Knowing that Tigers like big prospect like but with Maggilo coming back ,Logan doing real mean real well .plus Pena struggles + areas in one power starting pitcher short .Think in mind back use him for trade bait for power hitting first +starting pitching in a package deal .

I read somewhere recently that Granderson might be traded to help acquire a starting pitcher. Don't count on him being traded for a first baseman with Shelton doing so well in Toledo.

Interesting. I haven't had time to follow the minors the last few weeks and I was wondering how deep the pool is for OF's in general. I see Maggs, Monroe and Logan as our future, so Granderson might be expendable. But, my other thought has been that when Maggs comes back, Thames will be out and Granderson might be brought up to rotate in the OF. If nothing else, to perhaps showcase him for a possible trade. It sure is nice to have some options with the younger players, instead of having to start them just to field a team.

I agree. However, if the Tigers are toying around with the idea of trading away our best prospect ... lets hope the return on that is indeed whats expected. We can't afford to lose Granderson in a bad trade situation.

True, let's hope DD does what's best. Another option that has been crossing my mind is that Maggs will eventually make a pretty good DH and then put Granderson in right field.

There some genious general mgrs. that in the market for a centerfielder willing to part with a power-starting pitcher :like the ex:Yankees,Pirates,Giants A's just to name a few .Moose,Kip Wells,Jason Schmidt,Barry Zito who are worth looking into .

Back during Maggs free agency, he stated he didn't want to sign for a team that wanted him primarily for DH purposes. I suppose that feeling can change, but for now I wouldn't pursue it until we know more about Maggs long term ability to play in the field.

I think many people would disagree that Granderson is our top prospect. In the OF we do have Espinosa, Clevlen, and Blue having excellent seasons. Granderson reminds me of a lefthanded Monroe. He can probably play all 3 OF spots but not really fast enough for CF in COPA. Has a little pop in his bat.

I think he is very tradeable right now if a package was put together for a proven player.

Let me rephrase myself and if you still disagree, thats your perogative. Granderson is currently our highest rated prospect in our farm system. That can change, I realize .... but its hard to rate the guys you mentioned above him considering they are all playing in lower minors than Granderson. Especially considering that Granderson is having his own good season! (I'm not saying that some of those others may not have higher ceilings though.) I will say this .... you are absolutely correct when you say that Granderson projects more as a corner outfielder. I think he would play respectfully in center in CoPa, but as long as Logan keeps playing well and constantly working to improve his game .... I don't see him snatching centerfield from him. Oh, and Monroe has quite a bit more power.

Edit: In the right package, yes he would be tradeable. He doesn't bring anything significantly different than guys we already have on the major league roster.

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Edited 5/20/2005 12:36 pm ET by havinabadday

I see what you're saying. Granderson may be the closest to making the Tigers but Shelton is certainly right up there with him. I guess since Logan and Ordonez do seem to have futures with the Tigers the only OF question is really LF where I could see Granderson platooning next year if he is still in the Tigers organization.

Actually, leaving all the prospect ratings aside (since they don't always mean a whole lot), I think Shelton might actually beat Granderson to the big leagues. .340/8hrs/.605 on base percentage .... 1 error at 1st base all season .... and a struggling Pena might bring Shelton to the big leagues sooner than many might anticipate. No one in their right mind would consider DY adequate defensively at 1st for a starting role over the long term ..... which could very well force Shelton into the picture by All Star break. Especially if he keeps killing the ball in Toledo!

Really I would not trade Granderson now. I say this mainly because I think we still face a potentialproblem in the OF.

Entering this year I wondered if Maggs could face the rigors of playing OF everyday. HE is out with a non knee injury, but still that does not prove he is fit to be an everyday OF. I can see Maggs coming back and hitting well, but only able to play OF occasionaly. Then DY and MAggs can DH/1B. In that case Monroe/Nookie/Granderson are a very young OF. Then Shelton can be super sub backing up 1B/DH/C/3B/OF with Maggs playiing OF and Shelton 1B.

I also wonder how much an unproven Granderson will get? Also, how much do we have behind Granderson? Espinosa is a player I like, but he is repeaing AA and was out hit by Granderson soundly last year. Cleven and Blue, they are still at A, years away.

I agree, my "eventually" should have been 2-3 years down the road. I like Granderson a lot, but I'm also impressed with Monroe (C-Mo, I like that handle). All in all, I think the OF is no longer the weakness that was the consensus from last year ie. Higgy, Sanchez, and White. Hopefully DD will concentrate on the SP's during the off season (and perhaps 1st base).

I think he's perfect trade bait. Granderson is striking out too much and showing no power in Triple-A. I just don't see him replacing Logan unless Nook really starts declining. Also, the organization seems to like Monroe for at least the forseeable future and of course there is Ordonez. Granderson and a good pitching prospect could get a solid major leaguer in a trade, but I doubt that other organizations look at Granderson as a top prospect right now.

Would it be possible at all to have Maggs play at 1st base, he seems like a big enough guy, plus his knee would be safer there than the outfield. Can he not field well or something? I'm surprised I have not read this idea earlier, plus we can keep our current outfielders and perhaps send Pena down to the minors and see how he responds. Whats your guys' thoughts on this?

I'm not positive on this part, but I believe Pena may be out of options .... and if thats true, he would be exposed to waivers and probably would not clear. As for Maggs and first ... he's never played it in the bigs. Mid season, coming off an injury is not the time to try that experiment. He should at least be 100% healthy and have all of spring training to try and make that shift. Thats not a "no" to the idea as much as a "not yet."

I wouldn't mind if someone claimed Pena off waivers and just let him go. We won't get much in value if we traded him anyway unless he was part of a package we ship out for a high-quality player in return. At this point I am wondering if we should give Wilson a chance to play 1B.

If he was claimed from the waiver list, we would be responsible for most of his contract. Granted, its "only" a bit better than 2 million this year .... but it would still be better to try to package him a deal for someone that would help the club right now. I like the guy, and would rather see him come around ..... but how long should we wait? His time is running out!

Before the injury last year, wasn't maggs a pretty good outfielder? Or was he only good compared to the rest of the Bite Kocks, who couldn't field their way out of a paper bag (was Jose Valentin even facing in the right direction most of the time?).

The hernia thing may just save Maggs's knees by giving him another half season to rest it.