Four Names to Whisper in Dave Dombrowski’s Ear

Counting yesterdays 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Oakland A’s the Tigers have now scored three runs or less in a game 34 times this season. That’s 43.5% of the 78 games played thus far in 2009. In those games the Tigers are 9-25.

The scary part is that things have been progressively getting worse every month.

In April The Tigers scored three runs or less in a game seven times, in May 11 times, in June 15 times. From June 8th through the 17th the Tigers scored three runs or less in eight of the nine games they played, losing six of those eight contests. At this rate The team may actually post negative numbers in the box score by the time things are all said and done.

It has become painfully obvious that this team needs to increase its’ offensive production going forward. Management has summoned and jettisoned a menagerie of minor league options to fix the problem, with little effect. Established big league run producers like Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen have been ineffective for various reasons, Gary Sheffield is driving in his runs in New York and the protection for Miguel Cabrera has been minimal to say the least. His performance to date in spite of this is nothing short of astounding.

If this team aims to score enough runs in the second half to be taken seriously the solution to this struggle will have to come through the trade market. With less than a month now before the non-waiver trade deadline let’s examine some possibilities, shall we?

I’ve focused on a few hitters with attributes I believe the Tigers need and covet, primarily left handed hitters who can play the corner outfield and corner infield positions and hit with some power. So you won’t see names like Juan Pierre (no pop) and Matt Holliday (right handed) on this list. Kurt from Mack Avenue Tigers wrote yesterday about these two hitters, amongst others, in a rundown of mostly unlikely Tigers trade possibilities, it’s definitely worth a read. While there are dozens of left handed hitting corner infielder/outfielders out there, only a handful provide an upgrade over the current Tigers options in right and left field – I’ve tried to narrow it down to the best and most realistic options here.

When it comes to potential trade targets it’s fun to imagine cherry picking all-star hitters that are not available or would cost the Tigers more than they are willing or able to pay in exchange. It is. I would love to see the Tigers trade Ryan Raburn for Ryan Braun, but it aint gonna happen. I’ve chosen the players below because I believe they can help this team and can be had, despite the Tigers lack of premium talent in the farm system.

Aubrey Huff, 1B/3B/RF/DH, Baltimore Orioles

Huff is primarily a corner infielder these days but has played 237 of his 898 career games in right field. He’s hitting .270 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI’s this season. His career 162 game averages are .286/26/93. He posted a .912 OPS last year en route to winning the AL Silver Slugger for the DH position. He’s a free agent come the end of the season, the Orioles are in last place and have a litiny of young hitters in their system ready to take his place. He’s a .324 career hitter in August with the best power numbers of any month in his career. His price tag won’t be cheap, but in this economy everything is on sale, including Huff. I believe two plus prospects or a young major league ready reliever (I.E Ryan Perry) could pry him loose.

Chad Tracy, 1B/3B/RF/LF/DH, Arizona Diamondbacks

He’s struggling this year, I’m not going to deny that, but I believe a big part of that is a lack of playing time, a strained oblique that has now healed and an ongoing unhappiness with Diamondbacks management. Tracy is a .280 career hitter with tremendous versatility in the field. He’s a mediocre defensive third basemen but solid everywhere else he’s played. He clubbed 27 home runs for Arizona in 2005 and 20 more the following year. His 162 game averages equate to 19 home runs and 73 RBI’s. He’s a free agent come this off-season, meaning he’ll be available cheap, is not a long term Tigers liability if he struggles and has something to prove before he hits the open market. I can’t imagine the Diamondbacks demanding too much for him, as he doesn’t seem to fit into their future plans and the team is clearly out of the playoff hunt. He’s less appealing than Huff, but also much cheaper, allowing the Tigers to pursue an additional hitter to boot. JP from Always A Tiger likes him as well, so at least I’m not alone out on this limb.

Nick Johnson, 1B/DH, Washington Nationals

While he won’t help in the outfield, he can fill the DH spot allowing Marcus Thames to audition for the full time left field job and give Miguel Cabrera some much needed rest at first base. Johnson could be the next generation Sean Casey, with more power, maybe. He’s hitting .295 on the season with a .406 OBP. He’s drawn 33 walks against 25 strikeouts so far this year while playing top notch defense. His 162 game averages are .272/20/80 with 99 walks and 85 runs scored. He’s also a free agent at the end of the season and like Chad Tracy should be an affordable option. The Nationals are perpetually out of the race and seem to covet young, hard throwing relievers (Perry). They seem to collect minor leage pitchers in general these days. The recently demoted Alfredo Figaro could also be enough to pry him loose.

Luke Scott, LF/RF/CF, Baltimore Orioles

Earlier this season when Luke was single handedly whipping the Tigers like circus animals in a cage a friend of mine said aloud, “Jesus, we should trade for this guy just to stop him from wrecking us”. I agree. Scott is hitting .299 with 15 bombs and 40 RBI’s this year, he’s a .271 career hitter whose 162 game averages are 24 home runs and 78 RBI’s and as we know, He can hit in Comerica Park(6-11, 2 HR, 1.916 OPS). He’s a .340 career hitter in August, a .224 hitter in September/October, although in the seasons final month he has put up good power numbers historically. Scott can play all three outfield positions, hits left-handed and like the others on this list is a free agent come fall. With Felix Pie, Nolan Riemold, Lou Montanez, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis in the outfield mix I suspect the orioles are willing to deal him, for the right price. He shouldn’t cost as much as Huff but he won’t be as cheap as Tracy or Johnson. I think the Tigers have what it takes to put this kid in the Old English D.

There are many other players out there, guys like Conor Jackson, Ryan Spilborghs, Jason Michaels, Lyle Overbay, Brian Giles and Austin Kearns to name a few – but I don’t see any of these names as upgrades over the current Tigers roster. The name Adam Dunn is mentioned often as a good fit for the Tigers, I disagree heartily. The Nationals will ask for the world in return for the one dimensional, defensive liability with the sub .230 average in August and September. He’s never faced AL pitching regularly, has trouble in big ballparks like Comerica and couldn’t catch the swine flu if he seduced a pig. But, that doesn’t mean he won’t end up here, it just means I’m not in favor of it. We’ll see how it turns out.

I wanted to include Brad Hawpe of the Rockies on this list, as he would be beyond ideal, but it appears he is not available, at least for now.

In one way, shape or form the Tigers will have to address the stagnant offensive production of this current lineup if this team wants any chance to play meaningful games in October. I expect Dave Dombrowski will pursue many options and eventually add a piece or two. Mike Ilitich has previously stated publicly that he is willing to do what it takes to win.

Mr. Ilitch, sir, this is what it’s going to take to win – you’re going to need more offense, and quickly.

As brilliant as Edwin Jackson and Justin Verlander have been they can not continue to live on minimal run support. No pitching staff can succeed long term when they are required to be near perfect every night in order to have a chance at a victory. If management expects this team to make noise in the post-season, then management needs to get to work, today, to make that possible.

Have a question or a comment? Leave your thoughts below or drop me a line at jelletlambie@gmail.com

Tags: Aubrey Huff, Chad Tracy, Dave Dombrowski, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Tigers struggling offense, Detroit Tigers trade possibilities, Luke Scott, Nick Johnson, Tigers trading deadline options