I hate to admit this but this is a solid trade by the Yanks. Granderson will hit 35 hrs in that bandbox. Granted he won't see a righty past the 6th inning but still.

Good move for the Yanks, tho worth noting that it probably kills their chances of landing Halladay. They traded AAA CF Jackson who was thought to be a central bargaining chip in any deal for the Jays' ace.

I was surprised Cashman didn't go after Figgins for LF. I think his baserunning would have had a huge impact, even tho NYY is such a slugging team.

The Yanks could still get Halladay pretty easily.

They just need to be willing to give up Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Kevin Dunn or Jesus Montero.

The heck with the Yankees and their trade. What else is on tap for the O's?

Millwood was the first step of a busy off season for AM. Any hope for a trade for Soriano or Kouzmanoff? Are the O's still "in play". Or signing Bedard or a hitter like Glaus or Nady?

The Tigers are my 2nd favourite team, next to the O's and this deal makes my wonder...I guess it's all about $$$ because Granderson is a solid CF and fan favourite and Jackson seemed to turn the corner.
They didn't get much back unless the so-called prospects are diamonds in the rough.
The Tigers play one of the weakest divisions in MLB and came within one game of the playoffs so it's not like they have to rebuild. They have a high payroll and economically-ravaged Detroit means less bodies in the stands so maybe they it's all about the bottom-line now.
The biggest salaries are still left-Ordonez and Cabrera at 18-20 mill each so maybe they are next to go.

Terry -

Jackson seemed to be turning the corner before he put up a 5.07 ERA in the second half.

Trading Granderson still didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense for the Tigers though. He's set to make $5.5M in 2010 and $8.25M in 2011. Both ridiculous bargains considering his power/speed combo and his defense. Even Grandy's $10M salary in 2012 will be pretty good deal unless he severely regresses over the next few seasons. I think Grandy's also got a pretty reasonable option for 2013 as well.

What's more, the Tigers are dropping $50M+ off their payroll after the 2010 season when Magglio Ordonez, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson all become free agents.

All that said, the Tigers only gave up one player and they got:

- Two relievers with great stuff in Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth,

- A potential #2 starter in Max Scherzer, who put up a pretty solid season in '09 as a 24-year-old

- A center fielder of the future in Austin Jackson, who seems to be about ready for the bigs

I think it was a good trade for the Tigers, but I would have kept Granderson and used ridiculous amount of money they'll have next winter to add a stud pitcher (Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee) and a power hitter (Adam Dunn to DH or move Miguel Cabrera to DH and add Carlos Pena).

Pete,

Have you heard any rumblings on Uggla. His right handed power and OBP would be huge for the lineup.

I like the trade for the Tigers. Good arms for the pen. A good young strikeout pitcher and a starting center fielder. All cheap and under control.

Granderson is good against righties, but really bad against lefties. He needs to be platooned against lefties and Detroit can't afford to pay 8 or 10 million for a platoon player.

I understand the deal for the Tigers and Yankees, but I don't get what Arizona was doing. Sherzer and Jackson are about the same and Sherzer is a whole lot cheaper.

not brooks - the tigers gave up two players, not just one. don't forget about edwin jackson who they dumped to avoid the arbitration paycheck coming to him. he has outstanding potential and will be a beast in the light hitting NL West.

Enzo -

You're right. I did forget about Jackson.

But I'm not sure why everyone is so sold the guy.

Jackson's ERA from '04 to '07 was 5.92. During that time, his K/9 rate (6.6) was only 1.5 points higher than his miserable walk rate (5.1).

He was decent in '08, but his K/9 was still too low and his BB/9 was still too high. And his ASB split was still pretty ugly, as he posted a 3.93 ERA prior to the break and a 5.15 ERA after.

Then you've got '09. With an insanely low .249 BaBIP against in the first half, Jackson put up that sparkly 2.52 ERA. Then, the BaBIP against normalized to .312, much closer to his .306 lifetime mark.

Jackson may be a solid middle of the rotation guy in the NL, but I'd take Max Scherzer over Jackson any day.

I think the Tigers were the ones who made out in this deal

not brooks -

nifty work with the stats. you're right his BB/9 is too high, but 6.6 K/9 isn't that bad depending on what kind of a pitcher you're talking about. Brad Bergensen won't ever have high numbers in that category because he's a GB pitcher, but that doesn't speak to his effectiveness on the mound. Otherwise you're numbers make a convincing case.

I just think Arizona is hoping that last year was a breakout year for jackson with more good to come. As for the comparison with Scherzer, i heard today that he is a high injury risk because of an unorthodox delivery that includes some kind of a head whip. one thought is that, despite is early promise, the d-backs wanted to unload this guy when he was at max value and before the injuries started piling up. so...that's one possible explanation.

Otherwise, i would agree with you: why pay more money for the same thing?

I'd take Jackson over Millwood. He's cheaper and in the long run, may be a better option. Millwood's numbers may not play out too well in a hitter's park like OPAC but on the other hand, Jackson may turn out like DanCab....Then again, he may well be a solid starter so who knows?
The O's have to gamble once in awhile and the Tigers obviously were willing to dump Jackson so why wasn't McPhail jumping into the fray by offering Ray?

HELLO PEOPLE!!

Arlington is a big time hitters park-- If u think anything other than that, u do not watch much baseball

Have fun with Granderson, he's a great guy.. met him and his parents outside of Comerica Park. Hate to see a genuinely good person leave Detroit.. but it's a business. On a baseball note, he's a terrible leadoff hitter.. his avg. went from .300's in '07 to .240 '09.. The only reason he makes good plays in the outfield, is because he get horrific jumps on the ball and has to make up ground by leaping/diving. I don't know much about Austin Jackson/Phil Coke, but I believe we got the better part of this deal.