Looking Back On The Curtis Granderson Trade
The 2014 Winter Meetings is officially underway. The Detroit Tigers and Dave Dombrowski are again scheming to bolster their roster to a World Series contenders. As more and more rumors about the Tigers are whispered among beat writers and the like, fans are subjected to conflicting reports constantly.
Tigers fans should always be expecting the unexpected with Dombrowski. Some of his moves have come from completely out of nowhere (looking at the Price Fielder signing here). One such trade was easily the Curtis Granderson trade all the way back in 2009.
More from Detroit Tigers
- Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
- Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
- 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings
- Javier Baez Listed Among Worst Contracts in MLB by The Athletic
- Tigers’ Interest in Kenta Maeda Could be a Disaster for 2024 and Beyond
The memory of Curtis Granderson is a fond one for Tigers fans everywhere. A fan favorite for his sparkling glove and shining personality he was one of the most likable guys in baseball.
That’s why when he was dealt to the New York Yankees it was a big shock to the Tigers faithful. How could Dombrowski trade the All-Star outfielder to the Bronx? Well, the returns he got from the trade was pretty successful.
Coming to Tigers in that trade were a bunch of unknowns in Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, and Daniel Schlereth. Schlereth quickly disappeared but the other 3 stuck around for pretty long.
The much-maligned Coke was actually pretty solid in 2010 and finished 2014 decently well. Nobody’s about to forget the image of Coke spiking his glove down to the turf as he sent the Tigers to the World Series back in 2012.
Jul 31, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson leaves the filed in the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jackson took over for Granderson in Comerica’s vast center field and proved his defensive prowess. His catch in Armando Gallarraga’s “near-perfect” game is the definition of goosebumps. Though criticized for his high strikeout rate, Jackson became a reliable starter for the Tigers ever since the trade.
Then there’s Scherzer. The Tigers still have to decide whether to resign him or not but he’s been easily the biggest piece of the trade the Tigers got back. The 2013 Cy Young Award winner has been as good as advertised with his recent stretch of dominance. He took leaps and bounds to become a better pitcher and he’s been a top-15 pitcher in doing so.
Looking back the trade did make sense for the Tigers. Granderson was going to start getting expensive as he hit free agency. Edwin Jackson was about to become expensive too. They upgraded through prospects in a big way.
They got their replacement of Granderson in Jackson. They also got Scherzer back to replace Edwin Jackson who was included in the trade and sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Tigers seem to be the easy winners of this trade as Granderson has already moved onto the New York Mets. Edwin Jackson’s bounced around here and there too.
Interestingly, if the Tigers don’t resign Scherzer or Coke this off-season ever player from the Granderson trade will be gone in 2015. The 5 years the Tigers got from Coke, Scherzer, and Jackson should make it all worth it for Tigers fans though.
Now, your thoughts. How do you remember the Curtis Granderson trade? Good? Bad? Terrible? In reality though, the trade did open up multiple options for the Tigers at the time and set the core for their recent run of AL Central supremacy.