Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer.
General managers in Major League Baseball are vitally important to both the immediate and long term success of a ball club. They help to establish and maintain the vision for a team. Whether it is drafting, signing, and developing players through the farm system or making the right moves through free agency and trades, GMs are charged with assembling all the right personnel to make their team’s vision a reality. They often serve as the mouthpiece of the organization, through press conferences and released public statements, but typically do so without throngs of loyal fans. Their importance cannot be overstated, yet they seem to remain an unsung hero of baseball.
General managers are a lot like hot water heaters. Everyone has them, but you often neglect the fact that they are there until something is not working properly. They can cost a lot of money to replace. You often brag when you get a new one, and complain about the old ones. I am no plumber, but I think its time the Detroit Tigers replaced the old system.
Dave Dombrowski was hired by the Detroit Tigers in November of 2001 and took over as GM just a couple of weeks into the season, replacing an ineffective Randy Smith. The very next season, Dombrowski’s Tigers lost 119 games, an American league record. The club stuck with him and it paid off in 2006 when Detroit went all the way to the World Series, but that has been the only playoff appearance of the Dombrowski Era Tigers thus far, and the future doesn’t look so good.
Dombrowski has put together the wrong roster for success in 2010, and for years to come. He allowed talented players to walk via trades and free agency without replenishing the ranks with the same caliber of talent. The losses of players like Placido Polanco, Edwin Jackson, and Curtis Granderson figure to be extremely notable in 2010. A Tiger’s lineup missing Polanco’s high on base percentage, and Granderson’s emerging power (30 HRs last season), is sure to have an impact in the runs department. Similarly, Edwin Jackson’s departure further weakens a rotation that has fallen from the dominance it once held… as recently as 2006. While these moves figure to free up money for the future, they seem contradictory in comparison with some of the Tigers’ other offseason moves.
The Tigers are getting old, yet they continue to add age to the roster. Despite the addition of the 23-year-old highly touted Yankee’s prospect Austin Jackson as part of the Granderson trade, the Tiger’s lineup is aging. A majority of Detroit’s hitters are at least 30-years-old (Laird 30, Inge 32, Everett 33, Gullien 34, Damon 36, and Ordonez 36), leaving only Scott Sizemore (25) and Miguel Cabrera (26) as the rest of the teams youth.
Still, the Tigers went out and acquired two veterans this offseason in Johnny Damon and Jose Valverde. Both these men bring positive attributes to the team (a decent bat and an upgrade at closer), but the upside that remains for these players is debatable. Damon’s resurgent power numbers can be attributed, at least in part, to the way homeruns flew out of the Bronx at a record pace last season. While Valverde may offer more long-term value, he is moving from the National League to the American League. This is usually not a positive thing for a pitcher’s stat line. The additions of Damon and Valverde are “win now” moves that are in contract with the rest of the Tigers’ offseason.
If the Tigers were really trying to make a move to win the AL Central in 2010, or even claim the AL Wildcard, it does not seem logical to part ways with players like Granderson, Polanco, and Jackson. And if Detroit was building for the future, bringing in veterans like Damon and Valverde was not consistent with that philosophy either. It seems that Detroit is scrambling to make moves without a clear vision, which is detrimental to the club and frustrating to the fans. I believe the GM Dombrowski is to blame.
Some may find it arrogant that I am questioning the only GM to lead Detroit to the postseason since the 1980s, but that’s life. Sports are a “what have you done for me lately” business, and Dombrowski has not done much since 2006. The Tigers lack clear direction and vision, and in my opinion that is a direct result of ineffective leadership. Dombrowski has had more than enough time (eight years) and more than enough resources (the sixth largest team salary in 2010) to right the ship. It is time for a change in the Motor City and the Tigers should start with Dombrowski.
