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PenWing said:
Lynn Henning, of the Detroit News, pointed out that the Tigers' are overloaded with pitching talent right now. They have three pitchers who are out of minor league options: Steve Colyer, Gary Knotts, Franklyn German. Of the three, Colyer is a hard throwing lefty, Knotts is a former starter who couldn't find consistancy until he moved to long relief last year, and German has a powreful arm that is finally finding the strike zone this spring after tearing up the minors over the last few years.

The problem? Trammell only plans on taking 11 pitchers back to Detroit. The five starters will be Jason Johnson, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Mike Maroth, and Wilfredo Ledezma. So far, the billpen consists of Urbina as the 8th inning set up man, with Percival as the closer. Kyle Farnsworth will be the right-handed set up man, and Jamie Walker will be the left-handed set up man. That leaves two more spots. Knotts has the spot unless he messes up this spring. He's too valuable as the lone long reliever, and if necessary, he can start. He's happy to be a part of the organization, and instead of complaining when he lsot his starting job, he made the most of his relief appearances. There were times last year when he kept the Tigers in games at long relief, only to see the the next reliever blow the game. That means the final spot is most likely down to Colyer and German. Walker is the only lefty in the bullpen, and even though he is very consistant, he doesn't have a strong arm anymore. So, if Colyer can have a good spring, he should logically get the final spot. That leaves German. The Tigers can't let him go for nothing.



Colyer has always had stuff, but he hasn't been much of a pitching prospect in years. If he's traded, it will most likely be as a throw-in.

Urbina was the biggest trade-chip the Tigers had on the block, so he's probably the one who will be departing soon.

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This article, along with other local writers, thinks the Tigers will trade Urbina, but I think that's suicide. With just the top four relievers, the Tigers have an amazing bullpen that will be ready to go at the end of the 6th inning (if necessary) and for sure in the 7th. Urbina makes that possible. Lose him, and this bullpen loses a lot of credibility, since Farnsworth has yet to provide the type of consistancy the Tigers need at 8th inning set up. Again, just having Urbina around takes a lot of preasure off Farnsworth. That can't be overlooked.



The problem with a team like the Tigers is that you need flexibility with your pitchers. Injuries and youth-struggles are inevitable with their rotation, so they'll need to have bullpen guys capable of filling in or replacing starters.

Obviously, Urbina would be helpful, but they don't really need him(there are many bullpens that succeed without three starters the caliber of Percival-Farnsworth-Urbina), and if they can package him, with a prospect or two, for either another starter, or an everday player, that player will have much more of an impact on the team's success.

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Will the Tigers pull off a trade? I don't know. I don't even know who's out there that might be available (probably someone with a larger contract than what a team wants to keep).



Urbina and prospects for Mike Cameron is an example of what I've heard, since the Tigers are quickly becoming put out with Alex Sanchez, just as the Brewers were when they traded him, and the Mets have been shopping Cameron in the wake of the Carlos Beltran signing.

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There must be a team out there that wants to trade a good starting pitcher (who makes a little too much) for a lefty (Maroth), a future closer (German), and a power hitter with a great batting average (White).



The list might not be as long as you think. Maroth's a back end of the rotation starter on most teams, German's star is a lot less bright than it was in 2002(though I do think there would be teams willing to take a chance on his enormous potential), and White is 33, injury-prone, and has regressed in just about every aspect of his game.

Unfortunately, the Tigers don't have a strong farm system, either.

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That's the deal I see. I know there is talk that the Tigers need to trade for a centerfielder, or a third baseman, but I don't see that. Curtis Granderson is looking great so far. He will start the season in AAA Toledo, and he'll probably stay there. But next year, he should find his way to Detroit. A pleasan surprise has be Dewayne Wise, who not only looks great defensively, but has also been hitting well. He has made the majors the last two seasons, but he has never found a consistancy at the plate. If he can do that this year, he will steal center from Alex Sanchez, and the Tigers are really only looking for a one-year solution. As for third base, Inge wants to play it, and he is going to be fine there. People are saying the Tigers need better hitting at third, but Inge had a great average last season, and there is no reason to think he won't at least match it.



Granderson was always seen a tweener prospect(not enough power for the corner outfield, not enough speed for center), so his position is unclear at this time. I think the Tigers would definitely benefit from having a speedy centerfielder, given the number of flyball pitchers they have.

I like Inge, but hustle or no hustle, the .793 OPS he had last year simply is not good for a third baseman, and that was far and away his best season.

MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.