If Ajax can improve his pitch recognition and have more power I'm fine with him at leadoff. We need a 2B or 3B desperately though. I don't see why we don't just acquire a young guy who will be a solid piece for a good 7-8 years. I wouldn't mind trading Castellanos for Brett Lawrie or Chase Headley

Maize&blue21 said:

If Ajax can improve his pitch recognition and have more power I'm fine with him at leadoff. We need a 2B or 3B desperately though. I don't see why we don't just acquire a young guy who will be a solid piece for a good 7-8 years. I wouldn't mind trading Castellanos for Brett Lawrie or Chase Headley

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Lawrie from the bluejays? all of 43 games and 150 at bats? looked good yes, but way to early for him imo. headley would have made sense.

[color=#006400 said:

biggunsbob[/color]]I just don't understand DD... If you really look at the Tigers all we really need is a big uptick in OBP out of the one and two hole and we can win the world series in my opinion. What the freak is he doing... Jackson is not a leadoff hitter and our top two spots killed us last season...We can't let Jackson be the leadoff hitter.. Hell Miguel barley reach 100 rbi's last season which in itself is a joke... We need to improve the top two spots the line-up period and we can win it all..

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Yeah Bob, remember all the talks about Cabrera was taking a slightly different approach in his at bats...less for the homerun and just wanting the basehits to keep innings going with so many times up with no one on or leading off innings...and at one point his rbi total was going to need a boost Just to get to 100 or more. If DD and good Leyland / dumass Leyland don't realize they need better OBP out of the top 3 spots, they will waste another 'prime' year of Cabrera.

Cab's RBI total was dramatically effected by his increase in walks and fewer good pitches to hit.

tycobb420 said:

Cab's RBI total was dramatically effected by his increase in walks and fewer good pitches to hit.

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And the fact that jackson OBp was .317 last year and the number two spot was bad also at times... we need a true leadoff hitter..

Who was available? Mostly, this board discussed an injured Brian Roberts, a terrible Coco Crisp and usual ideas about getting Juan Pierre and digging up Scott Podsednik (wherever he's buried). It would have been nice to land Jose Reyes, but you can't really blame the Tigers for not getting him. If there was a good second baseman out there, I'm sure DD would have went for him. Sure, Jamie Carroll would have worked, but let's not pretend we lost out on Joe Morgan when he signed with the Twins.

There's still some moves out there, exhibited by the big Yanks/Mariners trade, so maybe improvements are coming. The Tigers were good last year, they don't need a major shake up. I'm sure DD has his ear to the ground, but I don't think he needs to be desperate.

[color=#006400 said:

KalineCountry[/color]]
[quote="Maize&blue21":en4fa50m]If Ajax can improve his pitch recognition and have more power I'm fine with him at leadoff. We need a 2B or 3B desperately though. I don't see why we don't just acquire a young guy who will be a solid piece for a good 7-8 years. I wouldn't mind trading Castellanos for Brett Lawrie or Chase Headley

Click to expand...

Lawrie from the bluejays? all of 43 games and 150 at bats? looked good yes, but way to early for him imo. headley would have made sense.

[/quote:en4fa50m]It's early but he has great potential, plays good defense, and can mash. Would certainly take a risk on him

tycobb420 said:

Cab's RBI total was dramatically effected by his increase in walks and fewer good pitches to hit.

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2010 180 hits, 89 walks.
2011 197 hits, 108 walks.
2011 24 more at bats, 17 hits.

[color=#006400 said:

KalineCountry[/color]]

tycobb420 said:

Cab's RBI total was dramatically effected by his increase in walks and fewer good pitches to hit.

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2010 180 hits, 89 walks.
2011 197 hits, 108 walks.
2011 24 more at bats, 17 hits.

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and more pitching around him.

tycobb420 said:

[color=#006400 said:

KalineCountry[/color]]

2010 180 hits, 89 walks.
2011 197 hits, 108 walks.
2011 24 more at bats, 17 hits.

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and more pitching around him.

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You could say that or say that he worked the count more and recognized pitches better. Cabrera had 32 IBB in 2010 compared to 22 IBB in 2011

Tigers will be either yet another tease for the playing in, much less having a decent shot @ winning the World Series, or they will solidify the first third of the lineup, add another vet RH or preferably LH SP, and trade for upgrades @ 2B and/or 3B.

Or, they figure that the AL Central is so weak, that they can just go into the season as is, and see how far they can get w/o adding any more pieces to the roster. Fact is, that the Tigers are not very deep anywhere except for their BP, and having AL-AL returning later during the season.They are one 60 day DL stint away from being in deep trouble in the infield, but half of it will suck both mostly offensively and perhaps defensively as well. The teams OF is also not very deep either, with only the Mendoza-line potental of Dr. Mudhen/Mr.Shinebox, Don Freaking Kelly and Andy Dirks? being subs

Tigers are counting on Avila, Peralta, Young, VMart, Raburn, (Jackson, Inge...lol), and Boesch to provide the bulk of their offense, that only Cabrera is really worthy of being considered a sure lock to provide. (absent injury)

I would include VMart, but the Tigers also had him enjoy one of the best seasons of his career, as did Peralta and Avila, who is to say that these 3 players will match (or exceed) their '11 seasons at the plate?? At least one is bound to drop at LEAST a little bit in production. Young, I just don't really know what to expect from him on offense, he was OBVIOUSLY energized coming to the Tigers late last season from the moribund Twins and their dull, boring, uninspired, tight and rigid clubhouse demeanor that their manager Gardenhire, influenced, demanded and expected (according to some Twins fans like Smoot) but Delmon also obviously does not coax many BBs and his defense is suspect at best in LF.

Maize&blue21 said:

tycobb420 said:

and more pitching around him.

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You could say that or say that he worked the count more and recognized pitches better. Cabrera had 32 IBB in 2010 compared to 22 IBB in 2011

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He did have more IBB in '10, but it seemed like teams pitched around him moreso than his working the count...unless you want to say that he just did not bite at some pitches he might have gone after in the past.

Definitely need to shore up 3B or 2B and it wouldn't surprise me to see a trade for one happen before the start of the season. Be patient we have mostly the same team as last year with a full year of Doug Fister and Jacob Turner/ a vet over Brad Penny.

Maize&blue21 said:

[quote="KalineCountry":sjc57wli]

Lawrie from the bluejays? all of 43 games and 150 at bats? looked good yes, but way to early for him imo. headley would have made sense.

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It's early but he has great potential, plays good defense, and can mash. Would certainly take a risk on him[/quote:sjc57wli]

Of course you would.

Unfortunately the Blue Jays want him for the same reason the Tigers do, and thus have no reason to trade him.

Maize&blue21 said:

Definitely need to shore up 3B or 2B and it wouldn't surprise me to see a trade for one happen before the start of the season. Be patient we have mostly the same team as last year with a full year of Doug Fister and Jacob Turner/ a vet over Brad Penny.

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The Tigers would be fools to rush Turner .. He cannot hold runners at all Yet and he needs at least a half a year at triple A. I agree with you a vet is going to be better then Penny.. But i wonder who DD wants for that role..

The bad thing is we were only one win away from having home field over the Rangers who seem to like to spend money now.. ONE FREAKING GAME. So forgive me if i don't think .317 OBP in the leadoff spot is good enough.. This team would be so much better with Jackson batting 9th and a true OBP guy leading off..

You guys can't just blame DD, he's the GM but does not hold the purse strings.

Illitch said he would be willing to spend in an interview, but their is nothing holding him to it, he said it during a high point, and it was a popular thing to say, but it could just be talk.

I'm sure Mr. I remembers the days of having the 3rd highest payroll in baseball because we thought if we just spent some money we could win it all, sorry baseball does not work that way.

I have read post after post of people saying get X player and Y player and we are in the WS for sure. Bullshit.

Tigers still have time to make a few moves/signings, but I would expect you;re going to see either 3B or 2B unchanged by ST, and I don;t know if there is a high OBP. guy out there that will fit our needs.

I'm willing to give DD time, I'm sure he's not sitting on a pile of money thinking he'll just save Mr. I some cash, if he had tons of money, he would be spending it.

There might not have been any deals to be had without selling the farm.

I have confidence in DD, nothing that he has done would make me believe differently,I wouldn't be surprised if he made a great deal for someone in the coming weeks.