Media and bloggers react to The (yet to be completed) Trade

Published Dec. 9, 2009 at 1:35 p.m.

A lot of people weighed in about the trade in the comments section here at Mack Avenue Tigers. But what are people saying about it elsewhere?

• AOL Fanhouse's Frankie Piliere

Before touching on the Granderson aspect of the deal, let's get this out of the way: the clear winners here are the Tigers. While each team got what they wanted in a well-balanced three way trade, this is an absolute mission accomplished for Detroit and general manager Dave Dombrowski, pictured above.

• Tigs Town's Paul Wezner

So in exchange for the well-known players the Tigers gave up, there’s significant optimism that the team in reality has improved itself long-term. They’ve likely received their replacement for Jackson in Scherzer, and believe Austin Jackson can be just as good as Granderson, all the while being a better fit for the home park. And to top it all off, they’ve added a pair of young lefties that will likely help bolster a bullpen that could be looking to re-shape itself in 2010.

• ESPN.com's Rob Neyer

Great for Yanks, good for Tigers, terrible for Diamondbacks. My friends are usually right. I do wonder if we're not short-changing the Tigers just a little bit. Scherzer seems like the big prize, because he's cheap and might strike out 200 hitters next year (Verlander/Scherzer is downright scary).

• Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, as told to Baseball Prospectus

(on Scherzer):  “I think he’s always worked on a third pitch; he’s always worked on incorporating secondary stuff and being able to utilize that as a full, three-or-four-times-through-the-order starter...He’s a hard worker who has some competitiveness to him.”

• Fox Sports' Joe Paul Morosi

I don't believe this was a good trade for the Tigers. I also don't believe it was a terrible one. But they shouldn't have needed to make it. When Granderson signed a five-year contract extension two winters ago, no one could have predicted that he would be shipped to the Yankees this soon.

*snip*

Verlander, 26, is only two years away from free agency, where a nine-figure contract may await. He is from Virginia. He has lived in Florida. Do you think Verlander, a competitor on the order of Roy Halladay, will want to stay in Detroit if players of Granderson's caliber are being traded away? The Tigers' performance over the next two seasons will need to convince him.

• Billfer, Detroit Tigers Weblog, "Emotional response"

For those who are upset about the trade, I can’t blame you. There is a baseball reason for what went down. But right now it’s okay to grieve. Granderson was a remarkable player and a source of pride for everyone who flipped on that English D cap in the morning. This is the kind of trade that rips the soul out of a fan. The good news is that for those who have their Granderson jersey and called Granderson THEIR Tiger you don’t need to keep that jersey in the closet. It’s an instant classic.

• Billfer, "Wrapping up the trade"

After some extensive reflection I’ve come to the conclusion that this deal will never really sit well with me. By never I don’t actually mean for eternity, but at least until the fruits of the trade bear some sort of championship or something.

• Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated

My initial thought is that I wouldn't trade Scherzer, 25, for Jackson, 26, straight up. Jackson is a very good pitcher, but he is not a high-strikeout guy who profiles as an ace. He also wore down at the end of last season, when he threw about 500 more pitches than he did in 2008. Scherzer has big-time stuff. Last year at age 24 he averaged more than a strikeout an inning over 30 starts -- something that's been done by only 20 other pitchers that young in baseball history.

• Skip's Tigers

Days ago the Tiger’s had said Granderson could easily be part of a future deal. So then, why the shock? I suppose it is because as humans we always hope that what we fear most will never come to pass. Even when we are given the time to prepare for an eventuality such as this, we procrastinate. We will deal with it later. Right now, we don’t want to hear it.

• Mike Rogers of Tigers by the Numbers, "Foolish projection ahead"

Totaling it all up, we traded away roughly $79.4 million in total value and $33.4 million in surplus value. In return, Scherzer, Schlereth, Coke and Jackson bring roughly $137 million in total value and $92.5 million in surplus value.

*snip*

To try to take an objective point of view, the return on this deal appears promising -- then again, most trades for teams getting youngsters in return always appears promising.

• Lee, Tiger Tales -- "Goodbye Curtis" and "Bad contracts forced trade."

Many Tigers internet fans will always remember how he recognized their friend Brian Bluhm when he was killed in the horrific Virginia Tech shootings. Curtis made Brian his number one fan on facebook and wrote about him on his blog.

From a personal standpoint, he was the only player I ever interviewed. The article I wrote about him in Tigers Corner in 2007 was my favorite piece or work as a freelance writer. He's going to appear on the cover of my upcoming sabermetrics book and yes he'll be wearing a Tigers uniform.

*snip*

It's a gutsy move trading the popular Granderson for mostly unproven commodities but I think there was pressure to do something. For Dombrowski's sake it better work. I think if they don't make the playoffs by 2011, his job may be in jeopardy.

• Miscellaneous Pinstripe Alley writers 
• Jen, Old English D, "Yankees taketh away"

Losing Curtis to the New York Yankees exacerbates these feelings to the highest degree for me personally. I could even handle him playing for an AL Central team. But pinstripes? No. No. No. Why is it the Yankees have their way with the rest of the league? Truly, I had to console myself with a big dinner from my favorite Thai restaurant.

• Dave Camerson, Fangraphs

From the Yankees perspective, this deal is almost too good to be true. Heading into his age 29 season, Granderson is a legitimate +4 win center fielder signed to a bargain contract for the next four years.

*snip*

From the Tigers perspective, this deal makes some sense, even though they’re giving up the premier player in the trade. Scherzer is a terrific arm, ranking 44th on my trade value series. He’s a quality pitcher who has five years left of team control, giving the Tigers a frontline starter on the cheap who will be in Detroit for the foreseeable future. Jackson should be a decent player, though not a star, and could hold down center field for the league minimum. Schlereth and Coke strengthen the bullpen.

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