Tigers get Washburn

**douglasm** · July-31-09, 01:51 PM

The Tigers apparently got what they needed, a [[reasonabily) durable pitcher who can go deep in a game, and the Mariners got two pretty good prospects for a pitcher that [[in the 3rd year of a very expensive 3 year contract) finally began to deliver on his potential after 2 1/2 injury plagued years. The M's probably weren't going to sign him anyway, and being from the midwest, the Tigers at least have a chance.

So, my question as a Mariner fan is what can you tell me about Luke French besides he dueled Washburn in a 2-1 M's win July 23rd. And just as important, is Mauricio Robles as good as his press clippings?

**Nicodeme** · July-31-09, 03:28 PM

French is under team control for 6 more years, so you should be seeing plenty of him, and is more than a decade younger than Washburn. He was a pretty average prospect until this year when his numbers took off in AAA Toledo. French doesn't have as much power as the other pitchers in the Tigers rotation [[topping off around 91 with his fastball), but he's cut down on his walks a lot and has really increased his strikeouts.

Robles is probably where French was a year or two ago. He's been pitching at A/AA level for a while, but really cranked his numbers up this year. He's probably still a year or two away from the majors, though. Both players have a great deal of upside, and they're better than the players the Mariners sent to Pittsburgh.

The Mariners got the better end of this deal long-term, if French and Robles continue their growth and avoid injuries. There's no guarantee Washburn will be with the Tigers when this year is over, and may even go back to Seattle. But the Tigers got part of what they need this year, so right now it's a win for both sides. I just wish we would've gotten a bat to go along with him as well.

**Gary** · July-31-09, 03:59 PM

Shades of 1987...the Tigers pick up Doyle Alexander and give up John Smoltz. Alexander goes 9-0 and helps lead the Tigers to the ALCS. Two years later he's leading the league with 18 losses, Smoltz goes on to become an 8 time all star and the Tigers don't do jack schitt for another 19 years.

If Washburn can help us win the pennant this year and if we can re-sign him and if he goes on to have a few more winning seasons for the Tigers, this trade will turn out to be a good move by Dombrowski. If not, we might live to regret it and wind up sitting around talking about "what if", especially if French and/or Robles turns out to be all star caliber players.

**Ray1936** · July-31-09, 04:22 PM

Darn good move.
I remember back in 1948 [[yes, I do!) when the Tigers brought up two young pitchers in September. They both looked pretty good. Over the winter, Detroit decided to keep one and peddle the other.

The one they kept was Ted Gray, and he never lived up to his hype.

The one they sold off was Billy Pierce, whose work with the White Sox would get him into the HOF.

Go figure.

**smogboy** · August-01-09, 02:57 AM

I'm hoping that Washburn can sign here long term. He'd be a nice piece of the puzzle to have.

**gumby** · August-01-09, 08:33 AM

I am so sick of people bring up the Alexander/Smoltz trade every time a deadline trade is made. I guess if you are content to wallow in mediocrity we could have just stood pat and rode out the rest of the season. But that is not how contending teams do it. There is no guarantee we will have a chance in the future but we are in it now, we are in first place right now so lets take advantage of that and try to win this fricken thing. Man up, grow a sack, and shit or get off the pot.

**Gary** · August-01-09, 11:15 AM

So Gumby, just what did we get out of the Alexander/Smoltz trade? I'm not saying it was necessarilly a bad move at the time, but what did we gain from it in the long run? We didn't win the pennant in '87 and two years after that trade, the Tigers went 59-103.

Seems to me the Tigers "wallowed in mediocrity" at best for the next 19 years, not to mention 12 losing seasons. I'd say they were pretty "mediocre" when they lost 103, 109, 106 and 119 games during the years between '87 and and '06. That says it all. As for this most recent trade, I guess only time will tell.

**Lowell** · August-01-09, 02:23 PM

I dunno... that name is too close to Washedup for my liking.

**Vic_doucette** · August-02-09, 05:27 PM

Well, I'll be at the game Tuesday night -- it's Miracle League of Michigan night -- and I'll see first-hand what he's like.

FYI, the Miracle League of Michigan is a baseball league for special-needs kids. We have a rubberized, wheelchair-accessible field in Southfield, and a couple hundred kids who use it every week. All have physical or developmental disabilities that would keep them out of traditional youth baseball, but we built it and they came.

We're always looking for volunteers to give the kids a little help. Our games are on Friday evenings, Saturday mornings and afternoons, and Sunday afternoons. [[Other organizations use the field at other times; this year we've had activity seven days a week.)

Wanna learn more? Visit www.michiganmiracle.org

**gumby** · August-03-09, 12:32 PM

We got exactly what we were supposed to get out of the Smoltz/Alexander trade. Alexander went 9-0 the rest of the season and gave us a shot to win it all. Did it work out? No, but at least we tried. Smoltz went on to have a great career but there was no way to know for sure because all he was with us was potential. I have seen so much potential squandered in my time as a Tiger fan. Matt Anderson, Joel Zumaya, Scott Aldred, Jeff Weaver, John Doherty, Justin Thompson, Jose Lima, Franklin German... Those are just some of the top pitching prospects the tigers have had that didn't pan out for us [[and there are may more who didn't even make it to the majors). My point is you can't just hold onto something because they might turn into something because the Smoltzs and Verlanders of the world are few and far between.

**douglasm** · August-03-09, 04:23 PM

I think we see French on Tuesday night against Kansas City. Ian Snell, who we got for a good field/no hit SS and a minor league catcher from Pittsburgh, went last night. The M's lost, but Snell looked good. Hope French turns out the same way.....

**smogboy** · August-05-09, 09:07 AM

I've always thought that the people who've openly hated the Smoltz/ Alexander trade are judging it with 20/20 hindsight and what armchair baseball manager couldn't do that? At the time, it was hailed as a great deal- trading a prospect for a known commodity? Heck yeah. If every baseball manager had a crystal ball or some way of predicting what sort of future a kid would have in the majors, it's be too easy. Sometimes one has to sacrifice something in order to get something of value back; it's always laughable hearing some of these callers on sports talk radio coming up with these outlandish trade offers that are so home team sided. Uh, there's also a semi-intelligent manager on the other end of the deal trying to get equal value for their team too.

Judging trades and their values are always easy after the fact. Having the guts to pull it off at that particular time is the issue.