Hammerin'Hank wrote:
Iggy, to my knowledge, the Tigers never said that trading Granderson was a cost cutting move. Granderson hit .189 vs. left-handed pitching. I believe that is why he is gone. Not that I particularly want to see Damon in Detroit, but at least he can hit lefthanded pitching and will strikeout half as much as Granderson. The Tigers traded Granderson at probably or near his peak, thus bringing in some really good pitching. I also think that Granderson will be on the bench in NY when the Yankees face a lefty.
A little research and you would find that they did get rid of Granderson to save money because his contract was backloaded. Here is an article:
http://blog.mlive.com/cutoffman/2009/12/live_blog_tigers_curtis_grande.html
Excerpt from the article.
Meanwhile, Granderson is set to make a cheap $5.5 million this year, but signed a five-year, back-loaded contract in 2008 that continues to increase year after year. Granderson will make $8.25 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and he has a club option for $13 million or a $2 million buyout in 2013. Right now, Granderson is cheap, but as Dombrowski has experienced this year, back-loaded contracts can come back to bite you in the butt.
Another article.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4725108
From the article.
Detroit, which failed to make the playoffs following a late-season slide, may be looking to cut payroll after a big attendance drop this year at Comerica Park. Granderson is owed $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, and his contract includes a $13 million club option for 2013 with a $2 million buyout.
Granderson was an All-Star who had 30 HR's, 71 RBI's and 20 steals. His avg. has fallen from .302 in 2007, to .280 in 2008 and .249 in 2009. So you are correct that his avg. has gone down, but his fielding is top notch and IMO he is the best CF in the Central division. He can cover alot of ground with his speed.
