The Tigers performance with runners in scoring position of late has caused much consternation and understandably so. Sometime the failures have just been failures, but during this recent stretch a significant portion was just bad luck. It’s only fitting then that Ramon Santiago plated the go-ahead run with an “excuse-me” flop shot to left.

Brian Fuentes and the Angels were 1 strike away from escaping the 9th inning with the game tied when Santiago reached down and somehow lifted the ball into shallow left field. A good jump and secondary lead by Gerald Laird let him reach home just before the tag.

Of course this was all possible by some clutchness by Miguel Cabrera as well who crushed the 9th pitch of his lead-off at-bat to tie the game in the first place. It was also possible because Jeremy Bonderman, Eddie Bonine, and Phil Coke held the Angels scoreless after that 3 run first inning.

Bonderman had no rhythm and limited control in the first inning. But he settled in and went 6 innings and picked up a quality start. He pitched around 2 errors (one of his own) and held the Angels to 4 hits.

Jose Valverde locked it down with a Fernando Rodney (circa 2010) 1-2-3 9th inning.

• It’s a hot button issue, so we’ll mention that the Tigers only stranded 5 and went 2 for 4 with RISP. Three of those LOB occurred when Johnny Damon was called out and then thrown out after a borderline 3rd strike. Don Kelly also lined into a bad luck double play.
• Speaking of Kelly, he did have an error. He also made a nice diving stop. Oh yeah, and he hit his first career homer. It was also the first non-Venezuelan Tigers homer of the year.
• Austin Jackson with 3 more strike outs. This is becoming epic.
• Yes, Gerald Laird was used as a pinch hitter. Yes it worked out. Go figure.

Baseball Prospectus released the first run of their 2010 PECOTA numbers this week, which makes for much fun in the stat-centric baseball community. PECOTA differentiates itself from many of the other predictors by finding pools of comparable players to make their predictions. While the numbers are premium content (and can also be found in the printed annual), I will share a few of the items that jumped out at me about the Tigers.

The system puts the Tigers at 78-84 which is 3rd place in the AL Central behind the division leading Twins (83-79) and the second place White Sox (80-82). The Tigers run prevention is pegged at 2nd in the division at 776 runs allowed; the White Sox are first at 751. But an offense full of questions from young and old players alike is expected to be the division’s worst.

At an individual level the system predicted two pairs of players to be remarkably similar. On the pitching side of things Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are expected to be nearly identical. Scherzer gets a slight edge in ERA (.12 runs better) and strikeout rate while Verlander gets the edge in walk rate and home run rate, but these differences are remarkably small.

On the offensive side of things, Alex Avila and Gerald Laird are projected to be equivalent players offensively. They are within 5 points of BA, 2 points of OBP and 1 point of SLG of each other. Before discrediting the system altogether keep in mind a couple things. First, Avila of course shined in his brief stint with the Tigers, but those numbers were better than what he’d posted as a minor leaguer and shouldn’t be used as his benchmark going forward. Second, there is very little data to draw from in predicting Avila, and there isn’t a great collection of similar players to project from. Avila’s similarity score is 37, which is quite low.

Of course predictions are just predictions. Things will deviate, but there is some solid methodology behind many of the numbers. BP’s defensive metrics aren’t their strong suit and the Tigers could have some more upside on the run prevention end of things. But a slightly below .500 record does “feel” right for this team right now. So does a shot at the division if a few things fall the Tigers way (Jackson/Sizemore/Robertson/Bonderman/left field). Such is life in the AL Central.

Gerald Laird was arrested Wednesday night for assaulting a security guard at a Phoneix Suns game. Here’s the blotter story:

Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird, 30, was cited for assault. His brother Brandon Laird, 22, was cited for disorderly conduct, police said. The younger brother is a prospect in the New York Yankees minor league system.

Police also arrested Gregory Scott Collins, 51, on suspicion of assault after the 9 p.m. incident as the Suns wrapped their 116-98 win over the Boston Celtics.

Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said a fourth man “inappropriately touched a female” at the lounge on level 3 of the arena, though he was not arrested because the female victim “did not want to get involved or provide us with any information and declined prosecution.”

Security previously contacted the group of men about their loud behavior, Hill said. Two of the men were allowed back into the lounge after a conversation with security, but a melee broke out shortly afterwards.

As security guards tried to arrest Brandon Laird, his brother and Collins “interfered and assaulted the security guards,” Hill said.

One shouldn’t rush to judgment on these matters, but Laird’s involvement in any way shape or form probably was a bad idea. Sigh. This Tigers team is getting hard to like. We’ll wait and see if Lynn Henning writes a series of columns about Laird being a distraction, dragging down the offense, and not being focused enough on baseball.

In the midst of a big unannounced move yesterday, the Tigers did make a small official moves. The Tigers signed catcher Robinzon Diaz to a minor league contract. It is mostly just a depth move, but it does give the Tigers a few options behind (or next to) Gerald Laird in 2010.

In 2009 the Tigers worked with a rotation of Dane Sardhina, Dusty Ryan, and Alex Avila as Laird’s caddy. Sardhina is just an abysmal hitter. Ryan has good pop and a cannon for an arm but seemingly couldn’t win over Jim Leyland. Avila burst on to the scene with the bat and probably raised expectations beyond a reasonable level with his August performance but he’s still quite new to catching.

So the Tigers inked Diaz to become an insurance policy. Avila needs to catch on a regular basis and initially it may be better if he does so in the minors. He went to winter ball but struggled. His struggles probably weren’t a large factor in the decision to get Diaz. But the Tigers expect for Diaz to compete for the back-up role regardless.

Some feel he can compete for a job as backup catcher in spring training
– Dombrowski on Diaz

As for Diaz’s game, he has a decent defensive reputation and offensively he seems Randall Simon-esque in his refusal to not put the ball in play. He won’t be a game changer but he is another option.

Image credit Pshanks on flickr

I don’t remember the general manager meetings being this interesting in past years. Most of the action seems to usually take place at the winter meetings that take place in December. This year the GM meetings have served Tigers fans up with a disconcerting set of rumors with the Tigers making most of the team available for trade. But does this qualify as a fire sale?

It all started Tuesday night when the news hit that Edwin Jackson could be available along with Gerald Laird. Things got more interesting Wednesday afternoon when a New York Post story cited a National League executive who said the Tigers were listening to offers on Curtis Granderson. Olney later tweeted the same information. With two All Stars potentially on the block, a depressed economic region, and a payroll that leaves little flexibility the phrases “financial difficulty” and “fire sale” began working their way into columns. By evening Jon Heyman added Brandon Inge (h/t MLBTR) to the list of those the Tigers could be looking to trade. Are the Tigers slashing payroll?

Dave Dombrowski denied that the Tigers were in fire sale mode. He also iterated that the Tigers don’t have a set payroll yet from Mike Ilitch. So if the Tigers aren’t cutting and slashing the payroll, what is behind all the rumor and speculation?

When the Jackson rumor hit we went through a number of factors and possible scenarios. With Granderson and Inge added to the list it clears up a lot of the possibilities but I don’t think it points to payroll slashing. What I do think it confirms – and this isn’t a surprise – is that the team likely has limited flexibility with their payroll.

What we’re seeing now is every player on the roster with potential value being floated. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Miguel Cabrera’s name or Justin Verlander’s names pop up in the coming weeks. The Tigers have holes to fill and limited means to fill them. They also have a number of contracts coming off the books after 2010. If the Tigers trade a player or two to fill a couple holes and get younger or cheaper at the same time, it’s a win – especially going into a season where playoff aspirations are likely limited.

Granderson, Laird, Jackson, and Inge all make some money, but the 4 are a relatively small part of the overall payroll. Moving one or two of them isn’t going to have a significant financial impact. It’s more a matter of improving the team in the long run.

With Granderson and Jackson in particular the Tigers would be able to net a significant package. These players aren’t going to be given away which means that it is unlikely they are going anywhere, and if they do the team stands to be better for it.*

*The above paragraph is my best attempt at taking a cold and analytical look at the situation. The fan in me is sick about the thought of Curtis Granderson playing for another team. So maybe on second thought the paragraph is an attempt at rationalizing the minimal likelihood of a Granderson trade to make me feel better.

There has been considerable speculation about the Tigers financial state. The payroll will be high, and there are continued questions about revenue potential. Mike Ilitch saw less advertising revenue. Attendance was relatively strong, but the Tigers missed out on any postseason gate receipts despite adding payroll midseason. Now Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi are reporting that Dave Dombrowski is listening to offers on Edwin Jackson.

Jackson will likely command a salary of about $5 million in 2010 as he enters his 2nd of 3 years of arbitration eligibility and so a trade would seemingly be at least a year early. The salary wouldn’t appear to be prohibitive for a player that was 3.5 WAR last year and 1.5 WAR each of the previous 2 years. In other words, Jackson will have surplus value next year even he reverts closer to his 2007-8 numbers than his 2009 campaign. Of course value or not, cash is cash and if the Tigers don’t have the money they don’t have the money regardless of the value.

Aside from money, or perhaps in addition to it, are there are reasons why trading Jackson may be desirable?

The Sell High theory

Why this makes sense: Jackson is coming off legitimately the best season of his career. His 3.62 ERA was stellar, but he pitched into some luck without a remarkable strike out rate. His FIP ERA was 4.28. Definitely above average, but not eye-popping. Jackson faded down the stretch – badly. Perhaps the Tigers think Jackson hit his ceiling and they don’t think he can replicate or build upon his 2009 season. They know that Jim Leyland rode him pretty hard and they’re worried about his health or stamina going forward.

Bill James predicts his FIP to balloon back to 4.72 for the 2010 season. If the Tigers can parlay his 2009 season into younger/cheaper talent it may make sense to move now.

Why this doesn’t make sense: As mentioned earlier, Jackson is still a good bet to be a good value as long as he remains under club control. Plus, opposing GM’s have access to all these same stats and circumstances. Also, the Tigers would need to replace over 200 innings of above league average  production and it’s doubtful that talent exists currently in the organization. This leads us to…

Freeing up money for a big move theory

Why this makes sense: The Tigers were reported to meet with Aroldis Chapman who will command big money. Perhaps the Tigers think they have a shot at Chapman and that he could step right into the rotation. I don’t know how Chapman’s contract would be structured, but it seems reasonable that he would make comparable money (or perhaps a little less) than Jackson in 2010. The upshot is the team gets younger without adding payroll in the coming season – and they get some prospects.

Why this doesn’t make sense: Lots of teams want Chapman and that would be a lot of eggs to put in a basket that may be full of holes.

Pitcher X is ready theory

Why this makes sense: Andy Oliver, the Tigers 2009 second round pick was aggressively sent to the Arizona Fall League where he’s had some success after getting roughed up in his first outing. Are the Tigers looking at a rotation of Verlander/Porcello/Bonderman/Oliver/Robertson in 2010? The Tigers are paying Bonderman and Robertson (and Willis) no matter what so they might as well try and extract something from them. They aren’t movable but Jackson is. Plus the Tigers have been aggressive in their promotions in the past.

You could also make the case that the Tigers think they have found something in Scot Drucker. He’s also been strong in the AFL and he could find himself in the mix as well come April 2010.

Why this doesn’t make sense: Oliver is very talented and could prove to be a great pick in the second round. But he has 12 professional inning at this point and a 13:8 K:BB ratio. I’m not saying that Oliver couldn’t make starts at some point in 2010 – or even break camp in the rotation – but to pencil him in 3 months before spring training starts would be kind of crazy.

Drucker is probably a more legitimate candidate for this spot, but I don’t think he’s at the point where the Tigers would be freeing up a rotation spot for him.

Playing for beyond 2010

Why this makes sense: As challenged as the Tigers will be with payroll in 2010, things get better in 2011. Robertson, Bonderman’s, Inge’s, and Willis’ contracts all come off the books and because of Ordonez’s limited playing time in 2009 he isn’t a sure bet to vest for 2011. Maybe the Tigers bite the bullet in 2010 knowing that things will be better in the future with a core of Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello and hopefully developing youngsters Scott Sizemore, Alex Avila, and Ryan Perry.

Conversely, they may view the division as so weak that even in a re-tooling season they could hang around enough in the AL Central to make things interesting.

If Jackson isn’t required under these scenarios, now might be the time to trade him because his value may not be appreciably higher after the 2010 season. If he can replicate 2009 next year it would further establish that 2009 was a break through rather than a fluke, but it would also take away a year of club control for the receiving team.

Why this doesn’t make sense: The Tigers will still have over a $100 million payroll without Jackson and that is too much for a re-tooling team. The Tigers are likely to be turning to a younger middle infield already, as well as a new closer most likely. If the payroll is too high for a non-competing team then the talent without Jackson probably isn’t sufficient for a middling team.

Putting it together

If the Tigers are serious about trading Jackson, there are probably facets of each of the above scenarios that come into play. Even then, the overarching motivation is probably money. The same Fox Sports article also mentioned that industry sources are saying that Gerald Laird is available as well further leading to the cash flow theory. But at the same time the Tigers are still talking about bringing Brandon Lyon back and he’ll command a salary similar to what Jackson would make.

As long as Mike Ilitch is mum on the payroll fans are left to speculate as to how Dombrowski will improve a team with many question marks on a tight budget. Unconventional moves like flipping Jackson may the only recourse to get through to the salary relief coming after 2010.

Aside from Joel Zumaya’s season ending surgery, the news is actually pretty good on the injury front. So much so that the only wound licking to take place should be residual pain of a 2-4 road trip.

• Carlos Guillen, already swinging a productive stick from the left side, could be playing in left field by the end of the week. Now Guillen in left isn’t necessarily good news from a defensive perspective but it also means he isn’t locked into the DH role. Beck’s Blog: Guillen close to playing in field
• Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson had good reports the day following their simulated game and head out on rehab assignment. Both will be in Toledo starting Tuesday (so the Mud Hens should eat well) with the goal to stretch Robertson out as a starter while Bonderman will be pitching out of the pen. I wouldn’t expect Robertson back before September 1st when the rosters expand. Tigers Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson to pitch in Toledo on Tuesday | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
• After Saturday’s effort I’m in no hurry to bump Porcello from the rotation, but the addition of either pitcher, or someone else after September 1st could help to curtail Porcello’s workload down the stretch. With a bigger roster to work with Leyland could do some split starts with Porcello if need be.
• Brandon Inge’s balky knees have bothered him less of late due to a change in his treatment regimen, and the fact he’s been working with a specialist on a way to put the pain out of his mind.
• Gerald Laird has been the Tigers best baserunner. Who knew? Tiger Tales: A Detroit Tigers Blog: Gerald Laird Leads Tigers in Base Running
• Speaking of Gerald Laird, i was wondering if he might have any soft of advantage working with Jarrod Washburn since they spent several years in the AL West together. Turns out Laird only has 16 plate appearances against him. And in case you were wondering, Luke Scott is only 1 for 3 off of Washburn lifetime. 
• Finally, a look at Rick Porcello’s awesome outing through the lens of pitch f/x. Fire Jim Leyland: Rick Porcello’s Start Through PITCHf/x

Catching up on the Tigers injuries and recoveries of note:

• Jeremy Bonderman is feeling great after playing catch. He’s up to 90 feet with no pain. That’s good.
• Joel Zumaya went to see Dr. James Andrews for stiffness. That’s bad. But there’s nothing wrong. That’s good.
• Gerald Laird has a strained quadricep. And Bobby Seay is feeling something in his quadricep too.
• Clete Thomas is throwing the ball 150 feet and may be available to start the season.

The Tigers inked 4 of the 5 arbitration eligible players today. Gerald Laird ($2.8), Edwin Jackson ($2.2), Bobby Seay ($1.1) and Joel Zumaya ($733,000) are all in the fold. Missing from that list is Justin Verlander.

Verlander is the only one of the group likely to be in the mix for a long term deal. It’s also something he may not be eager to sign in the worst offseason for contracts in recent memory, and coming off a season when his numbers were down.

Verlander and the Tigers exchanged numbers and Detroit is offering $3.2 while Verlander is asking for $4.15. It’s a very manageable difference and I’ll guess they settle somewhere around $3.8.

I have updated the salary chart and the team looks to be at about $117 million at the moment.

Tigers ink four, ponder Verlander terms | tigers.com: News

A very impromptu episode of DTW Live as we look at the day that was on the Tigers hot stove.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for watching. The archived version is below:

With an fairly exciting, or at least productive, day of the winter meetings in the books, I look at the impact of the Everett and Laird deals and speculate about how the Tigers will spend the rest of their money. There is also an extended question and answer session and I get mocked about my choice of beer.

You can leave comments in the video if you like, just click that little plus sign in the player and the comment goes right at the specific point where you hit the plus.

Links mentioned:

• Motown Sports
• Detroit Tiger Thoughts
• MLB Trade Rumors
• Tigers depth chart (h/t Detroit Tiger Thoughts)
• Laird as starter, Ryan as Mud Hen
• Everett’s defense

Paraphrasing some comments from Gerald Laird during his conference call today:

• Thoughts on the Tigers pitchers: looking forward to being on the same side as Verlander, Bonderman and other guys and catching them instead of hitting them.
• Doesn’t really know the guys on the team that well aside from playing against them
• Comerica is a great hitting park
• Jimmy Leyland is one of the greatest managers in the game. Excited to pick his brain and learn.
• Excited to play everyday. Was very frustrating in Texas not knowing whether or not he was the guy. He’s looking forward to relaxing and not looking over his shoulder.
• Looks forward to working with a stable rotation – there was a lot of flux in Texas
• He started getting text messages while at the Arizona Cardinal game and found out later that night
• His priority is to get the most out of the staff and throwing guys out and making plays at the plate. The bulk of his preparation is defensive game calling.

It appears as if the Tigers have filled their hole behind the plate by acquiring catcher Gerald Laird from the Texas Rangers. In return the Tigers will ship out starting pitching prospect Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo. The move is expected to be formally announced later today.

Gerald Laird

Laird will be 29 next year and has played in parts of 6 big league season. He’s only had one really productive year offensively when he hit 296/332/473 in 78 games. In his only season in which he broke the 100 game mark he struggled posting only a 224/278/349 line in 2007. Marcel and Bill James projections have him at a .310-.315 wOBA in 2009 and in 2008 MLB catchers posted a .311 wOBA line so he stands to be average for the position offensively.

Defensively he’s well regarded posting caught stealing rates in excess of 35% in ’06 and ’07 while catching 28% last year. Tango’s fan survey rated him as an above average defender at 66.

The downside to Laird is that he’s a right handed hitter so there isn’t an opportunity to platoon with Dusty Ryan. Instead it would just be a timeshare.

Laird is entering his second year or arbitration and he made $1.6 million last year meaning he’ll probably earn a little over $2 million this year.

Guillermo Moscoso

Guillermo Mosocoso cr - Wendy Smith

Guillermo Moscoso became better known just recently when he made Baseball America’s top 10 list (at number 10) and when he was added to the 40 man roster. Moscoso may best be known for his perfect game at Oneonta in 2007, but should probably be better known for the 122:21 K:BB ratio he amassed in 76.2 innings between A and AA. At 24 he was old for A ball, but only a little old for AA ball. Contributing at the big league level at the age of 25 would still keep him legitimately in prospect range.

Moscoso hasn’t pitched a full pro season due to injuries. When healthy he has a low 90′s fastball and a change and curveball. Moscoso does have flyball tendencies though which usually isn’t a good recipe for Arlington.

Analysis

I haven’t been on board the Laird train this winter, but I can certainly get behind this trade. Laird is average offensively for the position and above average defensively and the Tigers picked him up for the #10 prospect in their system. Moscoso has value (the aforementioned strikeout to walk ratio) and was a decent bet to help on the Tigers big league roster at some point this season. But he also hasn’t topped 92 innings in a pro season and he will be 25.

The second player, Carlos Melo, may be terrific, but he is also 17 and hasn’t pitched in the states yet and is several years away from contributing at this point. His inclusion doesn’t swing this for me one way or the other.

Laird’s lack of a history of playing a full season is also concerning, but the Tigers have hope that Dusty Ryan could be their next catcher anyways. This is merely a way of taking some of that pressure of off Ryan.

In the end the Tigers fill one of their needs suitably with out outlaying a ton prospect wise or dollar wise before the winter meetings even kick off. It’s hard to be upset about that.

Jon Paul Morosi reports that the Tigers and Rangers may be closing in on a deal that would send Guillermo Moscoso to the Rangers for Gerald Laird.

The Tigers need help at catcher and Laird is established. The Rangers need pitching and Moscoso could be close the the majors after posting stellar strike out and walk rates at between A and AA this past season.

Are Larish and Thames on the trading block?

Tomorrow is the start of the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas and things are going to get crazy-stupid when it comes to rumors and people who saw people talking to people. It was at the winter meetings last year (a year ago last Thursday to be exact) when the Tigers traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. It was a move that came out of nowhere, so you never know what will happen. With that in mind, here is a cautious look at Tigers related rumors before the meetings begin.

Bullpen help

As mentioned Friday, it looks like the Tigers and the Mets are both interested in former Cubs closer Kerry Wood. The Mets however favor K-Rod which would work in the Tigers favor. But Buster Olney says that the Mets will throw offers out to multiple closers and the first that accepts will get the gig. Nice to be in a buyers marker.

Wood very well could be better than both Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes, but health concerns could make him affordable from a dollars and years stand point. Motor City Bengals notes that while Wood’s numbers were terrific, his door-slamming ability wasn’t really tested in ’08.

Another closer with injury concerns is being linked to the Tigers today as well in the form of J.J. Putz. It’s not the first time Putz’s name has come up. This time it is Nick Cafardo (purveyor of Robertson for Lugo rumors) raising the issue, but it sounds like he’s talking more from a fit perspective than actual rumors.

UPDATE 12:01 a.m. John Perrotto reports that the Tigers would like to use Jeff Larish as part of a deal for Putz.

While there are mixed feelings about him as a closer, I’m still a fan of Brandon Lyon as bullpen help. I’m in favor of snapping up a player who won’t cost draft picks as compensation, and who generally doesn’t offer up walks. He’s also a buy-low candidate coming off a year in which he was hurt by a high batting average on balls in play. There’s no rumor here except for me stating my interest. Of course it could be a moot point if Lyon elects to accept arbitration which he is seriously considering. Today is the deadline though so we should know soon enough.

UPDATE 10:55 p.m. Lyon has rejected arbitration.

UPDATE 12.08.08 5:08 a.m. David Weathers, another named linked to the Tigers has accepted arbitration.

Catcher

Gerald Laird is still the name the Tigers are pursuing. Morosi mentions pitchers like Guillermo Moscoso, Brandon Hamilton, Luis Marte, and Jon Kibler as possible trading chits.

UPDATE 10:45 p.m. The Tigers and Rangers may be nearing a deal involving Guillermo Moscoso

Starting Pitcher

This has been remarkably quiet. In fact the only free agent starter I’ve heard linked to the Tigers is Freddy Garcia who his battling an arm and shoulder injury of some degree of severity.

Shortstop

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette indicates that the Pirates may be looking for either Matt Joyce or Jeff Larish in return for Jack Wilson. Joyce is a definite no, Larish is a maybe in my book. Our friends at Pirates Revolution run down the pro’s and con’s of a Wilson trade.

The Tigers will meet with Adam Everett this week in Vegas.

UPDATE 12:01 a.m. Perrotto reports the Tigers interest in Wilson has cooled and that they view Everett as his equal.

UPDATE 12.08.08 5:08 a.m. Rosenthal says the Tigers are also looking Nick Punto but that Everett is the preference. Morosi notes that Everett worked out for the Tigers yesterday.

And while the Tigers aren’t being linked at all to Rafael Furcal or Orlando Cabrera, it’s worth noting the shift in the shortstop market with Furcal not signing with the A’s and Cabrera declining arbitration. I see both of these moves benefiting the Tigers indirectly.

This should serve as a nice repository for rumors. If there are updates to any of the names mentioned here, I’ll post the update when I get a chance. If something more concrete comes about, we’ll get up a post about that as well. Hang on. This could be a fun week.

This is the DTW’s first foray into live web video. The show will kick off at 11 a.m. and you can watch it below. If you’d like to make comments you can head over to the ustream.tv page and join in the chat. I’ll be talking about the Tigers offseason, and the Jack Wilson rumors. Feel free to ask questions and I’ll try to tackle those as well.

I’ll try and archive this for later viewing after the show, and links I mention I will include in this post as well.

UPDATE: The archived version is now up below.

Recap

We touched on the Jack Wilson trade rumors, of which I have mixed emotions depending on who the Tigers give up. I pitched Josh Bard over Gerald Laird again. I expressed frustration over the relievers the Tigers are linked to. Mostly I’m worried that I don’t know what direction the Tigers are moving in, is it cost cutting or competing and how much impact will the Big 3 situation effect the payroll.

Thanks to all those who participated and spread the word. Thanks also to my co-host Jade the Beagle.

Links to stuff mentioned

• Bless You Boys
• Motown Sports
• Those who plugged it on Twitter @big_al_twfe, @livetweetlinks, @coryh64 (check out his Pirates blog), @piraterev, @blessyouboys, and @dougwernet.
• Dombrowski with NY Daily News
• Jack Wilson rumors
• Joe Beimel rumors