Trade Jackson?

Last night, a small bit of Tiger news caught fire: Dombrowski is shopping Edwin Jackson.

As someone who watched Edwin's highs (April) and lows (August), I'm still fairly shocked. Young pitchers who can tough 97mph with control do not come around very often. Even though Edwin struggled mightily down the stretch, I'd still consider him to be a cornerstone of the future.

The fact that Dombrowski is entertaining offers tells me the team needs to trim payroll. This is a sad development. Dombrowski opened the books for D-train, Nate, Guillen, Bonderman, Sheffield, and Maggs, and now the fans are paying the price. From a businessman's perspective, the potential move makes sense. Edwin's value has never been higher. He's coming off an All-star season, with a truly wicked 1st half. Yet, the Tigers watched in horror as Jackson lost 4 of his last 5, while sporting a 6.13 ERA after September 1st.

If the team ships off Jackson for prospects, the Tigers would have only two reliable starters - Verlander and Porcello. There are major question marks with every other option - Bonderman, Galarraga, Robertson, etc. That's a recipe for disaster. The trade could be a massive PR blunder, and I'd hate to believe Ilitch would want that. Despite the region's economy, the Tiger fans continued to support the team - 12th in the league at almost 32,000/game. Yet, fans are smart. If they sense the team isn't committed to winning, they won't come. And how could a team that lets Polanco leave, loses its bullpen, and trades away its 2nd best starter claim to be committed to winning?

Folks, it's going to be a long, very speculative offseason.

Gold Glove
If Gerald Laird was anything last season, he was a truly awesome defensive catcher. Among starters, he led the league in throwing out base-stealers. He threw out an astounding 42%. The next closest was Rod Barajas at 34%. His 99.7% fielding percentage was also tops in the AL (tied with Varitek). Yet, who won the prestigious Gold Glove for catcher? Joe frickin' Mauer. The Twins win again.

This is clearly a case of Laird's offensive numbers hurting his reputation. But the Gold Glove is for defense. From a defensive standpoint, Mauer's numbers just don't add up. In the one area where Laird was lacking - passed balls (9)- Mauer was actually worse (10). Mauer threw out only 26% of potential base-stealers, caught fewer innings, and had fewer assists. Mauer did only commit 3 errors all season, but so did Laird. Again, it makes no sense... unless it's a popularity contest. So, good for Mauer. He can add this trophy next to the dried Tiger pelts on his mantle.

Sucks for Laird. He really did deserve it.