2011-12 Hot Stove Thread

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

Anyone know how backloaded the contract is?

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

AL Central = Prince and the paupers.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

Well, yeah. Any move is fine if it leads to a World Series.

The question is whether the Detroit Tigers increased their odds of winning a WS in the next nine years with this signing, vs. using the money in other ways.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

And it's not like they tried it for very long. Cabrera only played 14 games at third base in 2008, his first year with the Tigers, and hasn't played the position since. The results could be very ugly if they move him back.

Regarding the contract, that was way too much for Fielder, even if he can DH as he gets older, and I'm sure something of a panic move after losing Martinez. How long do they have Martinez signed for, anyway?

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

This year and two more, so at some point they'll be confronted with a decision of what to do.

Fielder can never play any field position besides 1B; Martinez barely could before the knee injury.

Finding some other position Cabrera can play on at least a part-time basis is the best solution.

Of course he won't be able to play the galactic-class defense of Brandon Inge (a myth spread among Tiger fans because he dives in the dirt a lot and continually talks about what a great fielder he is) but a 500-point edge in OPS makes up for a few booted ground balls.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

That point being this offseason. I can't see Cabrera moving back to third base full time and I doubt they want Martinez catching regularly, especially after this knee injury.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

Whether the contract is too big, and the implications on the overall health of the team, can't really be weighed without considering the ownership. Same as Pujols. Do we know that the Year 7-9 cost of Fielder is going to affect the rest of the Tigers' payroll? Or will Ilitch, like his fellow billionaires Arte Moreno and the Steinbrenners, just absorb the cost personally and let the team carry on if Fielder falls apart?

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

I think you hit the nail on the head. Ilitch is not getting any younger and wants to win now. When you look at his success with the Red Wings and putting together some amazing teams and signing some great players to big contracts (Marian Hossa), he wants to win NOW.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

When did he sign Hossa to a big long term deal?

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

I'll take your word for it, although your math is a little off. 42+61+9=112, so I'm not sure which of your totals was off, but I get the gist of what you're saying.

I don't see how five or six runs in the course of a season is worth 20% of his offensive value. He drove in 120 runs and his 38 HRs were second among first basemen. I don't think leaving five or six runs off the board really hurt his team that badly.

Anyway, my real argument is that compared to the market that has been set, his AAV is pretty much where it should be. The length of the contract was a big mistake, I think.

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

 

Re: 2011 Hot Stove Thread

I doubt Martinez will ever catch again. If he ever plays any field position it will be, uh huh, first base.

The only option the Tigers will have this year is to buy out Martinez lock stock and barrel. No other team is going to pick him up unless they see him back on the field and hitting.

The Tigers' best hope is to hope Martinez comes back from the injury strong (I have seen some citations of guys coming back from ACLs in 6 months but that seems pretty far-fetched), can re-establish some market value and give them some option of what to do. The money on the Martinez contract is effectively sunk anyway, so why not?

My bet is they try to get Cabrera to play some other field position, 3B or LF, at least on a part-time basis to leave them some way to get Martinez in the lineup if it comes to that.