The Detroit Tiger Weblog

July 28, 2002 - Transaction Analysis

The more baffling question is what they're going to get from the Reds beyond David Espinosa. Espinosa has been an ugly blend of interesting and appalling in the California League. He's patient, about his only worthwhile offensive trait in a league that favors hitters. He doesn't have much power, but at 20, he's young. He doesn't hit for average, but he's young. He gets caught stealing a lot, but he's young. He commits an error every third night or so, which makes him remarkably similar to another shortstop-turned-second baseman-turned--well, who knows?--Hiram Bocachica. Hopefully, the Tigers will get value in the other two players in the deal, because otherwise they have a 40-man roster slot invested in somebody who may not be ready for Double-A next year. Espinosa's development is a long-term commitment, to say the least, and if the Tigers have one thing in spades, it's time.

posted by billfer at 5:41 PM

Tigers Notebook
Lynn Henning looks at the Tigers logjam at first base, and introduces us to centerfielder of the future Nook Logan.
posted by billfer at 10:51 AM

Alou: Tigers' rebuilding plan will be successful

"I have hope because I like the approach to the project and the intensity of that approach."

posted by billfer at 4:57 AM

Rumor Mill: The July 31 deadline approaches - CBS SportsLine

... the Free Press earlier reported the Marlins had scouted Tigers lefty Mark Redman. Marlins righty Brad Penny, whom GM Dave Dombrowski obtained while he was in Florida, could be the pitcher the Tigers target in any deal with the Marlins

posted by billfer at 9:11 AM

Higgy to Cardinals?

The St. Louis Cardinals, still in search of another bat for the pennant race, are showing some interest in trading for Bobby Higginson. The Cardinals would only take Higginson if the Tigers assume a large part of his contract, but it's possible that the Tigers would do that.

I don't see this happenning. The Cardinals have no farm system, and Higgy-despite his salary-does have some value.
posted by billfer at 3:49 AM

Tigers trade AAA Tim Farmer and PTBNL to Dogers for Hiram Bocachica

Bocachica has some tools, including power and speed, but never has hit consistently or become a polished defender. He hit .215-4-9 in 65 big league at-bats in 2002, and has career totals of .231-6-18 in 132 games and 208 at-bats in the majors.

posted by billfer at 3:04 AM

Holland's Van Hekken may move to Triple-A
posted by billfer at 3:46 AM

Lima time flies vs. K.C., 3-0

"I pitched the way that Jose Lima knows how to pitch," Lima told reporters at the third-base railing as he finished a postgame autograph session. "I zipped a lot of people's mouths. I know that I can pitch, and I know it can still be Lima out there. I'm taking it one start at a time."

The game was over in 1 hour 41 minutes making it the shortest game in the majors since 1984.
posted by billfer at 2:57 AM

Santiago out 4-6 weeks with fracture in wrist
He has a broken hamate bone in his hand. In the meantime, Shane Halter will become the starting SS. Craig Monroe was called up to take Santiago's spot on the roster. Also, the Tigers claimed Arizona pitcher Erik Sabel off waivers, and he will join the team immediately.
posted by billfer at 2:54 AM

Kevin Wheeler on Eric Munson

Tigers prospect Eric Munson seems to be improving lately. He has raised his average to .241, which isn't great, but he is drawing a fair number of walks (54). His power numbers are solid (19 HR, 54 RBIs) and his .860 OPS is encouraging. Munson may figure into the Tigers' DH picture next season. . . .

posted by billfer at 3:33 AM

John Sickels on Cody Ross

Ross is a sleeper, and we should be hearing more about him over the next few months. As you mention, he is putting up intriguing power/speed numbers this year at Double-A Erie. He's hitting .289/.353./.540 through 79 games, with 15 steals to go with his 16 homers and 21 doubles. He isn't extremely patient, drawing just 26 walks so far in 328 plate appearances, but he doesn't strike out excessively, which gives him a good chance to control the strike zone at higher levels. At age 21, he has lots of development time left. His walk rate was a bit higher in A-ball than it has been in Double-A, and in the long run, I don't think plate discipline will be an insurmountable problem for him.

Ross was drafted in the fourth round in 1999, out of high school in New Mexico. At 5-11, 180, he isn't a big toolsy physical monster that makes scouts sweat. But he has good athletic ability, works his tail off, and shows sound baseball instincts. I like him quite a bit.

posted by billfer at 3:23 AM

Baseball America Online - Trade Central: The book on David Espinoza

He committed 48 errors at Dayton, and the Reds also didn't believe that his footwork and actions were a natural fit at shortstop. He has made 26 errors in 95 games at second, and some scouts believe his ultimate destination will be center field. An aggressive switch-hitter with power potential from the left side of the plate, he's hitting .245-7-44. He has made some strides with his plate discipline, drawing 64 walks, but his 104 strikeouts point to his need to make more contact. If he can do that, he's a potential leadoff hitter. Espinosa has good speed, though he's still a work in progress on the bases as well, having been caught 17 times in 43 steal attempts.

posted by billfer at 3:15 AM

Danny Knobler: Fence-mending long overdue

Dombrowski could have handled things differently. He could have courted Higginson early, and won himself the most important possible ally on this team. He could have explained quite clearly to the veteran players what direction he thought this team had to go in, and asked for their support even as he tried to trade them.

posted by billfer at 3:03 AM

Lima back in rotation. Adam Bernero will move to the bullpen and Lima will take his starting spot.
posted by billfer at 3:00 AM

Transaction Oracle - Baseball Primer

Espinosa presents some problems for the Reds and now the Tigers. He has tremendous physical tools, but he's still very raw. There's definite upside there, but along with Dane Sardinha, Espinosa signed a major league contract and at the rate he's progressing, he'll be out of options before he's close to being ready to the majors.
We'll see who the PTBNLs are. I'm still impressed that the Tigers got someone who is thought of as a prospect for a guy in Brian Moehler's position.

posted by billfer at 5:00 PM

The Tigers have traded Brian Moehler to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league second baseman David Espinosa (Cincinnati's 1st round pick in 2000), and two players to be named later. Espinosa will report to Class A Lakeland. Brian Powell from Toledo will take Moehler's spot in the rotation.
posted by billfer at 12:17 PM

KennyRogers nixes trade to contending Reds. The Tigers have scheduled a press conference for 3:00 today to announce they have traded Brian Moehler.
posted by billfer at 11:18 AM

Kaline unhappy with state of his beloved baseball
posted by billfer at 3:23 AM

Roster Notes

Jamie Walker,1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in 27 games with the Tigers earlier this season, was recalled from Triple-A Toledo, where he was 0-1 with a 1.98 in 10 games.
To make room on the roster, right-hander Jose Paniagua was outrighted to the Mud Hens. Paniagua cleared waivers and has 72 hours to report. If he doesn't, the Tigers don't have to pay the remaining $550,000 of his $1.325-million contract.

posted by billfer at 8:23 AM

Rob Parker: Dombrowski is showing his reputation comes before Tigers - 07/21/02

If you didn't know already, it's pretty clear now. Dave Dombrowski is all about himself, not the team.

posted by billfer at 8:21 AM

Mets notebook: Higginson target of trade interest

Former hitting coach Dave Engle is a special assignment scout for the Mets and has been a frequent attendee of recent Tigers games in Detroit. According to a person familiar with his assignment, Engle has been in the Motor City looking carefully at left fielder Bobby Higginson, a player the Mets have had interest in before.

posted by billfer at 8:19 AM

July 16, 2002 - The Daily Prospectus: Ten Days, One Column

The A's won the big three-way trade, although I'm not sure I see any losers. The Tigers may be less of a winner, but Carlos Pena is already their best player, and gives them someone around which to build a lineup.

posted by billfer at 5:47 PM

New York Post columnist, Kevin Kernan, on the possibility of the Tigers folding: As for the Tigers, there's wonderful history here, but this Tiger long ago lost its bite. The Tigers are just another convenience store stop for the Yankees. If the Yanks need a pitcher, they stop and buy Jeff Weaver like you and I stop for a gallon of milk. The Tigers are a joke.

Baseball America Online - Preston Larrison(Class A Lakeland)

He's drawn favorable comparisons to another Evansville standout, Andy Benes, for his frame and stuff. While he's not quite as overpowering as Benes, who was drafted by the Padres with the first overall pick in 1988, Larrison can run his fastball into the low-90s and regularly works in the 88-92 mph range with good movement. He also uses a curveball and changeup and has used his three-pitches to hold FSL hitters to a .212 average in 67 innings.

posted by billfer at 8:17 AM

Erie stars have lost luster at Toledo - 07/11/02
posted by billfer at 4:05 AM

I'm sure by know you've heard about'Nobody Night' in Charleston. What you may not know is that the opposing team was the Columbus RedStixx and they are managed by former Tiger prospect Torey Lovullo.
posted by billfer at 7:07 AM

This voice still speaks to the heart 07/10/02
A nice column about memories of Ernie Harwell from a Jacksonville paper.
posted by billfer at 3:55 AM

Kevin Wheeler: Prospects in Weaver deal have strong credentials
posted by billfer at 3:22 AM

Molony: Tigers Made Right Trade

This latest trade could prove to be another in a long string of far-sighted moves Dombrowski has made during his career. In many cases those trades looked much better in hindsight than they did initially.

posted by billfer at 4:03 AM

Peter Gammons

Comerica Park in Detroit isn't a hitters' park, but it's a good place for Pena to go relax and be himself. He had disappointed some in Oakland who thought he was more advanced than he showed to be, and reliever Franklyn German (who also went to Detroit in the deal) is another tools guy Beane always uses -- like Jesus Colome, Jose Ortiz and Mario Encarnacion -- in deals such as this.

posted by billfer at 5:01 PM

Transaction Oracle - Baseball Primer

This is a puzzling trade from the Tigers' point of view. Jeff Weaver is the kind of pitcher you want to acquire when you're rebuilding a team, a 25-year old pitcher who looks like he's becoming an ace. Carlos Pena remains an excellent prospect, but the Tigers are just swapping very good players and not really making any gains off of it. The Tigers already have Munson coming around in Toledo (OPS getting close to .850 despite a .231 batting average) and I just don't feel that this is enough of an upgrade to justify trading Weaver.

posted by billfer at 8:44 AM

I've been away for the last couple days and am just now getting caught up on the trade. (apparently Blogger was glitchy and somehow listed me as the poster of the trade link, and had the wrong day) I was going to post all my thougts on the trade, but Lynn Henning did a pretty good job of breaking it down.

I hate seeing Weaver go, because he was the one guy that you felt like the Tigers had a chance to win with. At the same time, the injuries to Dmitri Young, Bobby Higginson, Damion Easley have hindered Dombrowski's ability to trade those guys, and trading Weaver was the only way to bring in multiple quality pospects.

I think it is silly to try and decide if a trade was a good move right when it happens, but this trade did signal some more trends/future moves in the organization. First, either Matt Anderson's injury is worse than expected/reported or Dombrowski just doesn't feel he is a top notch closer. Second, Eric Munson's carrer in the Tiger organization will be ending shortly, and it is likely that Dmitri Young will be moved also. Third, it further illustrates that Dombrowski is not satisfied with the state of the Tigers farm system. While their are a number of good pitchers at Toledo and Erie, decent position players are hard to come by. Fourth, it indicates that the Tigers are still several years away from doing anything. If Dombrowski thought they were close (1-2 years), he never would have let a top-tier pitcher go.

One of the most concerning things for me about this trade, is that the other teams involved were the Yankees and Oakland. It just seems that who ever trades with Billy Beane or the Yankees, always gets the short end of the stick.

So I don't hate the deal (yet), I just wish the Tigers hadn't been so bad that Dombrowski felt he needed to make it. Also, the Tigers have now become completely unwatchable.
posted by billfer at 8:15 AM

New York Times: Torre Must Decide How Weaver Fits

"You know me � I always like to be there first and get what I think we need," Steinbrenner said. "This was a Cashman deal, and I think it was an excellent deal. This young man could be our No. 1 or 2 pitcher for eight years, for a long time. He'll fit right in."

posted by billfer at 7:45 AM

San Francisco Gate on the trade
posted by billfer at 7:43 AM

Yet another situation where the Tigers get a few "prospects". I'm glad for Weaver. He deserves better, but so do Tiger fans (if there are any left after this deal). Wasn't Dmitri Young the answer at 1st, backed up by Simon? Wasn't the 25 million dollar Weaver deal completed so Detroit could have a quality ace for the next few years....a guy to build a pitching staff around? I don't get it.
posted by Mike Meitzner at 2:01 PM

Tigers Trade Jeff Weaver
Good thing the Tigers got a first baseman. It's not like they're deep at that position or anything. I think the Tigers just like being taken advantage of by the Yankees.
posted by billfer at 4:53 AM

Detroit Tigers Promotions Schedule
This may be one of the best promotions ever:

Baseball purists who yearn for the days before pop music, commercials and in-game entertainment became staples of the game will have the chance to revel in the "good old days" as the Tigers host "Silent Night" on Monday, August 5 versus Anaheim. The Tigers will return baseball to its bare essentials for one night without the electronic, video and commercial enhancements that are commonplace in today's game. The August 5 game has been added as the make-up game for the Tigers rainout against the Angels on May 16.

posted by billfer at 4:08 AM

Danny Knobler: How many managers will it take before Tigers are good again?

But it's sad that you even would think of trading a 25-year-old who already looks like one of the best pitchers in the league. It's just as sad that the constant sense of turmoil makes it impossible for the Tigers to live up to even their limited potential.

posted by billfer at 3:21 AM

Father-son reunion? Cubs could swing it
If the Cubs fire Don Baylor, Felipe Alou could be a candidate for the job.
posted by billfer at 4:54 AM

Ken Rosenthal-More Weaver Trade Rumors

Tigers righthander Jeff Weaver is the Cardinals' No. 1 target, and the team likely would part with its top prospect, Class AA righthander Jimmy Journell. But the Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Red Sox might not have enough quality young players to land Weaver. Asked if the Tigers are still asking the moon for Weaver, one GM said, "and the sun, too." . . .

posted by billfer at 3:31 AM

Talk about Weaver trade won't go away

But perhaps the closest deal, and one that shows just how willing the Tigers are to trade Weaver, is the one the Tigers were hoping to make with Montreal. According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski called Indians' GM Mark Shapiro shortly after the Tribe traded Bartolo Colon to the Expos, because the Tigers had been trying to land the same prospects the Indians ended up with.
According to Gammons, quoting Shapiro: "(Dombrowski) knew the players because he was talking to (Expos' GM Omar Minaya about Weaver). He knows about making deals like this because of his Florida experience. He told me you just have to accept the fact that the public won't like it.'"

posted by billfer at 3:10 AM

ESPN.com - Page2 - Most overpaid baseball players

6. Jose Lima, starting pitcher, Detroit Tigers ($7.25 million)
In seven-plus seasons, Lima's won 60 and lost 72, and sports a lifetime ERA of 5.10. He's being paid big bucks now because, for two years -- 1998 and 1999 -- he was a very good pitcher for the Astros. Now, he's a terrible pitcher for the Tigers, sporting an ERA of 11.12 this season in only 22 2/3 innings pitched.

posted by billfer at 9:44 AM

SportingNews.com - Baseball : Detroit Tigers Midseason Report
posted by billfer at 5:11 AM

Roster Moves:

Henriquez, 28, was called up from Triple-A Toledo after the Tigers placed outfielder Jacob Cruz on the 15-day disabled list. Cruz has bone chips in his left elbow and is expected to see doctors next week to find out the extent of his injury and if he needs surgery.

UPDATE: Jacob Cruz will require surgery and is done for the year.
posted by billfer at 3:15 AM

Lynn Henning: Weaver must go before Tigers can win again

What Dombrowski does between now and the July 31 trade deadline will have everything to do with how fast the Tigers become shipshape.
Like it or not, that probably means trading Jeff Weaver for players who can help the Tigers end this rebuilding charade, which has consumed the better part of 15 years.

posted by billfer at 3:13 AM