Tiger for Life

Strikeout King returns!

The Tigers announced that they agreed to a 2-year extension for Mr. Brandon Inge, aka Strikeout King, Inge=HOF. According to the mLive article, the K King now lives in my neck of the woods, so it's possible I may run into him at Meijer. Should I tell him to choke up?

To be fair, we don't know the dollar figure, and, as discussed previously, Inge is one of the better options available at third base this year. At 2-years, the Tigers aren't committed long-term to El Rey de K.

Inge will suffice, provided the Tigers do upgrade in other areas. Yesterday, mLive reported that the Tigers will be among the teams pursuing free agent catcher Victor Martinez. As a 4-time All-star, Martinez should command somewhere in the $10M-$12M range. Perhaps higher if it's a one year deal. My guess is that he'll return to Boston, but expect Dombrowski to make a push. This is a bit strange considering Martinez never hit well in Comerica, and he's a poor defensive catcher. Should the Tigers, so prone to costly errors, downgrade yet another position? Martinez would be a massive, massive upgrade offensively from Laird and Avila, but at what price?

My hope is they pursue a cheaper, more balanced catcher like John Buck. Buck hit .281, with 20 HR and 66 RBI. He also made his first All-star team this year, so he's entering free agency at just the right time. Yet, he's a career .240 hitter, with not a ton of power lifetime. I'd be wary of over-committing to him, but he might be worth a big payday (in the $7M range) for one or two years. With a stronger glove, he's a better fit for the Tigers.

I hold out hope, though, that the Tigers focus their attention more on corner outfielders. There are some real free agent gems for that position. Or, as Grand Slam posted a while back, why not throw ridiculous money at a Hall of Famer like Cliff Lee? With a staff made up of Lee, Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello, the Tigers could potentially mow teams down. In 2006, the Tigers won with defense and pitching. Sure, the 2011 Tigers may be tough to watch at the plate, but they need to play to their strengths. Comerica Park caters to speed and pitching. Build the team around that.