Rumors have it ( and we all love rumors) that one of the potential landing spots for Alex Rodriguez could be in Detroit. As a Tigers fan, I have mixed feelings about this.
Pros:
Ticket sales would be thru the roof. The Tigers didn't have many empty seats last year and with the addition of A-Rod, tickets would be hard to come by in 2008 and beyond.
Getting one of the best players ever definitely has it's perks. The numbers alone for A-Rod are unreal. Pile those numbers with the numbers of Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Edgar Renteria ( welcome, Edgar) Placido Polanco and Curtis Granderson. It could be record setting.
The Tigers and Scott Boras know each other. Magglio Ordonez and Ivan Rodriguez were two huge signings when it wasn't encouraging to be a Detroit Tiger. Boras knows how to deal with the Tigers and Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski knows what he's getting with yet another Boras client.
Cons:
Okay, I tried hard to come up with more positives than negatives, but I couldn't.
As good as A-Rod is, his next team will be his fourth team. It says something about the best player in the game when his past teams did not decline after he left. It's highly debatable if he makes his teammates better. Like I said, if he's THAT great, why didn't anyone beg to keep him?
The Tigers have a good nucleus right now. They're going to be fighting for the American League pennant whether A-Rod wears the olde English D or not. Jim Leyland has done an incredible job turning the Tigers attitude into a winning one. Who knows what happens when you add A-Rod to this team. It could go either way.
Where would A-Rod play? Obviously if you sign him, he's going to demote somebody. Will it be Edgar Renteria who the Tigers just acquired Monday? Will it be Brandon Inge, who is nowhere near A-Rod offensively but is better defensively? Will A-Rod DH sometimes? Then what do you do about Gary Sheffield?
My gut says, A-Rod will not be a Tiger next year. There are some things working in the Tigers favor, but I doubt anyone can say with 100% conviction the Tigers would be a better team in 2008 if they add Alex Rodriguez.
I tried to convince myself they would be better, but I couldn't.
Born and raised in the great state of MEE-CHI-GAN. Had a one year stint in Indianapolis where I grew to love all things Hoosier and watched the Colts bring home a Super Bowl trophy. My primary teams remain the Tigers, Pistons, Lions, Red Wings, and Wolverines and I wouldn't trade any of them. Still follow NASCAR, but it's not the same without the black number 3. My favorite sport by far is college basketball. I'll watch pretty much any game between November-Febr uary and March is the pinnacle of it all with the MADNESS. It can't be beat.
