-Dexter Sports
9:14 AM
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For the Detroit Tigers, the off-season if very grim after a horrible ending to the 2008 season, which seen them slip past the Kansas City Royals into last place as the season unfolded. After many had hopes of a world series birth, fans in Detroit are hoping the Tigers can reel in a successful 2009.

Today starts an ongoing series title, "Off-Season Outlook." With the help of bloggers from across the blogsophere, I hope to break down some team needs and questions with some of the best coverage available. For this edition, I am joined by the wonderful, award winning columnist Kurt Mensching of The Mining Journal in Marquette, Michigan. Mensching maintains Mack Avenue Tigers, which I believe is the best Tigers blog on the map.

Here is what he had to say about the Tigers Off-Season:

JD: First of All, what do you think is the most important need that
has to be addressed this off season for the Tigers?

KM: Honestly, the need is defense. Pitching is an important part of
defense. But eventually, someone's going to hit the ball and you need
the 7 guys who stand behind the pitcher to do something about it. That
was the Tigers' weak point this season. It was just awful to watch, at
times, the bungling fielders. You can pretty much point anywhere but
Curtis Granderson (or Brandon Inge's time at third base) and find ugly
plays.

How they'll address is is another question. It's easier to say, "by
getting better defenders." But that's just not possible unless they're
able to unload some contracts. But there are a few places they can
work with. They have to get a better fielding shortstop, of course.
They need a better fielding left fielder than Carlos Guillen.
Basically, they need to find a way to get a bit younger and more
athletic in the field, but without sacrificing the scoring. Easier
written than done.

--
JD: Many Have linked free agent starter Derek Lowe to the Tigers
because of his connection to Michigan, Do you think signing him or a
free agent starter of his quality is a must for this upcoming season?

KM: I think fans like to banter about "Well, he's from this state and
fills the role, he'd want to come home!" but I don't really see it
happen all that often. As for Lowe, yeah, I guess he could eat some
innings. But I'd rather they use the rotation spot on either some of
the younger guys, or even Freddy Garcia or Dontrelle Willis. I don't
want to see the Tigers throwing any more money at older players. It's
not what they need.

---
JD: This Bullpen has been everything but successful since the 2006
season. We even Saw bullpen coach Jeff Jones and pitching coach Chuck
Hernandez lose their jobs. Do you see an overhaul of this bullpen in
the near future?


KM: They don't really have any choice. They need to fill a lot of
holes that just naturally opened up with players' contacts expiring,
anyway. They need a closer. But they shouldn't spend a lot of money on
one. If they don't feel comfortable promoting from within, they should
try to find a reliever from someone else's bullpen who doesn't close
games and give it a try. I think it's an overrated, stats-driven
position myself. But you obviously can't have a headcase like Fernando
Rodney out in important games either. Rodney should be fine as setup.
I like Bobby Seay as the LOOGY. And they'll have to look at the 2008
college closer draftees of theirs to see if there's anything that can
make the big league club. Otherwise, they just have to scatter some
shots at relievers, no big contracts, but they should definitely be
trying to find a couple of guys at the $3-4M per season level and see
what happens.

---
JD: One of the major issues going into the off season is the shortstop
position. Do you think Ramon Santiago can be the everyday guy?

KM: Defensively, I think he can. I think he should be. Offensively, he
had a nice 2008 season. But I don't know if we can expect that out of
him. Still, I think the free agent shortstop market is going to be
overheated and not worth investing in this year. The best move for the
Tigers is probably just to play some defense and hope Santiago doesn't
hinder run production too much. Of course, with the entire left side
of the infield giving away at bats, they might have to find a catcher
who is above-average at the plate. Not an easy task either.

---
JD: Jim Leyland has been a lot of the talk in the regional press so
far this off season. Do you think that he deserves an extension after
this season?

KM:  After this season? No. Not that I blame him for this season. So
many injuries, such an oddly put-together team. It was one of those
teams going in you knew could either win 100 or fall on its face.
There's a team or two every year that has a bunch of big names, but a
few too many aging players. And every year, a team falls on its face.
That was my fear heading into the season and it turned out. Too many
injuries, too many softball players. It happens. Leyland didn't have a
lot to work with. But I don't view that as being reason to give him an
extension either. I suspect the Tigers will look at his body of work
sometime in 2009 and figure it out before the season is over. They'll
probably offer him something mid-season I'd have to think. And I bet
he takes it.

--
Do you see any big name free agents landing in Detroit? I know that
you have discussed on your blog, names such as Fransisco Rodriguez and
C.C. Sabathia, and how you feel Detroit should move away from those
players. Do you see the Tigers moving more toward a youth movement,
that includes youngsters such as outfielder Matt Joyce?

In my plan for the Tigers, they don't punt 2009. but they don't try to
make a run at the World Series with the same strategy as 2008. So yes,
I'm in favor of a youth movement. Not a full-on youth movement. But
there are a few moves that have to be made, and they're not
necessarily easy ones. For one, they have to dump Gary Sheffield.
Trade him, drop him, I don't really care. And two, they need to trade
Magglio Ordonez for some sort of young, yet major-league ready catcher
or pitchers. Preferably catcher though. That opens room for moving
Carlos Guillen to DH, and for playing  Matt Joyce, who I think really
must be in the lineup and on the field. And it might be time to get a
good look at Wilkin Ramirez in the outfield as well.

I think that would give the Tigers a nice combination of defense and
speed, while still allowing for a few guys who can hit the ball. The
runs scored would obviously drop some. Don't get me wrong. I don't
want NL ball. I don't want small ball. But they just can't be playing
softball games anymore. They need to give Leyland a few more strategic
options and cut down on expected injuries.

--
JD:  Finally, Tell us a little bit about yourself and what made or
makes you a Tigers fan?

KM: I was born and lived half my childhood in Detroit. And I was a bit
too young to have any real memory of 1984, but I did know the Tigers
won the World Series. Baseball was always my sport growing up, too. I
liked basketball (the Pistons were my true first sports love) but
wasn't blessed with height. So I played baseball throughout growing up
and in high school and collected baseball cards and followed the
Tigers religiously on the radio and the few televised games, and got
down to Tiger Stadium as often as possible after moving to northern
lower Michigan. Baseball's just always been my sport, I guess. And I
love my hometown. So nothing would mean more to me (and I suspect
Detroit) than seeing the Tigers actually win it all.

-Dexter Sports
9:19 AM
Dexter-Sports Inbox

Recently I have been in contact with Jim Breen, Administrator and Lead Author of BrewersNation, one of, if not, the best Brewers blogs out there. Jim was nice enough to answer a few questions of ours. Here is what he had to say.


DS: First of All, How would you evaluate the first third of the season so far for the Brewers?

BN: I would give the Brewers a C for the beginning of the season thus far. It has been frustrating to watch the Brewers struggle offensively and on the pitching mound. Bill Hall has been a big disappointment at third base, and I feel JJ Hardy has regressed a bit from last season. The only consistent producers on the offensive side thus far have been Ryan Braun and Corey Hart. The team as a whole has not been hitting anywhere close to its potential, but they have had flashes of breaking out of their funk in the past couple weeks. We'll have to see.

The starting rotation cannot be characterized as anything other than a disappointment. Ben Sheets has been stellar on the mound, but Yovani Gallardo's injuries has hurt the team a lot. Suppan has been much better than last season, but I'm not completely convinced his success will lack. I don't think it's a coincidence that he's gotten better as the defense behind him has gotten better. What about Carlos Villanueva, Dave Bush, and Manny Parra? They have really let down the organization, in my opinion. They have flashes of brilliance, but they cannot harness it for more than a single start....or even just a few innings. The starting pitching will have to improve for the Brewers to have any shot at climbing above .500. Seth McClung is an intriguing story, but his lack of control tendencies are a big cause for concern. Milwaukee has a lot of talent that is not producing on the mound.

The revamped bullpen has been much better than advertised (minus Derrick Turnbow and Eric Gagne). The Brewers took another hit when David Riske hyper-extended his elbow, but Tim Dillard has responded exceedingly well to a May call-up. I suspect he'll stick around for a while. Salomon Torres, Brian Shouse, and Guillermo Mota have been solid all around. The problems the Brewers are experiencing do not stem from the bullpen.

I give them a C overall because there is a lot of talent on this team. They now need to produce. They are not young prospects anymore. It's time to get more consistent and prove you belong in the big leagues.
BN: I don't think the Brewers will lock up anyone, to tell you the truth. Corey Hart is the most likely candidate (and the most deserving, in my opinion), but he's too close to his arbitration years to make it economically-viable for the Brewers. They could save money by trying arbitration, or simply going year to year. A small market team like the Brewers cannot afford to handcuff their funds right now. The inconsistency of Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy are perfect examples of why you do not lock young players up long-term, besides the rare exception. Many Brewers fans want Prince Fielder locked up, but he's going to demand far too much money.

Milwaukee would be wise to look at moving J.J. Hardy near the trade deadline if they are still struggling. The team has a budding superstar in Alcides Escobar in the minor leagues, and he could be ready as early as next season. I believe that J.J.'s power binge last year was an aberration, and he will not hit those numbers again. He's a fine defender, and the Brewers could get a couple quality prospects for him. With that said, I don't think Doug Melvin will do anything like that. I suspect Bill Hall's name will be thrown around.
BN: I've seen Jason Castro's name connected to Milwaukee in the past week or so. He's a power-hitting catcher, and a lefty at that. He makes a lot of sense for Milwaukee in a certain sense, but I don't think that's where Milwaukee needs to go...or will go for that matter. Jonathan Lucroy and Angel Salome are fine catching prospects that provide the same type of power that Castro does. One shouldn't overlook Vinny Rottino either. The Brewers organization are pushing for Vinny to make the transition behind the plate.

I believe the Brewers need to get some polished arms in the system. Much of the bullpen is not signed past this year, and the Brewers do not have any better options in the starting rotation than they are throwing out there right now. I suspect Jack Z will take a couple of college arms and a high-risk, high-reward high school arm. RHP Joshua Fields is a possible choice, but I really think the Brewers are leaning towards LHP Christian Friedrich from Eastern Kentucky. He's a solid arm that has very little risk (as far as pitchers go, at least). He's someone the Brewers could push through the system fairly quickly. The same with Fields.
BN: How about OF Michael Brantley. The 21-year old has been tearing up Huntsville along with the Big Three you alluded to. He's a true lead-off hitter...something the Brewers are lacking in the big leagues right now. Brantley is hitting .328 with 22 RBI and 16 stolen bases. The power will come. He's still a young man who is filling into his body. He does have 10 doubles, but more power would be nice. The real reason I love the guy is his plate discipline. Remember he is 21-years old. How many prospects that age have a 22:11 BB:K ratio? The scary thing is that his plate discipline should improve as he matures in the league. He's still a couple years out of the big leagues, I believe, but he's one to watch. Perhaps for 2010.
BN: Salomon has done just fine. He's actually making a bid at stealing the job outright. I highly doubt he wants to give back the closing duties to Eric Gagne after he returns. Salomon has been pounding the strike zone...something foreign to Gagne this season. The ninth inning is in good hands with Salomon. The Brewers do not need to be shopping for a closer. As a team under .500, they are not buyers. They shouldn't be sacrificing the years to come to appease the fans that are too shortsighted to understand the consequences of trading two or three top prospects away for an injury-prone closer like Huston Street. No, the Brewers are just fine in the pen right now.
BN: This is going to be extremely odd, but my favorite Brewer is Chris Capuano. He has alienated me a bit in the past couple years with his struggles on the mound, but I still wear my Capuano jersey with pride. I love his work ethic and his attitude towards the game. He does not have overpowering stuff, so he has to outwork and out-think the opponents. That and his change-up is nasty. I very much enjoy watching hitters lose their balance and swing over his change-up. It will not be a popular choice, but I'm sticking with it.

-Dexter Sports

4/2/08


Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors.com and rotoauthority.com was kind enough to answer a few questions for Dexter Sports. Here is a look at what he had to say. Enjoy!

DS: So Tim, what goes into a regular day at mlbtraderumors.com?

Tim Dierkes: After I answer my emails and address any urgent rumors, I spend much of the morning reading. I have about 300 sites in my RSS feed; I'll scour for rumors or anything else of interest. I try to make sure to write 3-4 posts before lunchtime. This is a new routine for me, but I'm thinking afternoons will be spent flipping between ballgames while working from my laptop. I try to address more business-type things in the afternoon.


DS: Back in January, ESPN's Peter Gammons posted in his blog that mlbtraderumors.com is one of sites that he never misses. Put in to perspective what it means for the big man himself to visit your site frequently.

Tim Dierkes: It's a huge honor that MLBTR is one of Peter's reads. I hope I can keep him coming back every day.

DS: As the old saying goes, "baseball is a game of numbers." Baseball's trends are swinging more toward breaking down the numbers to find the value of the player instead of their natural talent on the field. What are you thoughts on Sabermetrics?

Tim Dierkes: Sabermetrics is interesting, an advanced way of looking at the game. I am not too advanced personally but I have some stat-geek leanings. I think it's a shame, some of the stereotypes that are constantly put out about those who enjoy stats. Stat people love the game, love watching the game, and appreciate the intangibles. And I think stat people have full respect for the value of scouting.

DS: Is there one rumor you always point out to people and say, "Look who got that right!"

Tim Dierkes: I am definitely not known for getting successful, exclusive rumors. It's pretty tough to do. That said we had a few small wins this winter breaking info on Morgan Ensberg and Brad Wilkerson. Baby steps!

DS: Last but not least, I know your a cubs fan. The tables have turned and its a new century in cubs history. Is it time to brush off the goat?, or is Ryan Dempster's bold prediction just another hope of glory instead of reality.

Tim Dierkes: The Cubs seem to have a good chance of making the playoffs. Once there, any club can go on a hot streak and win it all. I don't think the club's futility is curse-related or anything. Bill James had a recent statement lately that the Cubs were set back until about 1980 for due to tardiness in farm system development. I found that interesting. But anyway this is one of the deeper Cubs teams I can remember.