Rarely do I get a chance to unabashedly mock grown men for being bad at their jobs, but rarely do grown men perform as poorly in the public eye as Detroit Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has over the past few months. First, Dombrowski decided to trade his fourth starter for a quality utility man. Traditionally, this would not be cause for major alarm, but Dombrowski cluelessly undervalued his fourth starter. Doug Fister finished 8th in the AL in fWAR. While imperfect, the advanced statistic thought that the Tigers fourth starter was the 8th most valuable starter in the AL. Dombrowski traded him for Steve Lombardozzi, Robbie Ray, and Ian Kroll. Neither Kroll nor Ray are expected to be major contributors at the Major League level.
Still, let’s not rebash Dombrowski for his complete lack of awareness concerning his treasure chest of starting pitching, even as the Braves have proven yet again how quickly starting pitching depth can evaporate. No, instead let’s bash Dombrowski for then trading Lombardozzi straight up for Alex Gonzalez. The only thing that Gonzalez provides (other than a buddy for Dombrowski to tell old Marlins stories with) is the ability to play shortstop–italicized because at this point last year, he was considered a first baseman in Brewers camp. That Detroit’s scouting department would sign off on Alex Gonzalez as the Opening Day shortstop makes me question their judgement. These Detroit guys are probably chunky peanut butter fans as well.
Where Dombrowski may have overvalued Lombardozzi (understandable given Lombardozzi’s positional flexibility) and rationalized the (initial) trade by penciling Drew Smyly into the Tigers’ rotation, he failed to remain consistent in his decision making. It’s as if he made both of these trades because he was bored. Neither makes any sense and, in conjunction, effectively swap Doug Fister’s top 8 fWAR for a 37 year old former shortstop. Alex Gonzalez was once a really good player and could still be a productive member of the Tiger lineup, but the cost that Dombrowski payed is something like 2,000 pennies on the dollar.
Dombrowski’s follies were not the only baseball activities on Monday. Below are my thoughts on some of the other news and notes.
- The Braves released Freddy Garcia instead of paying him the $1.25 Million roster bonus that would be due his way if he were on the Opening Day roster. Garcia was clearly upset upon receiving word and it is hard to blame him. Why would the Braves sign him and keep him in camp so long if he were never going to make the team? It speaks poorly to an organization that is traditionally so highly respected that it would terribly mislead a veteran pitcher in this manner. I’m disappointed in my Braves. The South’s team has shown very little loyalty to its players in recent years.
- Shortly after news broke that Garcia got the boot from Braves camp, Ken Rosenthal broke news that the Braves had agreed to terms with Aaron Harang. Let me repeat this for Braves fans out there: AARON HARANG WILL BE IN YOUR OPENING DAY STARTING ROTATION. Granted, Ervin Santana, Mike Minor, and Gavin Floyd are all expected to rejoin the rotation before the end of April, but :(. Yes, Aaron Harang makes me frowny face.
- The Jonathan Papelbon School of Facial Expressions for Pitchers who Don’t Pitch Good has revived the career of Aaron Harang. Harang was washed up in 2005, until he discovered that he could get people out by looking ugly and staring meanly towards the batters box. Other attendees to the Papelbon School of Facial Expressions for Pitchers who Don’t Pitch Good: Joe Blanton (valedictorian), Jon Lackey (salutatorian), Joba Chamberlain (secretary), Josh Beckett (treasurer), and Kyle Farnsworth (bully).
- The White Sox signed Jose Quintana for a 5-year, $26.5 Million extension with two club options. Quintana is just 25 and has a 3.61 career ERA in 331 career innings. This is a great deal for the White Sox. They get a young innings eater (who can definitely improve) for about $5 Million a year over the next 5 years. With the Twins signing Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco to an AAV above $10M, the price of starting pitching will continue to soar. I love the deal for Quintana who may not have the highest ceiling, but who has already proven to be reliable.
- I have seen notes that the Phillies’ John Mayberry may very well be available (see what I did there?). The Phillies are looking to move the outfielder/first baseman and I’d be interested to see what Mayberry could do if he were given 400-500 plate appearances. Mayberry is 30 now and posted a .286 OBP last year, but his power is intriguing. The Astros are currently planning to run Jesus Guzman out there at first base. Why not take a chance on Mayberry?
-Sean Morash
Stat of the Day: I didn’t do the Dave Dombrowski bashing justice. He really made a series of terrible trades that could cripple his team’s World Series aspirations and further prolong his owner’s miserable pursuit of a Championship
