Tigers Extend Granderson

How did the Tigers go from MLB doormat to model organization without any real transition? They draft aggressively, pay for external talent where needed, and are fearless in trading. Oh, and they win a lot.

Detroit’s latest move is to lock up center fielder Curtis Granderson for 5 years in a deal reportedly worth $30.25 million. Granderson is coming off a .302/.361/.552 campaign and turns 27 in March. His only weaknesses are a propensity to strike out (which he remedied somewhat last year and which is mitigated by the fact that he hits a ton) and a susceptibility to left-handed pitching (.160/.225/.269 in ‘07). He’s young and talented enough to improve against southpaws, at least to the point of respectability, which would make him an elite player in the American League — if he isn’t already.

When the Tigers traded Cameron Maybin, their first-round pick in 2005, as part of the package for Miguel Cabrera, they essentially anointed Granderson the club’s center fielder of the present and the future. Inking him to a long-term deal at below market value was the next logical step. This reminds me a little of when the Indians signed Kenny Lofton and other young stars to long-term contracts back in the mid-’90s. It was a smart strategy then, and it’s a smart strategy now.