B we’d be WS bound. Can someone (named Coleman) tell us how many more runs Inge saves at 3B, vs. how many more runs Raburn creates at the plate?
Injuries should get that sorted out (probably quickly in our case), but this will make for great debate in the spring.
I bet the owners would go for the extra playoff game at the beginning of the season. All teams would be required to play each other once, but the games would only count in the event of a tie at the end of regulation play on Nov 1, after which the 8 top teams in each league could then begin the playoffs (best of 9).
Also in the Raburn calculation: how many runs does “plugging him in” at 3B cost.
Using a lineup with both Avila and Martinez in most games gives us the option of having a bench with 2 OF + 2 IF or 3 IF and 1 OF (we aren’t going to be carrying a 3rd catcher). Since Raburn can double at IF positions, I would be inclined to go with the 2 + 2 setup (Boesch & Wells and Rhymes/Sizemore/whoever & Santiago). If the roster doesn’t change that’s the most likely scenario, although B, W, R and Si could all wash out in ST in a worse case scenario. There can be surprises in ST of course, but this year?
I agree with Rhymes in the number two hole as his speed his too good to have as number 9 hitter.
I agree with the above comment. Rhymes is more of a contact hitter with speed, so I’d slot him in the two spot. That is one of the reasons I value Rhymes over Sizemore.
Inge has saved us 6 runs so far, but to be fair the season hasn’t started yet.
To be a bit more serious, I sometimes wonder about taking range as an independent factor. For example, take Inge + Everett, both with good range. At a certain point, Inge’s + range and Everett’s + range would theoretically overlap right? That there would be plays where Inge’s range to his left would preclude Everett’s range to his right and vice-versa?
Inge used to cheat toward the hole all the time, and in doing so cut down the liability of having a totem-pole at SS (a category Peralta may belong in).
Last season though balls were getting by him down the line that never used to. Was it his knees? Then he may improve this year. But he is also getting older.
Inge in his prime + a sure-handed, intelligent, but limited-range SS is a good pairing. The question is how far from Prime Inge is Now Inge?
I prefer to add up the positives of a team, rather than nitpick individual skills. No player is perfect – baseball is a game of failures.
I don’t think outstanding range at SS and 3B overlaps. Perhaps on some plays, but that will always be true. Some slow rollers are so slow even the most sluggish SS/3B combo can both get to it. Conversely, there will be some balls hit so sharply they will hit the hole even if Brooks Robinson is playing alongside Ozzie Smith. The manager should have the foresight to have the SS play closer to 2B in cases like this. No matter how good the range of your infielders is, you won’t cover every grounder.
My thinking so far is that I’m delighted to retain Maggs and add Vic. Personally, I’m rooting for Rhymes at 2B. Benoit can’t duplicate his ’10 performance, but he’s a solid add.
Is Tampa Bay still in the mood to trade decent starting pitchers for fringe outfielders with power? I think I might go for Brennan Boesch for Wade Davis.
In a heartbeat. I don’t think that’s on the table though.
In thoughts on Greinke to the Brewers? That came as a bit of a shock to me, though I can’t say exactly why. (Well, for one thing I’m surprised they traded within the division—oh, wait, that was a long time ago…)
Kevin, yeah, the last one was satire. Glad you enjoyed it.
Greinke to the Brewers. Well, it immediately makes them better. We’ll see down the road. This may be like our Jeff Weaver trade when we picked up Bonderman, Carlos Pena, and Franklin German.
Speaking of Pena, did you see he signed with the Cubs for $10M? Ouch! If .196 hitters with a .407 SLG pay that much, looks like I need to throw my hat in the free agent market.
Unless, Pavano’s asking price is completely out of whack (which it may be), the Tigers should seriously consider signing him for two primary reasons: 1) so he won’t pitch AGAINST the Tigers next year, and 2) one or more in the current rotation is likely to falter (or become injured) next year (my guess would be Coke and/or Gallarraga).
..and if one were to follow the projections, Oliver, Turner and Crosby (et al) are not MLB-ready for another year or two.
And as JL has been known to mutter, ‘you’re only as good as your next starting pitcher.’
Happy holidays to all!!
And just for the heck of it:
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
twas the night before Christmas
when all through the flat
not a creature was stirring
not even a cat
the stockings of all of the players pulled high
in the hopes that St. Sparky would soon amble by
The players were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of post-season danced in their heads.
Dumbrowski all stripey, the hot stove was heating
We’d settled our brains for a long winter meeting
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what did my wondering eyes surely see
But a miniature man and eight tiger jerseys
With a little old driver, next an old guy named Ernie
I knew in a moment it must be St Sparky
More rapid than bengals his coursers they came,
Then he puffed his old pipe, and called them by name!
“Now Gibson, now Morris
now Parrish and Brookens
On Evans On Chet on Trammell and Lou
To the top of the porch! Even over the roof
Now dash away in your Tiger Stadium blue!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Sparky too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the eaves
The prancing and pawing of all of their cleats
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Sparky came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his knees
And pipe ashes and soot lined
His old English D
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his shoulder
And he smiled like a child but 50 years older
His eyes-how they twinkled! And what maybe seemed oddest
One reindeer seemed built just like a Greek goddess
His droll little mouth didn’t know how to frown
As he hopped over lines on his way through the house
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
With his wrinkly face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
He was white-haired and spry, a right jolly old guy,
And I laughed when I saw him tip-toeing on by
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
After smacking his nose on a wooden support
He shrugged and said, don’t worry– pain, it don’t hurt
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a goad
And they left the old house by the side of the road
Then Ernie intoned as the sleigh went vertical
“Farewell until spring brings the voice of the turtle.”