MLB Trade Deadline

Plenty of teams are looking to cut costs with the economy in recession, which means we should see more trades than normal this offseason and less dollars being spent on free agents. Among those teams looking to sell is the Detroit Tigers.

The city of Detroit has probably taken a bigger hit economically than any other part of the country. The Tigers have strapped themselves to huge contract obligations for mediocre players (Willis, Robertson, Bonderman, Ordonez, Guillen), and with players hitting arbitration, they might need to move players to keep costs down.

Who is getting shopped?

General manager Dave Dombrowsli is already listening to offers for pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Curtis Granderson. Both players should be hot commodities. Gerald Laird is also likely to be shopped. The catcher probably should have won the Gold Glove this season, but his .626 OPS doesn’t justify his $2.8 million 2009 salary. Even third baseman Brandon Inge could find himself with another club next season. Dombrowski has already informed pitcher Jarrod Washburn and designated hitter Aubrey Huff that the team will not attempt to re-sign the free agents.

Who will go?

The Tigers would love to unload one or more of Willis, Robertson, or Bonderson, but the three pitchers have been either injured or ineffective and don’t merit their current contracts. They’ll be back next season. Between Granderson and Jackson, Jackson is the more likely of the two to go. The right-hander has a very reasonable contract, and after his All-Star season plenty of teams will have interest. Jackson could bring a healthy return that would fill a few holes. Granderson is less likely to be moved, since he’s coming off a down year in which he OPSed only .780, and has nearly $27 million guaranteed to him through the next three seasons. Gerald Laird and Brandon Inge are defensive wizards, but neither OPSed over .720, so they’ll be difficult to move unless it’s in a package with Jackson.

Who will arrive?

Even though all the talk we’ve heard so far about the Tigers this offseason is about the players they are shopping, they’ll likely have to fill a few hole too. Two specific holes they need to fill are closer and shortstop. This season’s closer, Fernando Rodney likely won’t be back, but the team could re-sign reliever Brandon Lyon and stick him in the closer’s role. The team will also likely flirt with free agent J.J. Putz. If the team does re-sign Lyon, it doesn’t mean they’re out of the Putz sweepstakes. Last season’s shortstop Adam Everett is a free agent. The team could re-sign the veteran, who wants a raise from last season’s $1 million salary, or they could sign another defensive-minded free agent, such as Omar Vizquel or Khalil Greene, for cheap. Placido Polanco is a free agent, so expect rookie Scott Sizemore to get the second base job. The team could look to sign a free agent like Jamey Carroll or Ronnie Bellieard to push the youngster.

Outlook?

Whether the Tigers do pawn off some of their better players this season or not, the 2010 outlook is grim for the team. If the team is stagnant this offseason, they’ll have to hope some players step up if they want to surpass the improving Twins. If Detroit does unload Jackson and Granderson, the team will have to rely on youngsters and the trio of Willis, Robertson, and Bonderson to bounce back.