MLB Offseason Thread

[rwfan007 18]

Potential Opening Day Lineup:

1. CF - Grandersen

2. 3B - Cabrerra

3. DH - Sheffield

4. RF - Maggs

5. 1B - Guillen

6. SS - Renteria

7. LF - Jones

8. C - Pudge

9. 2B - Polanco

there is no way that Polanco is batting 9th... he is the best 2 hole hitter in the game of baseball

Lets see, assuming Inge will be gone (which I hate BTW)

1. Granderson CF

2. Polanco 2B

3. Ordonez RF

4. Sheffield DH

5. Cabrera 3B

6. Rentaria SS

7. Guillen 1B

8. Rodriguez C

9. Jones LF

Edited December 5, 2007 by rwfan007

[BlakChamber 8]

The D Train in the D? That's freaking sweet.

[Airborn 0]

there is no way that Polanco is batting 9th... he is the best 2 hole hitter in the game of baseball

He's a great 2-hole hitter, but I think you want Carbrerra to get that extra AB per game. Plus moving Polly to the 9th spot would help start rallies when the back of the lineup is due up.

[rwfan007 18]

Polanco hit .350+ last season, extra base hits gets extra people on base and having the power later in the lineup after the high average guys gets more runs in. I will take a Polanco single and a 2 run homer over a solo shot any day. Put people on base and good things happen

[Lou_Siffer 1]

In case any of you arent aware of this, Dontrelle Willis had a 5.17 ERA last season. Im really sick over losing Miller for this...I dont know what to say right now. Maybin i dont have a problem with because Cabrera is awesome and young, and also has played LF before anyway back when they had Mike Lowell. I'm thrilled to have him, ....but i really dont like the Willis end of it.

I hope to god if we're trading Inge we get a reliever in return. In hindsight shouldnt have even traded for Jones since Cabrera plays OF. Boston won not only because they had a good lineup, they also had a good pen. And ours right now is terrible, and Zumaya will not be effective even if he returns this year.

[rwfan007 18]

I think willis will do good here, he was the ace in Florida and is only 26. Now he can relax and just pitch his game in the pitcher friendly confines of comerica. Verlander and Bondo are the Aces for the Tigers so there really is no pressure on Willis.

[Guest DetroitIan]

Potential Opening Day Lineup:

1. CF - Grandersen

2. 3B - Cabrerra

3. DH - Sheffield

4. RF - Maggs

5. 1B - Guillen

6. SS - Renteria

7. LF - Jones

8. C - Pudge

9. 2B - Polanco

That is just insane!

I can't stop drooling over this lineup. Im like bouncing off the walls here. To say im exciting is a massive understatement. haha

I think willis will do good here, he was the ace in Florida and is only 26. Now he can relax and just pitch his game in the pitcher friendly confines of comerica. Verlander and Bondo are the Aces for the Tigers so there really is no pressure on Willis.

Completely agreed.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Holy s***! That's the only way I can describe this one. Wow! Sucks to lose Maybin and Miller. I mean really, really sucks. But look at it like this: Willis will be 26 and Cabrera 25 when the season begins. So it's not like the Tigers are mortgaging the future. Just nudging it up a couple years.

I see the lineup like this -

CF - Granderson

2B - Polanco

3B - Cabrera

DH - Sheffield

RF - Ordonez

1B - Guillen

SS - Renteria

LF - Jones/Thames

C - Rodriguez

And don't forget the rotation....

1 - Justin Verlander

2 - Kenny Rogers

3 - Dontrelle Willis

4 - Jeremy Bonderman

5 - Nate Robertson

NICE.

Edit - Also, Dombrowski is a P-I-M-P. In case nobody noticed, the Braves traded for Infante from the Cubs to help with the infield depth after losing Renteria. I bet you Dombrowski would have tossed Infante into that deal if he had to, but oh well, he didn't, and now we have a left fielder too. One who's gonna provide 25 HRs from the 8 spot.

Edit again - Did we mention Willis is a lefty? Dolphins' Stadium is the anti-Comerica when it comes to left field.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

The thing i dont like about Willis is that he's gotten progressively worse in every single category since 2005...signifying that last year may not have been a fluke bad year. We're not just talking one or two categories...EVERYTHING. Win/Loss record, K's down, BB's up, hits up, etc.To me this signifies a potential problem even if he is just 26. You could almost draw a conclusion that teams are starting to figure him out since his hot rookie year.

I have to keep reminding myself that we have Cabrera to stop me from screaming! For losing Miller, I want more of a sure thing than Willis...to me he's coming in as a question mark. And i have to believe we couldve gotten Cabrera alone for Maybin and the 3 or 4 other prospects.

[Guest DetroitIan]

The thing i dont like about Willis is that he's gotten progressively worse in every single category since 2005...signifying that last year may not have been a fluke bad year. We're not just talking one or two categories...EVERYTHING. Win/Loss record, K's down, BB's up, hits up, etc.To me this signifies a potential problem even if he is just 26. You could almost draw a conclusion that teams are starting to figure him out since his hot rookie year.

I have to keep reminding myself that we have Cabrera to stop me from screaming! For losing Miller, I want more of a sure thing than Willis...to me he's coming in as a question mark. And i have to believe we couldve gotten Cabrera alone for Maybin and the 3 or 4 other prospects.

Yeah but dude, Willis didn't have much of a team around him. And the constant losing really got to him. And it effected his pitching. Trust me, him knowing that he's now on an all-star team, will definitely pump his game up. Guarunteed. Miller hasnt been that great yet. He has alot of potential. But remember, Miller is only like 4-5 years younger. And Willis is also a lefty! There is no doubt in my mind that a change of scenery is just what this guy needed. And having a hitting God in Cabrera sure doesn't hurt either. Dombrowski knows what hes doing. Have faith bro. This trade might be the key to the Championship. We now have a sick lineup, and a very solid pitching rotation. I really couldn't be happier about this deal.

[Grittzkey 1]

I THOUGHT WE JUST SIGNED INGE TO LIKE A 4 YEAR DEAL.

what do we do with inge now?

[timothy1997 0]

Potential Opening Day Lineup:

1. CF - Grandersen

2. 3B - Cabrerra

3. DH - Sheffield

4. RF - Maggs

5. 1B - Guillen

6. SS - Renteria

7. LF - Jones

8. C - Pudge

9. 2B - Polanco

That is just insane!

I think its gonna be like this come opening day.

1. CF - Grandersen

2. 2B - Polanco

3. 3B - Cabrerra

4. RF - Maggs

5. DH - Sheffield

6. 1B - Guillen

7. SS - Renteria

8. C - Pudge

9. LF - Jones/Thames

Still the best lineup in baseball. Look at the projected pitching rotation:

#1 Justin Verlander

#2 Jeremy Bonderman

#3 Dontrelle Willis

#4 Kenny Rogers

#5 Nate Robertson

Damn.

I love this deal. I think you trade prospects who MAYBE good for players that ARE good. Carbera is a stud and will be an awesome player in Detroit and like Blak said a few posts ago...the D-train in the D is just flat out sick.

As far as my Tiger in Inge. I would like to see Inge still have a role going back to him playing multiple positions. I think he should get back to helping catch in order to be a solid player to put in the lineup to get Pudge a day off.

The thing about this deal that is so important is look at who the tigers key players are. Magglio, Pudge, Shef...all are getting old and are in the twilight of their career. This move allows the Tigers to be a contender in the future instead of a possibility.

[BlakChamber 8]

I THOUGHT WE JUST SIGNED INGE TO LIKE A 4 YEAR DEAL.

what do we do with inge now?

He'll either be a super-sub or he'll be traded.

Christmas came early this year in Detroit

[Guest DetroitIan]

I THOUGHT WE JUST SIGNED INGE TO LIKE A 4 YEAR DEAL.

what do we do with inge now?

Honestly, at this point, who the hell cares? I don't care how great you play defensively, try hitting a little more than .238 for the year. Cabrera has always been a good defenive 3rd baseman. Yet he also hits in the .320s, 30+ homeruns, and almost 120 rbis. Inge who?

[timothy1997 0]

Honestly, at this point, who the hell cares? I don't care how great you play defensively, try hitting a little more than .238 for the year. Cabrera has always been a good defenive 3rd baseman. Yet he also hits in the .320s, 30+ homeruns, and almost 120 rbis. Inge who?

The only way I keep Inge is if he is willing to play OF, 3rd, SS and C.

[Grittzkey 1]

i was watching espnews when i heard the news. and 1 of the analysts said the detroit will be happy short term, and marlins long term.. i dont see why

Willis and Cabrera are still young players.. not even in there late 20's yet.. and they are already proven mlbers..

Miller Maybin Rabelo..and 3 minor leuge pitchers..

Miller will be jeff weaverish at best

Maybin could be a great, but i havent seen anything outta him

Rabelo.. career backup..

I ike the trade alot. alot alot.

---

With rabelo gone, maybe inge gets put back at catcher where he started his career?

Edited December 5, 2007 by Grittzkey

[rwfan007 18]

vance wilson anyone?

[dallas27 7]

I may be the lone ranger on this one but I don't like the idea of losing maybin and miller. I feel there is way too much upside for both of them. I'm certainly not going to complain though. We need someone at third that can drive in runs.

You may throw at me that maybin didn't do well this year at the ml level. But, granted it's just a simulation (THE BEST one around though) I run 3 franchises at whatifsports.com for the hardball dynasty and I can assure you that it's not common to call someone up from AA to the ML level. You treat talent like that like it's a baby.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Yeah but dude, Willis didn't have much of a team around him. And the constant losing really got to him. And it effected his pitching. Trust me, him knowing that he's now on an all-star team, will definitely pump his game up. Guarunteed. Miller hasnt been that great yet. He has alot of potential. But remember, Miller is only like 4-5 years younger. And Willis is also a lefty! There is no doubt in my mind that a change of scenery is just what this guy needed. And having a hitting God in Cabrera sure doesn't hurt either. Dombrowski knows what hes doing. Have faith bro. This trade might be the key to the Championship. We now have a sick lineup, and a very solid pitching rotation. I really couldn't be happier about this deal.

I usually dont ever doubt Dombrowski, but I just do not think thats a given that Willis turns it around....2 consecutive years of drop off in all your stats from the previous year brings up the caution flag for me. Even on a bad team, a pitcher still usually gives his best since he's the star on the mound. With a hitter, i could see how a bad team would effect your stats because you need other hitters around you doing things. But the only stat for a pitcher really thats dependent on your team being good is W/L record. Now If he turns things back around next year, then theres no doubt this was an outstanding trade. But if he's still slingin' a high 4-5 era...I cringe at the thought of losing Miller for this. Gotta hope for the best i guess! Keep the faith...Cabrera! Cabrera! Ok i feel a little better!

Anyone know who the other 3 minor leaguers are yet? One had sure as hell better not be Porcello...which i think has only a 1% chance of happening, but until its confirmed he's not going i'm gonna be a little worried about it.

[Guest RedWingsFever]

I may be the lone ranger on this one but I don't like the idea of losing maybin and miller. I feel there is way too much upside for both of them. I'm certainly not going to complain though. We need someone at third that can drive in runs.

You may throw at me that maybin didn't do well this year at the ml level. But, granted it's just a simulation (THE BEST one around though) I run 3 franchises at whatifsports.com for the hardball dynasty and I can assure you that it's not common to call someone up from AA to the ML level. You treat talent like that like it's a baby.

I loved Miller. And I was really excited about Maybin. But come on. Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis?? Both guys are huge improvements on what we gave up. Cause everyone keeps talking about how young Miller is. Well these guys are only a few years older. But they're all stars. Maybin and Miller wont be all stars in a few years. Im confident in that. So this is an extremely smart trade by Dombrowski. I would be pissed if we had given up Maybin and Miller for stars that are in their mid to late 30s. But to get two stars that are in their mid 20s is amazing.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Just looked it up, apparently the 3 minor leaguers are Dallas Trahern, Eugelio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop. Willis had better f***in return to stud form because we now officially have nothing whatsoever but Porcello for pitching prospects.

[dallas27 7]

I loved Miller. And I was really excited about Maybin. But come on. Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis?? Both guys are huge improvements on what we gave up. Cause everyone keeps talking about how young Miller is. Well these guys are only a few years older. But they're all stars. Maybin and Miller wont be all stars in a few years. Im confident in that. So this is an extremely smart trade by Dombrowski. I would be pissed if we had given up Maybin and Miller for stars that are in their mid to late 30s. But to get two stars that are in their mid 20s is amazing.

You just stated the obvious, thanks. You just said that Maybin and MIller won't be stars for a few years and that Cabrera and Willis are older and that they are huge improvements on what we gave up. THAT MAY BE THE CASE NOW. We won't know if they are huge improvements for another couple years when all of them are in their prime (and when Maybin and Miller are ML ready). As I said I may be the lone ranger but this may come back and bite them in the ass a couple years down the road. Especially when you can start converting Maybin to play right once Mags (who is 33) starts to fade out (which will be in a couple years).

[rwfan007 18]

Other than the Gambler, we have a young rotation... Bondo is 25, Verlander is gunna be 24, Willis is 26, and Robertson is 30. Now in a couple years Porcello will be up and will be able to take Kenny's spot... in the meantime, we can get a FA pitcher to bridge that gap, as well as give some time for drafting some prospects. We have a solid rotation that can take us into the next 5-10 years without having to majorly tap our prospect resources. The only thing I am worried about is our fielding prospects (or lack thereof).

[rwfan007 18]

sry, dbl post

Edited December 5, 2007 by rwfan007

[rwfan007 18]

dbl post

Edited December 5, 2007 by rwfan007