Baseball Thread V

Doyle Alexander?

 

Casty,

I think Carew was the only guy to win a batting championship without hitting a home run.

 

DAMNIT! Beat me to it. Well done.

 

But Mauer is such a fantasy baseball asset because he's a catcher.
(Go nuts, Spnited)

 

The Tigers have no real interest in Smoltz. Barring injury, their rotation is full -- Miner (3-1) actually makes it a six-man rotation when Maroth gets back -- and the bullpen is accounted for from the seventh through ninth innings. Plus, word is the Braves might want a Joel Zumaya. That, right there, would be the end of any phone conversation between DD and JS.

 

Exactly. In addition to the six guys now (Rogers, Bonderman, Miner, Robertson, Verlander and Maroth), the Tigers also have Ledezma, who was starting at Toledo this year before they just brought him up. They also have Humberto Sanchez, who just moved up from Double A to Triple A.

If anything, they will trade an arm for a left handed bat.

 

John Kruk mentioned a Zumaya-for-Smoltz swap on BBT the other night. Is Zumaya considered untouchable?

 

If the Tigers aren't interested in Smoltz, they ought to be. They have a nice rotation, but it has very little pennant race or postseason experience except for Rogers, who is about as far from a big game pitcher as you can possibly get. Smoltz would be a perfect addition to that staff.

 

And which of those guys has won, what is it, 19 postseason games? Smoltz would add another dimension to that rotation. Just sayin'. I'm also saying that if the Braves can get a couple of top prospects for Smoltz, they should do it. Schuerholz wrote in his book that it's better to let go of a player one year early than one year late. He probably should follow that mantra, though I doubt he will.

Sorry Joe.

What a delicious irony it would be if the Tigers traded for Smoltz for a stretch run, the reverse of dealing him away to get Alexander.

 

Hmm, a young guy who has had success late in games (seventh and eighth innings) and can dial it up to 100 mph pretty consistently. I highly doubt Zumaya is going anywhere.

Wonder if the Braves have any interest in trying to get Miner back, who was part of the Farnsworth trade last year?

 

You would think it being Smoltz would remind them about how badly a deal like that can work out. Yes, Alexander was tremendous down the stretch the year they made the trade, but that certainly wasn't worth Smoltz.

At least in that case, Smoltz hadn't pitched in the majors yet. Zumaya has, and very effectively, if only in middle relief. In addition to his bright future, Zumaya is a big part of Detroit's bullpen right now.

 

The Tigers will not risk the future (again) on a guy who's in the twilight of his career. And yes, Zumaya -- despite a tough outing today -- is untouchable.