Perspectives On The Granderson, Jackson Trade

December 9th, 2009 | by jelletlambie |

This mornings some Tigers fans awoke to the hopes that somehow overnight the proposed trade involving Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson had fallen apart. Perhaps something in a physical would blow the deal. Maybe the Yankees would decide they didn’t really want Curtis. Possibly Mike Ilitch had a heartfelt moment in the night and called the whole thing off. Other fans emerged from sleep without even thinking about the trade, or thinking it was a good thing. Some other fans are already telling friends and co-workers that they are tired of hearing about it, and don’t want to hear whining about how your favorite player was traded.

Then there are the scouts, the teammates, the writers and even the players involved. Each has a perspective on the soon to be consummated blockbuster. There is no singular, all encompassing way to look at this transaction, at least not now. In a couple of years it will be possible to look back and evaluate, knowing at that point who finished where in the standings and which player did what statistically speaking. But today we are absent that finality, that hindsight, that certainty of debatable data and fact. Today we have only possibilities and perspective. Let’s explore some of those perspectives.

The Emotional Fan:

Curtis Granderson was my favorite player and I hate the Tigers for trading him. Trading him to the Yankees to boot is downright criminal. Edwin Jackson was incredible last year, he’s young, throws 98+ MPH and was the second best pitcher on our team in 2009. Trading these two all-stars for prospects is all about money. The management and ownership of the Tigers don’t care about me, the fan, they just care about money.

The Rational Fan:

I saw it coming. This team didn’t make the playoffs with these guys. The Tigers are in a tough spot financially and needed to shed some payroll. No one will take Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, Carlos Guillen or the other bad contracts so guys like Granderson and Jackson were the likely candidates to be moved. I’ll miss seeing these two in a Tigers uniform but there’s nothing I can do about it, might as well move on. It sounds like the young players the Tigers acquired have a lot of potential. I hope that pans out.

The Casual Fan:

It’s December, why are we talking about baseball? Oh, the Tigers traded Curtis Granderson and that pitcher? That sucks. Oh well, busy watching the Wings, talk to me in April.

The Scout/Armchair GM:

Granderson will never have more value, Jackson is a sell high item as well – good time to make this move. The Tigers picked up two former first round picks, the best position player in the Yankees system and a hard throwing lefty with a little big league experience. This deal fills holes in 2010 and beyond. Scherzer can be as good as Edwin Jackson was in ‘09, has a + fastball and strong upside in his other pitches. Austin Jackson projects as a younger Granderson. Schlereth is raw, Rick Knapp can help him develop, has power in his arm. Coke is the wild card – could relieve, could start, good flexibility and left handed.

Tigers Teammates:

Publicly- “The organization has to do what it thinks is right to help this ballclubwin and succeed in the long term. I’m sad to see those guys go but I have faith that the new additions will help us win games. It’s a business and we understand that”

Privately, off the record – Either we need to get faster in the corner outfield spots or there are gonna be a hell of a lot more extra base hits against us next year. Curtis is a leader, a great defender and hard to replace. As for Eddie, if we would have hit for him he could have won 15-20 games last year. Too bad. What’s that Justin, you’re pissed off? I feel ya.

The Writers:

Thank you Dave Dombrowski! I was running out of off-season story ideas. I can only pen so many throwback stories, economics doomsday scenarios and made up Miguel Cabrera trade rumors before my carpal tunnel starts acting up. This should keep me busy for a couple of weeks. Now let’s start spinning this thing every which way I can. Oh, and I have to tweet the hell out of this ASAP.

As for the players involved, I’ll let them do the talking, when they’re ready. I am anxious to hear from Mr. Granderson on this issue primarily. Aside from his abilities Curtis was a respected and loved figure in the Detroit sports scene. In the five years he played for this team he was more than a centerfielder, he was a community activist, a television personality and a model for what we hope our local athletes will be on and off the field of play. Going to New York will present interesting opportunities and challenges for him, which I’m sure he will handle well.

Finally there is my personal take, for the two cents or so that is worth. Withany trade there are stages of reaction and insight. Immediately speaking I am sad to see two very talented, young, interesting ballplayers leave town. I consider myself a big fan of both and wish them well in their new surroundings. I also have to look at the numbers and recognize that neither player was (is) perfect. Granderson had well noted recent struggles against left handed pitching and was in my opinion a year or less away from moving down in the lineup. I’ve said for some time he would be better suited hitting 5th than leadoff, now we may never know, at least not in Detroit.

As for Edwin Jackson, his first half was remarkable. He displayed tremendous ability and endurance. With any real run support his win total would have been more impressive to say the very least. However, his second half was consistent with his career numbers after the all-star break, that is to say he fell off. Why? That is hard to answer, but the fact remains he was not the same hurler in the latter months of the 2009 campaign.

Speaking purely as a fan I was hoping to see both young men prosper in the Old EnglishD for many summers to come. I believe both have rare talent and could have served as cornerstones for this team going forward. In terms of the new Tigers – a lot of upside, but not much experience. This is how it works. You trade talent at its’ highest peak for other talent you believe will increase. That very well could be the case here.

Max Scherzer has tremendous potential. That word is scary and hard to build on, but the fact remains he couldbecome a better pitcher than Edwin Jackson. For me he is the key ingredient in this deal. Austin Jackson serves as key ingredient 1 A. With Granderson soon to be in pinstripes the Tigers will have a new centerfielder in 2010, and that likely will be the young Mr. Jackson. His minor league numbers suggest he has strong defensive skills, good speed and a good eye. Then again hitting .288 in the minor leagues is not the same as hitting .288 in the majors. He will face better pitching, and has the same heavy strikeout tendencies that Granderson has.

Phil Coke could become a valuable arm in the pen or the rotation and he could end up in Toledo. Daniel Schlereth is simply too young and too green to count on in 2010. Ask me again in 2011. Ask me again in 2012. My thoughts will be different, and supported by evidence rather than theory.

My primary concern with his deal, on the heels of Placido Polanco leaving town, is the core defense of this ballclub “up the middle”. A year ago at this time Dave Dombrowski had brought in Gerald Laird and Adam Everett to stregthen this facet of the game. He spoke of how critical it was to have strong defense at the cross (C,2B,SS,CF) and how the unit of Laird, Everett, Polanco and Granderson gave the Tigers a tremendous group.

One year later and two of those positions will be filled by players with a combined zero big league games under their belt. For Jackson particularly the large and difficult Comerica Park outfield will test him. Add in the lack of speed and mobility in the current corner outfielders and it equates to a significant challenge to any new player.

I must admit also that as a fan I abhor the idea of trading Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. Anyone but the Yankees. Growing up in this town I learned and held close to my heart two baseball axioms that were and still are unbreakable – I love the Detroit Tigers and despise the New York Yankees. The first time I see Curtis in that uniform I will cringe. However it does allow me to modify one long held ideal. I have often said there is not a single Yankee I like. I respect Derek Jeter, but even he I don’t like. Curtis changes that.

In a nutshell….I don’t like this deal because it subtracts two players I have a lot of faith in. I don’t like it because it came about as a direct result of bad contracts this organization can’t get out of, which forced management to make moves for financial motives rather than purely baseball ones. I recognize it may help this team be better in 2011 and beyond, but we’ll have to wait and see. At this point liking or not liking it doesn’t change anything. Curtis Granderson is gone. Edwin Jackson is gone.

A good friend told me yesterday that he took his wife’s Curtis Granderson jersey out of the closet, folded it neatly and tucked it away for a little while. It was just too painful to see it hanging there. That’s the part of this thing that makes it different from other trades this team has made. There is an emotional investment involved. He and his wife looked at Curtis as a steve Yzerman type of player, an Alan Trammell type of player. These kind of players can not be traded like cattle. They invoke a response from the heart, not the brain. So with that said I’ll cut some slack to those feeling downtrodden today. Here’s hoping in a few years one of the four young men the Tigers picked up yesterday can perhaps fill that void.

If you’d like to hear more of my thoughts or simply want to waste 10 minutes of your life I’ll be on the Fantasy Buffet podcast at www.fanball.com at 11:45 ET today discussing this deal with some other writers.

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