Granderson Available?
According to Joel Sherman, Granderson is available as the Tigers are in cost-cutting mode.
If the Rangers really are uncertain if Borbon can play CF, then I'd hope they are in on Granderson. He is about a 4 WAR player who plays good defense in center and is reasonably patient at the plate. He is under contract through 2013. He would be a terrific addition. I'd also have some interest in Jackson, although I'd imagine his perceived value is much higher than his real value.
over 2 years ago
Stephen Rushin
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his production is similar to Cruz
although he provided slightly less production in 200 more ABs. His defense is a plus, but Borbon can get on base at the same clip of Granderson, probably end up with a better BA and have alot more steals.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
He can't hit LHP
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
Granderson is much better than Borbon
Granderson has a career OPS of .828. For his career, he has a UZR/150 of 4.9 in CF.
I don’t think the Rangers are concerned about Borbon’s bat. He will probably post a decent batting average, lots of steals, with virtually no power. He is a decent lead-off hitter with a limited offensive toolset. But, some scouts have recently commented that Borbon might not be a plus defensive center fielder, as once thought. If the Rangers feel that Borbon can’t be a quality defensive center fielder, then is might make sense to trade him. Granderson has shown to be a plus player both offensively and defensively. He also has a reputation as a great character guy.
Granderson
.276 BABIP in 2009, so he’s due for some positive regression at least. I’d love to see his swing mashing at the RBiA if the price is right.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire
Edwin Jackson
I think Jackson is particularly interesting. Last season, I was extremely opposed to acquiring Jackson, since his advanced stats like tRA and FIP were fairly mediocre (or even flat out bad).
But he has terrific stuff. And to his credit, his peripherals were much better last season. He built off of his 2008 season and posted some really nice numbers. His K rate increased to 6.8 K/9 and his control improved substantially. He actually performed better on the road than at home, and his FIP was a solid 4.28. I’m sure some team will be willing to overpay for him, under the belief that he is a TORP caliber starter. But, if he could be acquired for his fair value (that of a high-upside #3 starter under team control for a couple of years) then he might actually be worth a gamble. I think he might have a lot of success in front of our defense.
Both Granderson (with his inability to hit lefties) and Jackson (with his spotty track record before 2008) have risks associated with them. But they could be extremely valuable trade targets.
What kind of package would you be willing to give up
in order to get both of them in a blockbuster deal?
my better is better than your better.
I might be in the minority, but I feel like we have 6 guys that can fill the role Edwin Jackson does. He’s not worth the prospects. Either we trade for an ace, or don’t trade for pitcher. Now Granderson on the other hand…
by aggiecurt05 on Nov 12, 2009 12:11 PM CST up reply actions
Jackson
Was the third-most abused pitcher in the majors this year behind his teammate Verlander and Timmy “420” Lincecum, according to BP’s pitcher abuse points.
His career-low .281 BABIP and above-average 76.7 LOB% also suggest he was a little lucky this season. It’s also probably rather unlikely that he duplicates his sub- 3.0 BB% again, though it could be that improvement in command is more than a fluke.
Basically, it looks to me like he had his career season this year, and it probably wouldn’t be too wise to buy high on him right now even if you think he’ll still be a solid pitcher after some regression to the mean.
"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS
"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire
Two things
First, while I agree that his BABIP and LOB % indicate that he may have been lucky, I’m not so sure his improved command can be attributed to luck. His command has gotten better each of the last three years. I think his 4.28 FIP is a pretty fair guess as to his fair value going forward.
Second, I think abuse points is a great point. He really tanked after he hit around 170/180 innings. He also increased his career high for innings by over 30 last season.
He is pretty clearly not a solid bet to be sub 4.00 pitcher going forward. Rather he is probably going to be a decent #3 starter (as reflected by his 4.28 FIP).
by Stephen Rushin on Nov 12, 2009 10:48 PM CST up reply actions
And we have plenty of decent #3’s.
Does anyone have interest in Granderson? And if so, at what cost? To me, he’s a great fit to plug into CF. I’d give up Borbon and a decent prospect (possibly even Hunter) for him, but not sure if his contract makes him far less valuable.
Jackson
ZiPS projects Jackson to post a 4.28 ERA next season in 201.2 innings. He has a 48% chance of being a middle of the rotation starter, and a 48% chance of being a top of the rotation starter.
That would instantly make him our best full-time starter, according to ZiPS. I think people are vastly over-estimating our rotation right now. While players like Holland, Hunter, and Feliz have the ability to be solid starters, their chances of posting numbers as good as Jackson next season are slim, according to most projection systems.
And I don’t think that players like Ben Sheets or Rich Harden are any more likely to post TORP numbers next season than Jackson; given their propensity for injuries, I would think that a team is better off taking a chance on Jackson building on his breakout 2009 season than hoping that Sheets or Harden can stay healthy and reproduce their past numbers.
With Jackson, you get a guy who will probably post a solid ERA in the low 4’s. There is a reasonable chance he will do significantly better. Since he doesn’t have many past problems with injuries, I think Jackson is a safer bet to post a higher WAR in 2009 than Sheets/Harden.
Of course all of that is contingent upon what the Tigers ask in return for Jackson. But I think he is at least worth considering.
by Stephen Rushin on Nov 14, 2009 8:07 PM CST up reply actions
That second to last paragraph
Should have said “Jackson is a safer bet to post a high WAR in 2010 than Sheets/Harden”
by Stephen Rushin on Nov 14, 2009 8:24 PM CST up reply actions
Stay away from Edwin Jackson...
I’m telling you, the guy was a one-half wonder.
I don’t care what projections say because they are based off that one really good half. Stay away from him.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Granderson
He’s definitely a guy they need to look at. He’s owed $25.75 million for the next three seasons, which isn’t cheap, for a 113 OPS+, good fielding CF, he’s worth that cost (particuarly compared to 3 years, say $17-18 million for Byrd).
If the Tigers are in cost savings mode and dealing Granderson, I would think Borbon would be a guy they would be interested in getting in return.
I’m not as sold on Edwin Jackson, though.
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