Santana to Mets Benefits Tigers
Detroit's Playoff Hopes Boosted with Former Twin's Move to NL
The New York Mets may feel like winners in the Johan Santana sweepstakes, but it could be that the Detroit Tigers are the biggest winners.
During a busy, and occasionally shocking, off-season, the Detroit Tigers got their men.
But as Spring Training 2008 draws closer, it may just be that a player who wasn't on the Tigers' roster last year, and won't be again this summer, has as big an impact on Detroit's 2008 playoff hopes as do the acquisitions of Edgar Renteria, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera.
No doubt, the signing of those three make Detroit's already potent lineup even more frightening to American League foes.
But as is the case seemingly every year, in the American League, getting to the top means getting past the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, and the Tigers' chances of doing so just improved when it was announced that soon-to-be former Twins ace Johan Santana will join the New York Mets this season.
If that deal goes through (pending Santana passing a physical and agreeing to terms with the Mets) the repercussions are two-fold for the guys in the Olde English 'D'.
For starters, they needn't worry about facing Santana upwards of a half-dozen times as they battle the Twins for the American League Central Division title. Not having Santana in the rotation certainly diminishes the Twins' hopes of contending for the AL Central with the likes of Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit.
Perhaps more importantly for the Tigers, though, is that Santana joining Mets means Santana won't be joining the staffs of the Yankees or Red Sox, two teams who had shown considerable interest in the former Cy Young winner. With Santana on either team, the Tigers' impressive pitching staff that now includes Willis would have held its own. But with Santana in the National League, Detroit maintains the best starting five in the American League, if not in all of baseball.
The Tigers will enter the season with a qualified ace in Justin Verlander, the still-young veteran who contended for the Cy Young last summer, during which he tossed the sixth no-hitter in team history. Behind him (and not far, Tigers' fans hope) are Willis, the newly acquired lefty, and three arms that were staples in the team rotation back in 2006 when the Tigers played their way to the World Series before falling to St. Louis. Right-hander Jeremy Bonderman, veteran lefty Kenny Rogers, and lefty Nate Robertson give Detroit a five-deep staff with awesome potential. All but Rogers are inked through at least 2009, giving Detroit the on-paper potential to continue challenging for a playoff spot for the foreseeable future.
Expectations in Detroit swelled to previously unmatched limits that night in early December when it was announced the Tigers would part with highly touted prospects Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin to acquire Willis and Cabrera.
With the news that Santana will take his services to the National League, those expectations are likely to shoot even higher.
