Classic: Now playing third base for the Detroit Tigers: Alex Rodriguez

From October 2007:

It's my first sports-related blog, so we should celebrate (yayy). This started as a response to Al's question about who should be the Tigers' shortstop, and just got longer and longer. But I've been thinking about this, and there are two separate questions here: who should play shortstop, and should the Tigers go after A-Rod. They are not identical issues.

Starting backwards, the Tigers should go after A-Rod. Make him an offer, nothing insane, but just offer him, maybe, $25 million a year for eight years or so to play for a team that definitely can win the World Series next year and in a city where the fans and media will pretty much love him. If he says no, he says no, there's nothing the Tigers can do about it. Neither the Tigers, nor any team, can control what A-Rod and his megalomaniacal agent Scott Boras will do. He may stay with the Yankees and it may all be moot anyway. We don't know. He may only care about the home run record, and if that's the case then Comerica is definitely not the place for him. My point is the Tigers can only make an offer, and they lose absolutely nothing by talking, and you never know what might happen. Boras and Mike Ilitch have a good history together (Pudge, Magglio and the new draft pick Porcello are all Boras' clients) and we know from the Red Wings that Ilitch is not afraid of spending money to win championships. Something may happen here.

So the Tigers should make a play at getting A-Rod, and if successful he'll obviously be the shortstop, right? Well, no. The Tigers would be getting him for his bat, not his glove. He's already 32, his range is only going to decrease, and he's too big physically to stay quick much longer (much like Carlos Guillen, who's 31 and whose knees are already going). A-Rod is great offensively and not bad defensively, which is perfect for a third baseman, but not really what you want in a shortstop, where defensive ability pretty much trumps any offensive prowess. The shortstop is the captain of the infield, and range is incredibly important for turning possible singles into outs and especially double-plays. A good third baseman needs only stop doubles down the line and play the bunt. And A-Rod can do that quite well. He's not a liability on either side, and probably won't be for several years, at which time he can become a DH, but right now he, and the team, are much better off with him at third than short.

But these two questions are separate, and any discussion of A-Rod's advantages at third have little bearing on the candidates for the Tigers' shortstop. So who plays short? Um, how about Brandon Inge? He's young (under 30) and is fantastic defensively. He has great range, quick hands, a solid throwing arm and an inclination for sheer recklessness that is good for shortstops. He is by all accounts the most athletic person on the Tigers, and yet he plays a position better suited to bigger, slower players. This seems like such an obvious choice I'm shocked I haven't heard anyone else suggest this. Also, hitting .250 with 20 homers and 75 RBIs he's an offensive liability at third, where much more production is expected, than at shortstop, where .250/20/75 is not bad at all (see Lugo, Julio). And possibly more than anything else, Inge is already a Tiger, so they don't have to worry about losing something as they would with a trade for Jack Wilson, bringing someone up from Toledo or shelling out a bajillion dollars for A-Rod. Moving Inge to short makes perfect sense, particularly given the weak free-agent market for infielders. The Tigers know exactly what they'd be getting, and have him signed for the next four years to boot.

I think it's critical for the Tigers to separate the question of A-Rod from the question of shortstop because if they don't, they could very easily talk themselves into picking from those three options (trade, calling-up Santiago, overpriced free agent). With Inge at short, the Tigers would of course have to find a third baseman, which honestly is an easier position to fill. Mike Lowell is a free agent, to say nothing of any free agent catchers/first basemen/DHs who usually do a passable job defensively at third, or even someone already in the Tigers' farm system (Chris Shelton, anyone?). A-Rod or not, I think Inge to short is a very good move for the ballclub.

Now that I think about it, of course, I wonder if they really should go after A-Rod. He is, without a doubt, an incredible talent and a tremendous draw, attention-wise, for the team. But does he solve the Tigers' problems? Sure their lineup could use an upgrade, but is a 32-year-old righthanded power hitter what they really need? Honestly, I don' think so. Their lineup already leans too much to the right, and while they scored lots of runs last year, their average could be improved, which is not what A-Rod provides. Solo home runs don't win championships. Besides Granderson and Polanco, the Tigers don't really have solid on-base guys, which is what they really need, particularly at the bottom of the lineup. Lowell or any other random (right-handed) third base masher isn't the answer either. Would I love to see A-Rod hitting behind Ordonez? Fuck yeah. (While we're on it, I'd love to see Pudge draw a walk once in a while.) But something about Sheffield, Ordonez, A-Rod, Guillen, while scary for pitchers, doesn't seem like as good of a lineup on the field as it is on paper. (Sheffield behind Rodriguez looks a little better).

Maybe the Tigers would be better off going after a good, young switch-hitting shortstop who can get on base than moving Inge and installing A-Rod at third. But that's kinda unrealistic. Inge has been gradually improving at the plate, but a move to shortstop, which is more draining defensively, might hinder that. The perfect solution: Clone Polanco.