Who would have thought that the Tigers position battle at catcher would be between Inge and Rivera?
Rob Neyer: Tigers have hope, Royals and Brewers don’t
Really, it comes down to this: if Tigers owner Mike Ilitch gives Dombrowski an extra $20 million to play with, the Tigers could be quite competitive in 2003 or 2004. If Ilitch leaves the payroll where it is (relative to the other clubs), it’s going to take a little longer. But the Tigers will be competitive.
Tigers shortstop Omar Infante was placed on the seven-day disabled list at Triple-A Toledo, retroactive to Saturday, with a back problem. He will undergo examinations Monday. Infante might get a chance to play for the Tigers before the year is over, but he’s hitting just .221 and Shane Halter has been adequate for the big-league club. Don’t expect much more than stolen bases from Infante when he finally gets the call
Rettenund has liked what he’s seen of the Tigers hitters so far. He believes, when all the injured players return, Detroit will be one of the best offensive teams in the American League.
Dmitri Young said “all systems are go” for him to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday. He has been on it since April 23 because of a hernia. Where he’ll play hasn’t been decided yet.
Indications arose Monday that the Tigers want to obtain young major league players, not minor league prospects, in potential trades for attractive commodities such as Jeff Weaver and Matt Anderson. Such a stance indicates that Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski wants to make the Tigers better sooner rather than later — that Dombrowski isn’t interested in a long-term rebuilding project and that he wants the Tigers to become competitive as soon as possible without drastically raising the payroll.
What are your thoughts on this? I’d consider trading Anderson because it seems easier to find a decent closer, plus given the Tigers current state, a closer doesn’t help you that much. But Weaver…how many can’t miss pitching prospects have we had to watch while waiting for Weaver? He’s the one guy that I would consider untouchable.
Neck surgery likely ends Palmer’s season
So next year when we hear the list of reasons the Tigers will be better, and they say “Plus we’ll have Deano healthy, we didn’t have him all last year” take it with a grain of salt.