Sunday, December 9, 2012

Tigers Update

      The Tigers have made several moves lately firming up their spring training plans for 2013.
The first move the Tigers completed was refusing to tender a contract offer to relief pitcher Daniel Schlereth.  Schlereth was 4-2 with a 3.98 ERA in 73 appearances with the Tigers but has sidelined with shoulder tendinitis for most of the 2012 season.  This move doesn't really effect the roster other than making another spot available.
      The other and more significant move was the trade of left handed starter Andrew Oliver to the Pittsburgh in exchange for switch hitting catcher Ramon Cabrera.  Oliver was once a highly touted young pitcher in the Tigers system but turned out to be a bust.  He was 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA in 28 appearances with AAA Toledo last year.  He never had much luck in the majors either going 0-5 with a 711 ERA for Detroit.  Cabrera, a 23 year old Venezuelan, hit .276 with 22 doubles, three homeruns and 50 RBI's at AA Altoona last year.  In my first post of this blog I spoke about the Tigers need for a backup catcher and the players in line for the job.  This trade puts a new spin on that discussion.  I believe that Cabrera will be the first call up if Bryan Holaday is not up to the task and could stay a long time if he plays well.  He hit for a higher average and forty more RBI's then Holaday and the fact that he is a switch hitter is a point in his favor.  I would not be surprised at all if Cabrera sees significant playing time in Detroit in 2013.
      There is also an update on the Anibal Sanchez situation.  Sanchez has not yet signed with a club, his agent is negotiating with several teams including the Tigers but seems to be waiting to see where Zach Greinke will go.  After Greinke signs several other pitchers including Sanchez will sign.  They are just waiting to see how much money Greinke goes for and then they will be able to set their own contract levels.
      The Rule 5 draft was held Thursday 12/6/12 in Nashville and the Tigers selected two players.  Detroit acquired second baseman Jeff Kobernus from the Red Sox, who had selected him from the Nationals, and dealt him to Detroit for Mud Hens utility man Justin Henry.   Detroit also acquired left-handed pitcher Kyle Lobstein from the Mets for cash, the Mets had selected him from the Rays in the Rule 5 draft.  Both players are former second round pick in the entry draft and both are players general manager Dave Dombrowski said were targeted going in.
      If either player does not make the Tigers 25 man roster then they would have to be offered back to their original organization.  Kobernus, 24, hit .282 with one homerun, 19 RBI's and 42 stolen bases in 82 games for AA Harrisburg.  In his minor league career Kobernus is 120 for 149 in steals over 290 games.  Dombrowski said it was his speed that was the main attraction of Detroit.  "We've tried to add some speed," Dombrowski said. "If he could be a guy that made our club, then all of a sudden you have a guy that can really run on the bench at that point, it gives you some versatility."  Dombrowski added that he could see Kobernus playing both second and outfield.  "We not only like his ability to play second, but we think that perhaps -- and he hasn't really done much of it -- he could have some versatility where we might be able to move him to the outfield and get some playing time there," Dombrowski said. 
      The 23-year old Lobstein was 8-7 with a 4.06 ERA striking out 129 batters in 144 innings over 27 starts for AA Montgomery.  "He's more of an average-fastball guy, good breaking ball and a changeup," Dombrowski said. "We just like him as an overall pitcher. We look at him as a guy that might be able to come in as a starter and compete, but of course we don't look at him as ahead of the other guys. He's a guy that would be protection in the rotation and maybe a second lefty reliever, because we do like him in that regard."  If Lobstein doesn't make the team out of camp, the Tigers have to offer him back to the Rays. But if Tampa Bay, which has plenty of pitching depth, decides it doesn't need him, the Tigers can work out a deal to keep him and move him into the Minor League system.
      The Tigers also added a player in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, selecting outfielder Eliezer Mesa from Oakland's organization. The multi-tooled 24-year-old saw time at all three outfield position at three different levels this past season, hitting .255 average on the year with four home runs, 43 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 29 attempts. He's batting .321 (17-for-53) so far for Estrellas in the Dominican Winter League.
      Detroit lost two left-handers in the Double-A portion of the Rule 5. Left-hander Jay Voss had found some stability in the Tigers organization after coming over in the Nate Robertson trade a few years ago, but will join the Cardinals system after his selection. The 25-year-old pitched in just three games this year for Double-A Erie in an injury-shortened campaign. Another lefty farmhand, Efrain Nieves, went 4-1 with three saves, a 2.79 ERA and 42 strikeouts in as many innings for Connecticut in the short-season Class A New York-Penn League. Having just turned 23 years old a few weeks ago, however, he was left unprotected, and the Blue Jays took advantage of that.
      It is an increasingly interesting off season and expectations remain high for the 2013 season and the end of the 28 year World Series Championship draught.

No comments:

Post a Comment