The Tigers have traded reliever Ryan Perry to the Washington Nationals for reliever Collin Balester. This is not exactly a blockbuster, but the 25-year-old Balester has had some pretty good peripherals since being moved to the bullpen in 2010. He has compiled a 3.81 ERA and 62/25 K/BB ratio in just 56 2/3 innings in two years. On the negative side, he had 7 Meltdowns in just 23 games last year.
The right-handed Balester has an average fastball velocity of 94 MPH and he also throws a curveball. He doesn't seem to have a third pitch which is probably why he is now in the bullpen. Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski likes Balester because he is capable of pitching multiple innings and he will probably serve as the Tigers long reliever.
It's disappointing the Tigers couldn't get more out of their 2008 first-round draft pick, but I wasn't really expecting much from him at this point. As for Balester, I can't say I'm either excited or disappointed by the move. I do like Balester's 9.8 K rate the last two years, but it seems he does get hit hard fairly often. I doubt either will play a major role on his new team.
Showing posts with label tranactions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tranactions. Show all posts
Friday, December 09, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Gerald Laird is Back
The Tigers have made their first somewhat significant move of the off-season by signing catcher Gerald Laird to a one-year deal. Before you get too upset, keep in that he will probably be playing fewer than 40 games as Alex Avila's back-up catcher. The 32-year-old Laird needs no introduction to Tigers fans who remember him as a good field no hit catcher on the 2009-2010 teams. He spent last year backing up Cardinals starter Yadier Molina and wound up with a World Series ring.
In 884 plate appearances over the past three seasons, the right-handed-hitting Laird has put up a sub-par .220/.291/.319 batting line. On the positive side, he has a .729 lifetime OPS versus left-handed pitchers, and those are the pitchers he'll be facing as you can be sure that Avila will not sit versus many right handers.
Laird is a strong defender with a deadly accurate arm. Over the past three years, he has thrown out 36% of base runners attempting to steal. The MLB average is 28%.
The Tigers used Victor Martinez as their back-up catcher for much of 2011, but ran into trouble when a knee injury confined him to designated hitter in the second half. While Martinez was able to continue to excel offensively, the lack of an experienced back-up forced manager Jim Leyland to use Avila almost every day over the last couple of months. He was obviously beat up and worn down for the playoffs.
The Tigers wanted to add another catcher this winter so that Martinez could be the full-time DH and Avila could get more rest They reportedly also considered Ramon Castro, Jose Molina, Kelly Shoppach and Matt Treanor, but apparently decided that Laird was the best option.
In 884 plate appearances over the past three seasons, the right-handed-hitting Laird has put up a sub-par .220/.291/.319 batting line. On the positive side, he has a .729 lifetime OPS versus left-handed pitchers, and those are the pitchers he'll be facing as you can be sure that Avila will not sit versus many right handers.
Laird is a strong defender with a deadly accurate arm. Over the past three years, he has thrown out 36% of base runners attempting to steal. The MLB average is 28%.
The Tigers used Victor Martinez as their back-up catcher for much of 2011, but ran into trouble when a knee injury confined him to designated hitter in the second half. While Martinez was able to continue to excel offensively, the lack of an experienced back-up forced manager Jim Leyland to use Avila almost every day over the last couple of months. He was obviously beat up and worn down for the playoffs.
The Tigers wanted to add another catcher this winter so that Martinez could be the full-time DH and Avila could get more rest They reportedly also considered Ramon Castro, Jose Molina, Kelly Shoppach and Matt Treanor, but apparently decided that Laird was the best option.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Omir Santos, Brad Thomas Removed from 40-Man Roster
The Tigers have removed catcher Omir Santos and Brad Thomas from their 40-man roster and optioned both to triple-A Toledo. This is a procedural move that will result in both players becoming free agents. If he never plays another major league game, Santos can say that he played in a playoff game. After being added to the post-season roster as the Tigers backup catcher, Santos played in one game. He was the Tigers catcher for one inning of the 10-1 loss to the Yankees in game four. Brad Thomas had finished the season on the 60-day disabled list with an elbow injury.
Thursday, September 01, 2011
September Call-ups
The Tigers announced today that they have added right-haned pitchers Luis Marte and Jacob Turner, second baseman Will Rhymes and outfielder Andy Dirks to their active roster. Turner will start today's game versus the Royals in order to give an extra day of rest for each pitcher in their rotation.
Guillen or Rhymes could work their way into the mix at second base at some point. As long as the Tigers continue their winning ways though, the Tigers will probably stick with Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn. The extra infielders, along with the addition of Dirks, do give the Tigers more flexibility to use pinch hitters, pinch runners and defensive replacements late in games.
Marte is a surprise call-up as he had to be added to the 40-man roster. The five-foot-ten 185 pound Marte posted an impressive 1.90 ERA and 70/22 K/BB ratio in 56 1/3 innings most for Double-A Erie. You can learn more about Marte at TigsTown.
Guillen or Rhymes could work their way into the mix at second base at some point. As long as the Tigers continue their winning ways though, the Tigers will probably stick with Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn. The extra infielders, along with the addition of Dirks, do give the Tigers more flexibility to use pinch hitters, pinch runners and defensive replacements late in games.
Marte is a surprise call-up as he had to be added to the 40-man roster. The five-foot-ten 185 pound Marte posted an impressive 1.90 ERA and 70/22 K/BB ratio in 56 1/3 innings most for Double-A Erie. You can learn more about Marte at TigsTown.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Inge Up, Dirks Down
As many Tigers fans guessed/hoped/feared, third baseman Brandon Inge is coming back to Detroit. The Tigers announced tonight that Inge is being added to the roster and that outfielder Andy Dirks is being optioned to Toledo. Manager Jim Leyland revealed that Inge will start against left-handed pitchers and be a defensive replacement for recently acquired Wilson Betemit.
Inge was having a miserable season for the Tigers at the time of his demotion. He was batting .177 with a .483 OPS and his defense had declined to the point where he was no better than average at third base. However, he responded well to his trip to Toledo batting .287/.389/.519 with seven homers in 126 plate appearances.
Betemit has a big platoon split this year - .841 OPS versus RHP and .622 versus LHP - so platooning makes sense. Inge has a history of hitting left-handed pitchers, but this year has a paltry .560 OPS against them.. Hence, he's not the best platoon partner unless he solved his hitting problems in Triple-A. That doesn't seem likely though given his abysmal hitting performance in Detroit earlier this year.
I think the real motivation behind recalling Inge is defense. On a team with three predominantly ground ball pitchers - Doug Fister, Brad Penny and Rick Porcello - infield defense is very important. The Tigers infield defense is awful right now, so they could use all the help they can get. Inge is not the fielder he once was, but he's better than Betemit. And Roman Santiago also gives them a defensive boost when he fills in for Ryan Raburn.
Some Tigers fans are complaining about the demotion of Dirks, but there is not such a need for him with the acquisition of Delmon Young. One could certainly make a case that Dirks is more useful off the bench than Magglio Ordonez, but Dirks will probably be better off getting regular at bats with the MudHens.
Because Inge is such a polarizing player in Detroit, this move is already creating a controversy among Tigers fans. However, it's really not a big deal. It's simply a matter of substituting one bench player at a position of need for another at position where there is less of a need.
Inge was having a miserable season for the Tigers at the time of his demotion. He was batting .177 with a .483 OPS and his defense had declined to the point where he was no better than average at third base. However, he responded well to his trip to Toledo batting .287/.389/.519 with seven homers in 126 plate appearances.
Betemit has a big platoon split this year - .841 OPS versus RHP and .622 versus LHP - so platooning makes sense. Inge has a history of hitting left-handed pitchers, but this year has a paltry .560 OPS against them.. Hence, he's not the best platoon partner unless he solved his hitting problems in Triple-A. That doesn't seem likely though given his abysmal hitting performance in Detroit earlier this year.
I think the real motivation behind recalling Inge is defense. On a team with three predominantly ground ball pitchers - Doug Fister, Brad Penny and Rick Porcello - infield defense is very important. The Tigers infield defense is awful right now, so they could use all the help they can get. Inge is not the fielder he once was, but he's better than Betemit. And Roman Santiago also gives them a defensive boost when he fills in for Ryan Raburn.
Some Tigers fans are complaining about the demotion of Dirks, but there is not such a need for him with the acquisition of Delmon Young. One could certainly make a case that Dirks is more useful off the bench than Magglio Ordonez, but Dirks will probably be better off getting regular at bats with the MudHens.
Because Inge is such a polarizing player in Detroit, this move is already creating a controversy among Tigers fans. However, it's really not a big deal. It's simply a matter of substituting one bench player at a position of need for another at position where there is less of a need.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Tigers Acquire Delmon Young from Twins
In a surprise move, the Tigers have acquired outfielder Delmon Young from the division rival Twins for minor league pitcher Cole Nelson and a player to be named later. The right-handed hitting Young had been a highly touted prospect for years before seemingly breaking out last year batting .298/.333/.493. This year, he has disappointed with a paltry .662 OPS, but has an OPS of .782 since the beginning of June.
The biggest knock offensively against Young is lack of patience as he has walked in just 4% of his career plate appearances. He is also a poor defender as evidenced by his career -46 Total Zone and -43 Ultimate Zone Rating. If you think Raburn is a poor fielder, you may find out what a poor fielder really looks like now.
The 25-year-old Young is going to replace Magglio Ordonez in the line-up and that will be an upgrade. As bad as Young has been this season, his OPS is 87 points higher than Magglio Ordonez's .575 mark. Ordonez can't field anymore either, so they won't lose anything there. And it might surprise you that Young is five months younger than Brennan Boesch. So, while I'm not expecting much, it's not out of the question that Young could still live up to some of his promise.
Assuming the player to be named is not a significant prospect, I think it's a good move. At any rate, we'll see him soon. He's batting third tonight versus his old teammates.
The biggest knock offensively against Young is lack of patience as he has walked in just 4% of his career plate appearances. He is also a poor defender as evidenced by his career -46 Total Zone and -43 Ultimate Zone Rating. If you think Raburn is a poor fielder, you may find out what a poor fielder really looks like now.
The 25-year-old Young is going to replace Magglio Ordonez in the line-up and that will be an upgrade. As bad as Young has been this season, his OPS is 87 points higher than Magglio Ordonez's .575 mark. Ordonez can't field anymore either, so they won't lose anything there. And it might surprise you that Young is five months younger than Brennan Boesch. So, while I'm not expecting much, it's not out of the question that Young could still live up to some of his promise.
Assuming the player to be named is not a significant prospect, I think it's a good move. At any rate, we'll see him soon. He's batting third tonight versus his old teammates.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Inge Back, Worth Sent Down
Third baseman Brandon Inge (Mononucleosis) is done with his rehab and will be back with the Tigers on Friday. Utility infielder Danny Worth has been optioned to Toledo to make room on the roster. Inge will likely get the lion's share of the at bats at third base for the Tigers, but may not play every day if he's still ailing or if he doesn't hit. He is batting a meager .211 with a .565 OPS.
Inge's replacement Don Kelly hit better than Inge had been hitting prior to his stint on the disabled list. For the season, Kelly is hitting .264 with a .682 OPS. Kelly has been just OK defensively, but Inge is also not the rangy defender he once was. All this adds up to Kelly playing a couple days a week at third and maybe more if Inge continues to fail at the plate.
Kelly could also see time at second base if Ryan Raburn keeps up his horrendous season-long slump. Raburn is batting .204 with an alarming 74 strikeouts in 211 at bats. Unfortunately, the fact that Kelly is out-hitting two starters tells us more about the struggles of Inge and Raburn than it does about Kelly.
Inge's replacement Don Kelly hit better than Inge had been hitting prior to his stint on the disabled list. For the season, Kelly is hitting .264 with a .682 OPS. Kelly has been just OK defensively, but Inge is also not the rangy defender he once was. All this adds up to Kelly playing a couple days a week at third and maybe more if Inge continues to fail at the plate.
Kelly could also see time at second base if Ryan Raburn keeps up his horrendous season-long slump. Raburn is batting .204 with an alarming 74 strikeouts in 211 at bats. Unfortunately, the fact that Kelly is out-hitting two starters tells us more about the struggles of Inge and Raburn than it does about Kelly.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Inge to DL, Santos Recalled
The Detroit News reports that the Tigers have placed Brandon Inge on the 15-day disabled list with mononucleosis. They have called up catcher Omir Santos to take his place on the roster.
This probably means that Don Kelly will be the primary starting third baseman, with Danny Worth possibly playing versus left-handers. Since Inge is batting .211 with only nine extra base hits and is no longer a plus defender, they won't lose much if anything with Kelly at third. Kelly is batting .266 in limited action and is a capable third baseman.
Santos may only be up for the weekend if Magglio Ordonez is ready to return to the team on Monday. I was thinking they would send down an outfielder such as Casper Wells when Ordonez would return. However, with kelly and Raburn now playing in the infield, they would be left with five primary outfielders on the roster which is a reasonable number.
This probably means that Don Kelly will be the primary starting third baseman, with Danny Worth possibly playing versus left-handers. Since Inge is batting .211 with only nine extra base hits and is no longer a plus defender, they won't lose much if anything with Kelly at third. Kelly is batting .266 in limited action and is a capable third baseman.
Santos may only be up for the weekend if Magglio Ordonez is ready to return to the team on Monday. I was thinking they would send down an outfielder such as Casper Wells when Ordonez would return. However, with kelly and Raburn now playing in the infield, they would be left with five primary outfielders on the roster which is a reasonable number.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Dirks Recalled, Ordonez to DL
The Tigers have announced via Twitter that Magglio Ordonez has been placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 11 with ankle weakness. Outfielder Any Dirks will take his place on the roster. The left-handed batting Dirks was batting .328/.375/.527 with six homers for Triple-A Toledo.
The 25-year-old outfielder is a legitimate prospect, although not an elite one. He does not have one standout tool, but has pretty good skills across the board and is capable of playing all three outfield positions. He is also the type of gritty hard-working player who will appeal to manager Jim Leyland. That combined with his strong start for the MudHens means that he should get plenty of playing time. He probably won't arrive in time to start tonight's game, but look for him to start at one of the corner outfield positions against right-handed starters.
Since Ordonez is batting just .172 with four extra base hits, this move is only going to help the Tigers. It gives them a potentially productive bat in the line-up while allowing Ordonez time to heal properly.
The 25-year-old outfielder is a legitimate prospect, although not an elite one. He does not have one standout tool, but has pretty good skills across the board and is capable of playing all three outfield positions. He is also the type of gritty hard-working player who will appeal to manager Jim Leyland. That combined with his strong start for the MudHens means that he should get plenty of playing time. He probably won't arrive in time to start tonight's game, but look for him to start at one of the corner outfield positions against right-handed starters.
Since Ordonez is batting just .172 with four extra base hits, this move is only going to help the Tigers. It gives them a potentially productive bat in the line-up while allowing Ordonez time to heal properly.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Scott Sizemore is Free
Cries of "Free Scott Sizemore" have been heard around the Tigers internet community for the last couple of weeks. Tonight, the second baseman was finally called up to the Tigers to take the place of Will Rhymes. Sizemore's freedom was first reported by Bless You Boys and has now been confirmed by Jason Beck.
The sizzling Sizemore, who was batting .408/.495/.605 for Triple-A Toledo will probably start at second base tomorrow. He may split time with Ramon Santiago initially, but should claim the second base job for himself if his hot hitting carries over to the majors. The Tigers are obviously hoping he'll provide a spark to a team that desperately needs offense. Rhymes was batting .221 with one extra base hit in 81 plate appearances.
Sizemore is not the only player on the way to Detroit. He'll likely be joined by designated hitter/ back-up catcher Victor Martinez who is expected to come off the disabled list on Wednesday. There is no word yet on who he'll be replacing. I would have assumed it would be Omir Santos but Jim Leyland has hinted that he'd like to carry a third catcher (although that doesn't seem necessary).
The sizzling Sizemore, who was batting .408/.495/.605 for Triple-A Toledo will probably start at second base tomorrow. He may split time with Ramon Santiago initially, but should claim the second base job for himself if his hot hitting carries over to the majors. The Tigers are obviously hoping he'll provide a spark to a team that desperately needs offense. Rhymes was batting .221 with one extra base hit in 81 plate appearances.
Sizemore is not the only player on the way to Detroit. He'll likely be joined by designated hitter/ back-up catcher Victor Martinez who is expected to come off the disabled list on Wednesday. There is no word yet on who he'll be replacing. I would have assumed it would be Omir Santos but Jim Leyland has hinted that he'd like to carry a third catcher (although that doesn't seem necessary).
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tigers sign Penny
The Tigers have signed right-hander Brad Penny to a one year contact for three million dollars plus incentives. Penny had a 3.23 ERA for the Cardinals in 55 2/3 innings last year before going on the disabled list with a strained back. This seems like a low risk potentially high reward move. He gives them depth and will compete with Armando Galarraga for a rotation spot. He also gives them insurance in case Phil Coke does not work out as a starter. More later.
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