This is Black Friday, when millions of bargain-crazed Americans head to the malls to shop for deeply discounted merchandise. The only purchases I’ve made today have been on behalf of my son: at the doctor’s office, the pharmacy and – in a weak moment – an online gaming site.

If you’re a baseball fan and a fan of baseball caps, the Major League Baseball site is running a sale at the MLB.com Shop. I’m not buying anything there today, but this orange-billed San Francisco Giants cap did catch my eye.

I also stumbled onto a link to one of what the site describes as several recordings of classic baseball games on radio that you can buy. The one in the Giants’ area was of a game against the Astros at Enron Field. That park carried that name for so short a time that I’m amazed there was time to find a classic there. I’ll be poking around to find more classic broadcasts available on the site.

I’d love to dredge up some old Cleveland Indians’ broadcasts from the 1960s, when the team was usually terrible. Imagine reliving thrills from 1967 as the Tribe and Washington Senators battled for seventh place in the American League! Seriously, I’d love to hear random games from the past, if only to recall so many fine old players like Ken McMullen and Sonny Siebert or to hear announcers like Jimmy Dudley on WERE in Cleveland or Ray Lane and Ernie Harwell on WJR in Detroit.

For me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday of the year. It’s one of the few times of the year when all bets are off when it comes to food. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

It doesn’t get any better than that.

Thanksgiving is also the time of year where we give thanks to what we have in life. It’s no different for all 30 teams of Major League Baseball. Each team has something they can be thankful for.

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies should be thankful that they have one of the best GM’s in the game in Ruben Amaro Jr. A GM who doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves should be thankful the Minor League Player of the Year, Jason Heyward is on his way. The kid looks like a star.

Florida Marlins: The Marlins should be thankful they are getting a new stadium in 2012. Maybe then they can keep their young stars like Josh Johnson

New York Mets: The Mets should be thankful that 2009 is finally coming to an end. 2010 can’t be much worse.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals should be thankful that new GM Mike Rizzo has more of a clue than former GM Jim Bowden

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals should be thankful for the fact that they get to watch the best player in the game on a day in and day out basis.

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs should be thankful that after so many years of being labeled “lovable losers,” they are finally dedicated to winning. Whether or not they are making the right moves to win is another story.

Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers should be thankful that they have an owner in Mark Attanasio, who runs a small market team, but has a big market mentality.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds should be thankful that Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and Joey Votto are young stars, who should provide a solid foundation for the future.

Houston Astros: The Astros should be thankful that Wandy Rodriguez established himself as a solid No. 2 starter in 2009.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates should be thankful for the fact that GM Neal Huntington has the team moving in the right direction. The Pirates are making the right moves to compete in the future.

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: The Dodgers should be thankful for Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, who appear to be the foundation of the Dodgers’ offense for years to come.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies should be thankful that they have one of the best and exciting young teams in baseball. The Rockies have finally figured out how to win in Colorado.

San Francisco Giants: The Giants should be thankful for being able to watch Tim Lincecum every five days. His unique delivery continues to amaze fans and baffle hitters.

San Diego Padres: The Padres should be thankful that it appears that they will not be trading star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks should be thankful that Brandon Webb is making progress and looks to be healthy in 2010.

AL East

New York Yankees: The Yankees should be thankful that they are the Yankees. No other team in professional sports has the advantage they have.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox should be thankful for their minor-league system, which allows them to trade for players like Victor Martinez and potentially Roy Halladay or Miguel Cabrera.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays should be thankful that they have the most athletic team in baseball and after so many years of losing, they have a winner in Tampa.

Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays should be thankful for the fact they got to watch Roy Halladay pitch in a Blue Jays’ uniform for the last 12 years. He will go down as the best player in franchise history.

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles should be thankful for that after so many years of not having a clue, they are moving in the right direction. Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, and Nick Markakis provide a solid foundation for the future.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins: The Twins should be thankful for Joe Mauer. When it is all said and done, I believe he will go down as the greatest catcher of all time.

Detroit Tigers: The Tigers should be thankful for Mike Ilitch. Despite a ravaged economy in Detroit, Ilitch does his best to put a winner on the field in the Motor City.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox should be thankful for employing Ozzie Guillen. His press conferences have provided baseball fans with hours of comedy. Oh yeah, the guy is a pretty good manager.

Kansas City Royals: The Royals should be thankful that there is only more year left in the Jose Guillen era in Kansas City.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians should be thankful that Grady Sizemore, Carlos Martinez, Azdrubal Cabrera, Matt LaPorta, and Shin-Soo Choo provide hope for the future.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The Angles should be thankful for that they have one of the best run organizations in baseball. The job Arte Moreno and Mike Scioscia have done in Anaheim has been impressive.

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners should be thankful for the fact that if they make a couple of solid moves this offseason, they could win the AL West in 2010.

Texas Rangers: The Rangers should be thankful for GM Jon Daniels. His trades and drafting over the last four years have the Rangers poised to make a run at the AL West crown in 2010.

Oakland A’s: The A’s should be thankful for Andrew Bailey. The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and a great year and should anchor the backend of the A’s bullpen for years to come–or at least until Billy Beane trades him.

I would like to give thanks to all my readers for taking the time out of their days to read my blog. For that, I am truly grateful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE AND THEIR FAMILIES!!!

Por tiempo hemos aprendido que Hanley Ramirez no es un pelotero de mucho hablar.

Al final de temporada cuando ganó el título de bateo de la Liga Nacional pocas palabras se le escucharon decir a los medios de comunicación.

Ahora que arribó segundo en la votación para el premio de Jugador Más Valioso de su circuito tampoco nada de nada del joven torpedero y toletero de los Marlins de Florida.

Sí esta contento, feliz, afortunado, satisfecho o otro adjetivo es una pura adivinanza.

Lo que muchos seguidores suyos especialmente en la Ciudad del Sol les anda preocupando del acertijo es que sí su silencio es por alguna razón en especifico.

Sencillamente los rumores están volando por los aires floridianos que tanto los Medias Rojas de Boston como los Cardenales de San Luis andan interesados en sus servicios.

El joven Todo-Estrella dominicano desde que llegó a la novena Marlin en el 2006 ha sido la luminaria de este conjunto.

El quisqueyano tiene en su resumé el galardón de Novato del Año de la Nacional; dos veces Todo-Estrella; dos veces Bate de Plata; tres veces Marlin del Año y claro esta su reinato de bateo con .342 de promedio.

Ramírez se convirtió en el primer Marlin en la historia en lograr un título de bateo y solo el cuarto campocorto en la historia de la Nacional en ser un titular con el madero. Antes que Ramírez el último paracorto en obtener un titulo de bateo lo fue en 1960 Dick Groat de los Piratas de Pittsburgh.

Entre los suyos de tierra quisqueyana, Ramirez se unió al exclusivo club de reyes de bateo en Las Mayores a los nombres de Mateo Alou, Rico Carty, Julio Franco, Alex Rodríguez, Manny Ramírez y Albert Pujols.

Ademas de su título de bateo, Ramírez terminó entre primeros diez en alrededor de nueve importantes categorias ofensivas.

Sí no hubiese sido por el super año de Pujols seguramente el natural de Samaná hubiese sido el candidato más fuerte para Más Valioso y hubiese sido el primer Marlin en obtener tal reconocimiento.

El Marlin más cercano antes de esta pasada temporada a tal distintivo lo fué el venezolano Miguel Cabrera en el 2005 y el 2006 que arribó en ambas ocasiones en quinto lugar en la boleta.

Vale señalar que Ramirez ha estado en la boleta de Más Valioso por la ultimas tres temporadas.

Lo que le inquieta a muchos aficionados de los Marlins es sí Ramírez terminará igual que Cabrera. En otro uniforme despues de haber irradiado en el uniforme de los Marlins donde tantas estrellas han pasado y tiempo despues han sido desvanecidos a otros equipos.

Y ojo que como están las cosas por la económia en que andamos viviendo cualquier cambio puede suceder.

El mismo Miguel Cabrera esta siendo ofrecido hoy día como pieza de canje por sus Tigres de Detroit. Muy interesante ver quien toma su contrato actual que le faltan seis años y $120 millones.

También muchos rumores andan revoleteando que los Bravos de Atlanta desean canjear a Javier Vazquez; los Padres de San Diego a Adrian González; los Rangers de Texas a Nelson Cruz; los Mets de Nueva York a Carlos Beltrán y los Cachorros de Chicago a Alfonso Soriano.

Dos ex-Marlins quien sabe si regresan a su antigua hueste floridiana. Tanto Luis Castillo de los Mets como Mike Lowell de los Medias Rojas de Boston están siendo ofrecidos por sus equipos como piezas de cambio.

También andan rumorandose al presente como fichas de cambios entre otros Bengie Molina, Placido Polanco, Marco Scutaro, Rafael Soriano y José Valverde.

De Hanley Ramírez no debe haber sorpresa alguna de los rumores tanto con Boston o San Luis. Ambas franquicias publicamente este pasado verano dejaron saber que sí hubiese la oportunidad de obtener sus servicios las puertas estaban abiertas para negociación.

Los Marlins inauguran su nuevo estadio en el 2012. Estará Hanley Ramírez en el uniforme de Florida ?

El tiempo dirá. Veremos.

In other MLB news, Miguel Cabrera could potentially be on the market this winter.  The Detroit Tigers are hemorrhaging money and have already put Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson on the block.  Cabrera has a huge contract and some off-the-field issues and there is some whispers that he may be available.  If I were the Red Sox, I would do everything that I can to get this guy.  The Boston Herald mentioned this in a story today.   I know I just wrote about them making a run at Halladay but Cabrera can be a guy that makes just as big of an impact.

I know that he has weight and character issues – but the guy is an elite hitter, a guy you can build a lineup around.  He could make a Mark Teixeira-type impact that the Sox were looking for last winter.  I have been open about saying the Sox need to rework the everyday lineup considerably to compete with the Yankees.  This is a way to do that, almost instantly.

There are some potential hang-ups – what is Detroit looking for in return?  The Sox may not have to give up as much as they would for Halladay because of Cabrera’s contract (6 years and $126 million left on it).  Could the Sox assume the entire contract and give some lesser prospects?  Detroit would have a tough time selling that to their fans but if they are really in serious financial trouble, they may not have a choice.

Could they acquire Cabrera, Halladay, and sign Bay/Holliday in free agency?  That would add around $50-$60 million onto their payroll and they may not be willing to do that.  If it happened though, they might as well fire up the duck boats now because there is no one – not even the Yankees – that could compete with a roster like that.

If you want to read an article written under pure conjecture, check out yesterday’s article in the Detroit News by Tigers Insider, Lynn Henning. Based on the headline — “Miguel Cabrera joins Tigers trade talks” — we, the readers, are led to believe the Tigers are actively shopping Miguel Cabrera.

It’s too bad there’s nothing in the article to assume this has ever been discussed internally.

Now, I don’t know Mr. Henning. He’s been around for a while, so I assume he’s a reputable reporter with solid sources inside the Tigers organization. But his article takes the idea that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are two teams who could take on Cabrera’s salary (duh) and piles on with the notion that they have asked the Tigers about a trade. 

The quote from Tigers president and general manager, Dave Dombrowski, used in the article is a canned response used by every GM when asked about players who might be traded.  Frankly, I’m surprised his editor allowed it to run. It does nothing to advance the idea of a trade, yet, it’s vague enough to hint at the possibility. I assume this was Henning’s goal.

I guess if the Tigers are blown away by an offer, they might deal Cabrera in the offseason. But with a dearth of offensive talent on the active roster at the moment, I really can’t see the Tigers sending away a guy in the prime of his career who was responsible for driving in 14 percent of their runs last year.

But, then again, what do I know?

The Blue Jays resigned good-field-no-hit shortstop John McDonald to a $1.5 million contract for 2010.  It’s still too much money for a player who will be 35 years old and is coming off a career year with the bat in which he still only had only a .655 OPS.  On top of that, he isn’t even the only John Joseph McDonald ever to play in the major leagues — a John Joseph McDonald briefly pitched for the Washington Senators in 1907.  [More recent reports indicate that the contract is two years for a total of $3 million.]

The Giants are apparently considering bringing back catcher Yorvit Torrealba as a replacement for Bengie Molina, while Buster Posey grows into the role as an every day major league catcher.  I remember Yorvit fondly from his prior stint as a Giant a few years back, when he looked like like a promising young catcher who perhaps deserved more playing time.

Now that he’s had that additional playing time, I’m not particularly impressed.  In his four years playing semi-regularly for the Rockies, he’s had OPS numbers of .732, .699, .687 and .731.  These numbers wouldn’t be bad for a catcher playing on any team in MLB except the Rockies.  The Rocks play in the best hitters’ park in baseball by a wide margin, and a catcher who consistently posts an OPS right around .700 playing half his games there just isn’t giving you much offense.  I would expect to Torrealba’s OPS to decline playing semi-regularly for the Giants.

The Tigers are apparently eager to trade pitcher Edwin Jackson, coming off a break-through season at age 25.  The reason: the only one I can see is that Jackson’s ERA got worse every single month in 2009.  From April through October, he posted monthly ERAs of 2.25, 2.34, 2.91, 3.16, 4.45, 5.08, and finally 14.40 in one October start.  Yeesh!

That being said, Jackson had a second-half ERA of 5.07 with 64 Ks and 35 walks in 92.1 innings pitched.  These are not terrible numbers for a 25 year old starter in the AL.  Depending on what the Tigers are asking for him (reportedly, not very much), he looks like a player worth taking a chance on.

The Tigers added for men to their 40 man roster.  here is what they could do for them…

AUDY CIRIACO: I like what I see in him, he could make some big contibutions but not all the time and it could take awhile.  He doesn’t have the best tools in the system but he could be dangerous.  Ciriaco isn’t ready for the show as far as hitting but he could improve here

SCOTT SIZEMORE- The left-handed Placido Polanco.  He will hit hit and is ready for the bigs.  he could start doing well right away.  he doesn’t have many flaws in his game and could become a player who hits his way to MVPs.  He will be somebody the Tigers should get tons of production out of and good stats.

RYAN STRIEBY:  His power and average combo will get him to a successful career.  He might still need to geta  little better but he will do many great things like Sizemore.  he won’t play good defense though.  Being great DH is his future.

BRENNAN BOESCH: His power will take him a little way but I’m not sure about a good career.  Boesch could do a few things for them and could stick around for a while but don’t expect him to do really good.  If he gets on base more he will be great though.

My editor from OwnersEdge.com emailed me asking if I could help out with the Detroit Tigers blog in the Fanball Sports Network, so obviously I jumped at the opportunity to help out. The original writer over there was apparently in an accident and is out of commission so I’ll be in for a little while. Check out my first post here.

Now, that won’t curtail production here. I have tomorrow off and should be able to finish the third basemen and hopefully get started on the shortstops before the holidays. You may notice there was no NFL whatsoever yesterday. This wasn’t entirely accidental. It’s really going to be more of a “when I have time” then a bankable feature. I put baseball material first so now with helping out at the Tigers site and my rankings here, football heads to the backburner. I apologize to those who enjoy that piece, but it isn’t my main passion–baseball will always be #1.

Awarding Miguel Cabrera one first-place vote in the America League MVP voting was moronic, according to more than one blog. 

But was that lone vote really that ridiculous?

Here are their 2009 stats:

Mauer – .365 BA, 28 HR, 96 RBI, .444 OBP, .587 SLG

Cabrera – .324 BA, 34 HR, 103 RBI, .396 OBP, .547 SLG

(Not too dissimilar, eh?)

From May until September, Joe Mauer (after missing the first month of the season) had Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer protecting him in the lineup, while speedster Denard Span got on base in front of him at a .392 clip.

Cabrera, meanwhile, had to endure the two-headed monster of like Clete Thomas and Magglio Ordonez in front of him, with Carlos Guillen making pitchers shake in their boots behind him.  Yet he still managed to finish fourth in the AL in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage and sixth in slugging.  All of this done when opposing teams’ pitching strategies basically revolved around #24.

I’m not discounting that Mauer had one hell of a season, but I’ve always thought that factoring in the performance of a team if said MVP candidate was removed from the lineup should play a role in the voting.

The Twins would have survived the 2009 season without Mauer, at least until Morneau (the 2006 American League MVP)  went down with his season-ending injury.

The Tigers without Cabrera? I think it’s safe to say we would have turned our attention toward the Detroit Lions a lot sooner.

That’s got to be worth a few first-place votes.

My preseason AL MVP pick: Grady Sizemore

AL MVP winner: Joe Mauer

Two nights before the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, I had the opportunity to hang out with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan at an pre-All-Star Game party at a bar in New York City.

It was by far and away one of the coolest nights of life. How often does someone have drinks with an MVP? Little did I know I was hanging out with two MVP’s that night.

Me and Joe Mauer at the All-Star Game party

Today, Mauer followed in Morneau’s footsteps by winning the American League MVP award.

Mauer, who led the AL in avg. (.365), OBP (.444), and slugging percentage (.587) received 27 out of 28 first-place votes to become not only the second Minnesota Twin to win the award since 2006, but he also became just the second catcher in the last 33 years (Thurman Munson) to win the award.

Ivan Rodriguez won the award with the Texas Rangers in 1999.

Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees finished second and third in the voting. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers was the only other player to receive a first-place vote.

Really?

Someone voted for Cabrera? Voting for Cabrera for the AL MVP is just as egregious as Keith Law leaving Chris Carpenter off the NL Cy Young ballot.

I am going to bet a good amount of money the idiot who voted for Cabrera was the same idiot who voted for Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young.

But back to Mauer.

When it’s all said and done, I believe Mauer will go down in baseball history as the greatest catcher of all time. I really believe he is that good.

For a catcher to win three out of the last four batting titles is truly amazing. It’s a feat that doesn’t get talked about enough. Just like with Roy Halladay having more complete games than 27 teams in baseball.

15 years from now, we are going to look back at these feats and go “Wow, he really did that?”

And for any Yankee fan who thinks that Jeter or Teixeira got robbed–just be quiet. Seriously, I don’t want to hear it.

Mauer was the best player in the American League this year.

There was no doubt about it.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

I’m a little early on this, I admit. I’m jumping the gun, but this time they can’t call me back to the starting blocks.

You heard it here first, then.

When the Tigers gather for spring training in about three months—it can’t get here fast enough, by the way—it will be 2010 and you can say it.

It’ll be 20 years since Cecil Fielder knocked 51 homers out of the confines of American League ballparks on behalf of the Tigers.

Yep—1990. Even the most mathematically challenged can figure out that 2010 minus 20 equals 1990.

Go ahead and use a calculator anyway, if you wish. But you’ll get 20 years since Cecil clubbed his way into the history books.

Fifty dingers might not seem like so much nowadays, but no Tiger had hit that many since Hank Greenberg was thrilling the folks at Briggs Stadium in the 1930s and ’40s. Hank, in fact, almost hit 60—he clobbered 58 in 1938.

But unlike Greenberg, who was a product of the Tigers’ farm, Cecil was an outsider. Actually, he wasn’t acquired so much as imported.

The Tigers left the continent and traveled to the Far East to wrangle Fielder away from a Japanese team, also called the Tigers (Hanshin). Big Daddy, as he was called, had fled the country either because he was attracted to sushi or because he couldn’t stand playing behind Fred McGriff. Or both.

Fielder was a Toronto Blue Jay but McGriff was dug in deep as the Jays’ first baseman. McGriff was about Cecil’s age but he was Big Daddy’s superior, at least in the Blue Jays’ eyes. McGriff swung lefty and maybe that’s what hurt the right-handed hitting Fielder.

Anyhow, Cecil played for Hanshin in 1989 and the Detroit Tigers, in need of a first sacker, remembered what Fielder could do from his days in the AL East. So they sent a team of envoys to Japan and the result was that Fielder signed with them in January 1990.

The Tigers’ first player from Japan and he was an American. Go figure.

Not much was made of the signing, other than the Tigers had filled a hole at first base. How it would turn out was anyone’s guess.

After 14 games, Fielder had three home runs. Not bad; about a 34-homer pace.

Not bad turned into pretty good, and pretty good turned into “This guy’s hotter than wasabi!”

Fielder slammed 10 home runs in his next 15 games, including three in, you guessed it, Toronto.

But it wasn’t just that Fielder hit home runs. It was how he hit them.

He looked like he was swinging a toothpick, which is what all the big dudes make even 40-ounce bats look like. Fielder was big and muscular and should have been wearing a football helmet, not a batting helmet.

He cocked his bat just before he swung—another staple from the slugger’s repertoire. And while he connected with nothing but air a whole bunch of times, pity the poor baseball that he didn’t miss.

A Cecil Fielder home run came in three varieties—towering, lasered, and crushed. No one had punished baseballs in Detroit before him, or since. He was the strongest man to wear the Old English D not named Willie Horton or Marcus Thames.

One afternoon, Fielder took Oakland A’s pitcher Dave Stewart downtown—downtown Lansing, that is. He drove a baseball over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium, which was by far the harder of the two roofs to clear.

Fielder kept knocking home runs throughout the summer of 1990, and around the All-Star break it was whispered: could Cecil hit 50? He had 28 and there was still about half a season to go.

Damon Runyon must have written the script from the afterlife and sent it down to Detroit, because going into the last game of the season—in New York, no less—Fielder had 49 dingers. If he was going to reach 50, he’d have to do it in Roger Maris-like fashion—in Yankee Stadium on the season’s final day.

Manager Sparky Anderson placed Fielder second in the batting order, to give him an extra at-bat if necessary. He didn’t need it.

In the fourth inning, with Tony Phillips on base, Fielder jacked a baseball off someone named Steve Adkins deep into the upper deck in left field in the Bronx. Number 50. Then, as if to make sure in case they added wrong, Fielder hit another, in the eighth inning. Number 51.

They usually don’t take kindly to Japanese imports in Detroit, but they made an exception in the case of Cecil Fielder.

It’ll be 20 years ago, coming up. No Tigers player—Cecil included—has come close to 50 since then.

Big Daddy, to Detroit from Toronto via Hanshin, Japan. Not the shortest route between two points, unlike his home runs. But it worked out.

‘Same Card, Different Paths’ – Card #17

1986 Fleer - Card #653 – AKA – ‘The Cecil Fielder Rookie Card’

Cecil Fielder - ‘Big Daddy’ was one of the premier home run hitters during the 1980’s.  When most of the league’s top sluggers were struggling to crush 30 bombs a year, Cecil Fielder was routinely out-slugging them in record fashion.  After a 4-year stint with Toronto that resulted in very little playing time, Fielder played in Japan for a year before returning to the big leagues and joining the Detroit Tigers.  The next 8 years resulted in 284 home runs, 3 All-star selections, and 2 Silver Slugger awards.  Fielder went on to win 1 World Series in 1996 as a member of the New York Yankees.

Cory Snyder – Snyder had and still has a cult-like following.  A member of the 1984 Olympic team that represented the United States, Snyder’s professional career looked like it would be a mighty one.  Unfortunately sub-par season after sub-par season led to just a 9-year career in the majors.  Snyder left the game with 902 career hits, 149 home runs, 488 RBI, and no post season memories.

Read Sports Geek’s argument and Loyal Homer’s arguments about who will be the most important player on the hot stove during this MLB offseason.

Following the historic collapse of the Detroit Tigers during the final weeks of the 2009 baseball season, change is inevitable for the Motor City. For a team to be THAT close to playing October baseball – only to have the opportunity snatched away in extra innings of an extra game – it is foolish to assume that the Tigers’ front offices will be content to just leave things alone. Instead, general manager David Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland will be spending the next few months trying to determine exactly what went wrong, and who are the best people to help fix those problems.

Additionally, there are several key players from the Tigers who become free agents this offseason. With several very expensive contracts already on their books (such as $10M in 2009 for the disappointing Dontrelle Willis and $19M for Magglio Ordonez), the Tigers are facing the prospect of a very costly next few seasons.

With the inevitable winds of change blowing on the horizon, the Tigers must look for any way possible to add talent to the team without adding to the payroll. One option considered, an option that could have a very large impact on the league, is to shop around All-Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson. After publicly acknowledging that Dombrowski was willing to make a trade with Granderson, several teams immediately began to express an interest in dealing for the 2009 Man of the Year.

Granderson is a rare talent in baseball. Although his 2009 batting average of .249 was low by his standards, he has been one of the top leadoff hitters in the American League over the past four seasons. Despite the lower than normal batting average last season, Granderson still managed to hit a career-high 30 home runs along with eight triples and 23 doubles. On the base paths Granderson also accounted for 20 stolen bases last season.

It is his unique combination of speed and power that make Granderson so appealing. Helping to sweeten the deal is the fact that the Tigers seem desperate to reload the roster on the cheap. Because the relative cost in order to get Granderson into their lineup is low (he will likely be dealt for a handful of prospects), Granderson could become the steal of the offseason.

One such team that has seemed very excited about the possibility of bringing Granderson on board is the Chicago Cubs, who are currently paying more than $12M a year to Kosuke Fukudome to play center field. Fukudome was a very highly sought after free agent from Japan, and the Cubs were quick to sign him to their roster for a $48M deal over a four year period. Halfway through that contract, however, Fukudome has not performed nearly as well as Granderson, but makes nearly four times the salary. Granderson would bring better hitting and fielding to the Cubs in the center field position at a fraction of the cost.

Two other teams that could be in the market for Granderson are the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees face the likelihood of losing Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon to free agency during the offseason, and will be in need of an outfielder. Because the World Series champs are ALWAYS interested in making a deal, it would not be a surprise at all to see Granderson in pinstripes by the time April rolls around. As for the Angels, there is some question as to where he would fit in because they already have a marquis centerfielder in Torii Hunter. Nevertheless, the Angels organization has expressed an immediate interest in dealing for Granderson.

No matter where he ends up, Curtis Granderson is a difference maker both on and off the field. With so many teams seemingly interested in him, the Tigers will have plenty of offers to chew on over the next few months. Whether the Tigers ultimately deal him away or not, his reported availability should have a huge impact on the league. With so many big-market teams apparently interested in him, Curtis Granderson could make for the blockbuster trade of the year!

En Venezuela como en muchos corazones latinoamericanos muchos esperaban que Felix Hernández fuera el anunciado como el ganador del Premio Cy Young del 2009 de la Liga Americana.

El conocido como “El Rey” y para los anglos “The King” en territorio de los Marineros de Seattle tenia la esperanza como muchos de sus seguidores que seria el segundo de tierra bolivariana en recibir tan prestigioso galardón.

El primero lo fue el magnifico Johan Santana. El hoy serpentienro de los Mets de Nueva York obtuvo el Cy Young de la Liga Americana tanto en el 2004 y en el 2006 en el uniforme de los Mellizos de Minnesota.

Para la desilución de Hernández no pasó. Zack Greinke de los Reales de Kansas City fue el seleccionado como el mejor entre los serpentineros del año.

La palabra es desilución porque Hernández lanzó una gran campaña con 19 victorias, 2.49 de efectividad y 217 ponchetes. Su numero de ganados fue lider junto a CC Sabathia de los Yankees de Nueva York y Justin Verlander de los Tigres de Detroit en la Liga Americana.

En honor a la verdad para el ganador del Premio Luis Aparicio de este año la competencia no estaba facil. Tanto Greinke como Sabathia y Verlander todos tenian los números necesarios para llevarse el Cy Young.

Para los venezolanos especialmente fue la segunda blanqueada en esta época de los grandes reconocimientos de Las Mayores.

Muchos corazones tambien estaban puestos en que el jovenzuelo Elvis Andrus de los Rangers de Texas fuera el seleccionado como el Novato del Año de la Liga Americana.

El campocorto Ranchero habia sido escogido por la publicación USA TODAY Sports Weekly como el novel del año de la temporada pero los votantes en general pensaron diferente.

Los escritores de béisbol de América escogieron al relevista Andrew Bailey de los Atléticos de Oakland.

En honor a la verdad Bailey también tuvo una campaña excepcional salvando 26 partidos en 30 oportunidades.

El serpentinero derecho terminó la temporada con 1.84 de efectividad en 83.1 entradas lanzadas, abanicó a 91 bateadores y solo permitió 49 indiscutibles.

En cuanto a los galardones que quedan por anunciar la última esperanza estaba en el Más Valioso de la Liga Americana.

Sín duda el venezolano Miguel Cabrera de los Tigres de Detroit como el cubano Kendry Morales de los Angelinos de Los Angeles recibirán algunos votos pero la competencia no esta facil.

Para muchos de los entendidos beisboleros el Más Valioso este año debe estar entre el Mellizo Joe Mauer y los Yankees Derek Jeter y Mark Teixeira.

El premio de Más Valioso del circuito nacional debe recaer en el dominicano Albert Pujols de los Cardenales de San Luis.

La única pregunta que hay al momento es sí lo recibirá de forma unanime o no. Su compatriota Hanley Ramírez de los Marlins de Florida se espera sea segundo en tan prestigioso anuncio.

Pujols ya recibió de parte de las grandes ligas el Premio Hank Aaron de la Liga Nacional.

En premios de importancia de Venezuela el lanzador Carlos Zambrano  de los Cachorros de Chicago salvó la zafra como ganador del Bate de Plata como lanzador de la Liga Nacional.

En similar situación estuvieron los puertorriqueños que solo el Cardenal Yadier Molina fue el único galardonado esta campaña con su segundo Guante de Oro en su carrera como receptor en la Nacional. También los mexicanos que solo Adrian González de los Padres de San Diego fue el único galardonado esta campaña con su segundo Guante de Oro en su carrera como inicialista en el más antiguo de ambos circuitos.

En cuanto al premio de Guante de Oro el otro único recipiente este año lo fue el intermedista Placido Polanco de los Tigres de Detroit en la Americana.

Por otro lado junto a Zambrano. los otros seleccionados latinos como Bate de Plata lo fueron Pujols y Hanley Ramírez en la Liga Nacional.