Kuzul

Whenever an athlete is playing on the last year of his or her contract, it is crucial to have a good season in order to parlay that success into a long-term deal.

No matter a player’s age, if he shows he can perform at a substantial level, he will greatly enhance his chances of a long-term deal.

Every free-agent class has its top-tier players, but for every good player that maintains their previous levels of excellence, such as Cole Hamels and Zack Greinke, there are guys who do not perform as well when the money is on the line. 

There are a variety of reasons why these players fail. Whether it is age, luck or simply an inability to handle the big moments, their stats do not live up to their expectations heading into the season.

Here are five guys who are having disastrous seasons in their contract year.

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Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Jose Valverde account for $73 million of the Tigers‘ payroll this year.

And nearly thirty games in, General Manager David Dombrowski might well be asking himself if the Tigers are seeing the type of returns expected from such a large investment.

It’s true that 28 games isn’t enough to gauge a ball club, but it’s enough of a sample size to start making some observations about the Tigers’ performance in 2012. Not considering inadequate contributions from the bottom of Detroit’s lineup and so-so bullpen, many Tigers fans are also asking themselves, “Should we have put all these eggs in the same basket?”

With the Tigers sitting in the middle of pack in the AL Central, now is a good time to take a look at the production numbers of Detroit’s highest-paid players:

Prince Fielder ($23 million)

In terms of power, Fielder is off to a slow start, with only 4 home runs. His batting average of .308 sits a bit higher than his career (.283), but his on-base and slugging percentages (.381 and .452, respectively) are slightly lower than his career averages of .389 and .537.

Fielder may be experiencing the adjustment period most hitters do when changing leagues, but it’s not enough for serious concern. Perhaps he should have more than 14 RBIs at this point in the season (.412 BA with runners in scoring position), but again, his numbers so far are not cause for panic.

Is his plate-production worth $23 million? That question remains to be answered.

Miguel Cabrera ($21 million)

While a BA of .284 might not seem too shabby, Dombrowski and Leyland are probably expecting more out of their star third basemen given his massive salary and given his career batting average of .316.

His OBP and SLG percentages are off a bit, but what’s really got Detroit worrying is Cabrera’s average with runners in scoring position (.296). Again, it might not seem all that bad, but it’s a far cry from Cabrera’s 2011 batting average of runners in scoring position of .388.

Another thing Tigers fans might be worried about is Cabrera’s ability to drive in runs with two out. Last year, Cabrera batted .382 with runners in scoring position and two out—this year: .250, including 0-3 last night in Seattle.

With a salary of $21 million, and an obvious downside on defense, Dombrowski might also be asking himself if Cabrera is living up to his paycheck.

Justin Verlander ($20 million)

Not much to complain about here. In six games started, Verlander has gone 2-1 and put up an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP of 0.86. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per nine innings.

Verlander has shown that his below-average Aprils are a thing of the past.

Jose Valverde ($9 million)

The next highest-paid player on the Tigers might be the biggest disappointment.

While it’s impossible to expect him to repeat his 2011 perfection (49 for 49 in save opportunites), Valverde has struggled to keep runners off base in 2012 and has already blown two saves. His ERA of 5.68 must come down if the Tigers are going to build on their success in 2011.

It’s early in the season, and Detroit’s big-money players have plenty of time to put up big-money numbers, but with a record of 14-14, there’s no question that Motown is a bit anxious for an adequate return on their investment.

Stats derived from Baseball-Reference.com and ESPN.com

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The Detroit Tigers will be the best team in baseball in 2012, so if you’re looking for fantasy baseball sleepers, they are probably a good roster to check out.

Superstars like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder are given fantasy studs, but they aren’t the only players on this roster that put up big numbers.

Catcher Alex Avila had a breakout year last season with a .295 batting average, 19 home runs, 82 RBI and .389 OBP, so he’s going to be a fantasy favorite.

And then there are the pitchers. With Justin Verlander, Doug Fister and Jose Valverde being the big-name arms, the Tigers pitching staff is obviously jam packed with must-have arms.

Who will be the sleepers on this year’s team, though?

Once you get to the later rounds of your draft, you will need to have player or two that can produce big numbers at a good value.

I’d keep an eye on these two Tigers for the sleeper pick role:

Brennan Boesch:

Do you remember when Boesch had that exceptional start to his rookie season and absolutely looked like a stud?

This kid’s got one of the nicest left-handed swings you’ll ever see in the MLB, and he’s full of raw potential and talent. The problem with Boesch is his consistency, and he missed the playoffs last year with a thumb injury.

There have got to be questions about how he’ll bounce back, but I’m confident in the young left-hander. He can only get better with both Cabrera and Fielder in the lineup, and he’s going to get better pitches to look at.

Expect a big year out of Boesch.

Austin Jackson:

Jackson ran into somewhat of a sophomore slump last season, only batting .249 with 10 homers, 45 RBI and a .317 OBP.

He definitely had his struggles from the plate, but some of his slide may have come from the exceptional rookie season he had and the expectations that were placed on him.

He doesn’t need to be the team’s star anymore, he just needs to play his role, continue to dominate the outfield and get on base.

Without that pressure, I expect to see a free-swinging and very efficient player this summer.

He’s the perfect fantasy sleeper candidate.

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In the past couple of weeks, every ounce of excitement directed toward the Detroit Tigers has been matched with equal amounts of criticism.

The Tigers made arguably the biggest splash of the offseason, catching the baseball world by surprise and inking star first baseman Prince Fielder to a contract lasting nearly a decade. The nine-year, $214 million deal signed by Prince will provide Detroit with endless options in the lineup and the field.

Some of those options however, aren’t exactly considered to be favorable choices. Fielder’s arrival will push Tigers’ current superstar slugger, Miguel Cabrera, back to his original position at third base.

Perhaps the fear of facing Miggy and Prince in succession is what has critics suddenly zeroing in on just how the infield transformation could destroy Detroit’s title hopes. But I sense the move has some Tigers’ fans concerned as well.

Maybe the fact that Fielder and Cabrera finished dead last together in fielding percentage, among qualifying first basemen in 2011, has kept the some of the celebration at bay. Or possibly the letdown in ’07 that followed a World Series appearance and the massive trade that brought Cabrera to Detroit, re-appearing in the minds of Detroit’s followers.

But fear not fans, the Tigers will be just fine in 2012 and beyond. And here’s why:

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It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL Central is home to one of the most fluid closing situations and also one of the most stable options in the league.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

Chicago White Sox

Closer: Bobby Jenks
Waiting in the Wings: Sergio Santos
Closer of the Future: Matt Thornton

The White Sox closer situation has been in flux all year long, with questions surrounding Jenks’ ability floating around. 

He is currently sporting a 4.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, though injuries to J.J. Putz and Thornton have basically removed all the potential competition, temporarily.

Thornton has 5 saves this season, to go with a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, not to mention 64 K over 47.1 innings.

He seems like a lock to move into the role for 2011, with Jenks likely heading out of town (he is not signed for next year). 

If you are in a keeper league and Thornton is still sitting on the waiver wire, he’s certainly worth stashing immediately.

Cleveland Indians

Closer: Chris Perez
Waiting in the Wings: Rafael Perez
Closer of the Future: Chris Perez

When the Indians traded Kerry Wood to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline, they opened the door for Chris Perez to finally assume full-time closing duties.

He had been acting as the closer at times this season, saving 16 games thus far with a 2.06 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. 

Perez was acquired last year from the Cardinals in the deal that sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis and at the time, he was instantly dubbed the team’s closer of the future. 

At this point, there appears to be little reason to discuss any other option.  He should hold the job for the long haul.

Detroit Tigers

Closer: Jose Valverde
Waiting in the Wings: Phil Coke
Closer of the Future: Daniel Schlereth

It was long thought that Joel Zumaya would eventually assume closer duties, but one injury after another has completely killed his potential.  For now, however, Jose Valverde has a firm hold on the job. 

Signed in January, he scored a two-year deal with an option for 2012.  Overall he has been great (2.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 24 saves), but things certainly haven’t been good since the All-Star Break. 

He’s carrying a 7.80 ERA, having walked 13 batters in 15 innings. 

Yes, it is troubling, but the Tigers don’t really have anywhere else to turn.  Schlereth has the stuff to be a closer in the future, with 60 Ks in 49.1 innings at Triple-A, but he needs to get his control in order (in that same span, he walked 34 batters). 

In 9 Major League innings, he’s walked four.  That’s just not going to cut it.

Kansas City Royals
Closer: Joakim Soria
Waiting in the Wings: Blake Wood
Closer of the Future: Joakim Soria

We can discuss the trade rumors as much as we want, but the fact is that the Royals have one of the elite closers in the game at an extremely discounted rate.  According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts he is signed for 2011 at $4 million, then the team has options for the subsequent three seasons ($6 million, $8 million and $8.75 million).  He already has 125 saves with a 2.04 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  I know having an elite closer on a bad team is a luxury, but with the contract they have him under, can you say that the team will, without a doubt, not be competing by 2014?  Unless they are absolutely blown away, there really is no reason for the team to move him.

Minnesota Twins

Closer: Matt Capps
Waiting in the Wings: Jon Rauch/Brian Fuentes
Closer of the Future: Anthony Slama

The Twins are just accumulating late inning options, aren’t they?  First they developed Rauch.  Then, they acquired Capps in a Trade Deadline deal.  Now, they are awarded Fuentes off waivers. 

The fact is, Capps should hold down the job, unless the wheels fall off, with Rauch and Fuentes forming a dynamic righty/lefty combo to bridge from the starter to Capps (and get the occasional save). 

It’s certainly a nice situation to have, especially for a team with questionable late-inning relief early in the season. 

As for moving forward, that’s the million-dollar question.  Joe Nathan should be ready for 2011, and you would think would ultimately return to the closer’s role once ready.  However, he’ll be 36 years old and not a long-term solution.

While the Twins continue not giving Slama a real look, he just continues to thrive at Triple-A. 

The 26-year old has a 2.23 ERA and 71 Ks in 40.2 innings, yet has gotten just 4.2 innings of Major League experience this season.  Sooner or later, they will be forced to see what he can do.

What are your thoughts on these situations?

Make sure to check out our look at the other divisions in baseball:

• NL East
• AL East
• AL West

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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See that guy in the picture? That’s outfielder Magglio Ordonez. Do you know why he is sticking his tongue out at you? Because he is not on the field driving in runs. Because the Tigers look more deserving of a berth in a trash heap than in a pennant race.

Anyone out there have any faith that the Tigers are still in a pennant race?

I certainly hope not. If so, I’m sorry to burst your soap bubble, but allow me to disillusion you. The pipe dream you were in has expired, welcome back to reality.

The Tigers are in the midst of yet another late season tumble. Need proof? Look at the standings.

52-53, eight games back of the first place Chicago White Sox. 

Perhaps someone noticed that the Tigers totally took one on the chin from the Sox in the first game of today’s double header.

The Tigers had a very slim chance to regain some ground, and credibility, with a strong showing against the White Sox this week.

That particular pipe dream evaporated after a 12-2 beat down in game one. Game two hardly looks any more promising. The Tigers will send Jeremy Bonderman to the hill, he of the 5.05 earned run average. 

You may remember I wrote back on July 28th to say that essentially the Tigers were dead in the water.

They have done little to impress since then.

They lost the final two games to the Rays since then, followed by dropping two of three in Boston to the Red Sox. 

The Tigers have now compiled a record of 4-14 since the All-Star break. That in no way smells of contention for a division crown.

The Tigers are their own worst enemy. Ordonez, Brandon Inge and Carlos Guillen could not have gotten hurt at a worse time. 

Although, Inge has eaten plenty of Tums and is almost back from a broken finger already, it still reeks of too little, too late.

In addition to the injuries, the misdirection of manager Jim Leyland has been a stain on this ballclub, contributing to the two losses in Boston.

It started with the 61-pitch meltdown of closer Jose Valverde in the 6-5 victory on Friday that lead to his unavailability for the remainder of the weekend.

The repercussions from that? Leyland intentionally put the winning run on base in the ninth inning Saturday!

Was anyone surprised when the winning run scored from first on that David Ortiz double?

Finally, Valverde’s burnout meant Robbie Weinhardt was given free reign to literally throw the game away on Sunday.

I’ll slip a footnote in right here. Don Kelly put on a clinic in the outfield on Sunday, gunning down an unsuspecting Adrian Beltre at second, and making a great snow cone catch against the Green Monster late in the game. 

Kelly’s reward for his great play? On the bench for the start of both games of the double header, in favor of Ryan Raburn. 

Please someone step up again and waste your credibility defending Raburn. He still looks like a train wreck in the field, and is only hitting .210 after going hitless in the first game of the double header.

Granted, Kelly is only hitting .197 but his superior defense erases that deficit. 

Raburn’s WAR (win above replacement level player) value is -0.1, where Kelly’s is 0.1. 

So, you might disagree with much of what I say. Oh Dave, this is just the rantings and ravings of an outraged fan. 

You would be right that I am outraged. You should be too. After all, who could be happy with this club right now?

Inge might need the Tums for the calcium to help heal his hand. I need the Tums because watching this team gives me heartburn.

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It was a battle of the Big Daddies on Friday night at Fenway Park in Boston.

Detroit’s animated closer Jose Valverde, or Papa Grande as he’s known to Tigers fans, went head-to-head with Red Sox heavy-hitter David Ortiz, who is known as Big Papi in Beantown.

Down 6-1, Ortiz cut Boston’s five-run deficit with one swing with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning. Detroit was desperately clinging to its 6-5 lead, and Tigers fans around the country collectively sighed.

But Tigers manager Jim Leyland didn’t pull Valverde, who has 22 saves and 50 strikeouts this season. Leyland let Valverde work himself out his his Todd Jones roller coaster-esque moment.

And it proved to be the smart move, but it wasn’t pretty by any means.

The bags were full again in the ninth, this time for Boston’s 15-year veteran center fielder Mike Cameron.

Cameron found himself in a favorable 3-1 count with two outs, and was swinging for the fences. After fouling off two straight pitches, Cameron was frozen by Valverde’s splitter at the knees. Detroit squeaked by with a 6-5 victory.

As usual, Valverde celebrated his team’s triumph, this time in a rubber-pounding frenzy. The win marked the Tigers’ first since their 6-5 effort over the Toronto Blue Jays on July 25. Detroit is now 4-6 in its last 10 games, and will face the Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. Saturday.

For those who opposed the deal which sent Single-A West Michigan White Caps pitcher Giovanni Soto to the Cleveland Indians for nine-year veteran Jhonny Peralta, you may want to reconsider.

For the first time since Billy McMillon in 2000, a Tiger hit two home runs in his debut.

During his post-game interview, Peralta said he was happy to have contributed so early. He was 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Rookie sensation Brennan Boesch’s recent lack of hitting has raised concerns. Boesch went 1-for-5 with a single of John Lester, but has dipped below .300 for the first time in his young big-league career. He now sits at .299.

Toledo Mud Hens call-up Will Rhymes has impressed with the valiant effort he has given the big club so far. The scrappy Rhymes was aggressive on the base paths, and went 2-for-5.

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Well replacement might be a tough word, because no one is going to ever replace the supreme production supplied by Mariano Rivera.

Replacing someone was as great as Rivera in their own line of work is the ultimate no-win situation. It rarely works out the same way, and no one usually remembers the replacements.

Quick: Who replaced Lou Gehrig at first base? Who replaced John Wooden at UCLA?

Mariano is the greatest closer of all time. Not the greatest relief pitcher (that would be Rollie Fingers because of his multiple inning durability), but Mo is the one pitcher you want on the mound for three ninth inning outs holding a one run lead.

Finding a new closer is going to be a difficult challenge as no one knows how long Rivera will continue to want to pitch.

At age 40, Rivera has shown no signs of vulnerability. He still sports one of the best closer ERAs with 1.05 and 20 saves, and a WHIP of 0.641. He also retired an incredible 24 straight batters in the month of June.

Still highly effective, how long will Rivera want to pitch? Similar to Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, the Yankees will allow Rivera to make up his own mind when he wants to leave the game.

Rivera has mentioned that signing a series of one-year deals (similar to what Pettitte has done) would be acceptable to him.

I believe Rivera will pitch at least two more seasons after 2010. The “Core Four” will begin to gradually leave the team after this season (Pettitte retiring) and after 2011 (Jorge Posada not being re-signed).

If I were Mo, I would not want to retire the same season as another long time Yankee does.

I believe Rivera will then leave after the 2012 season, which makes getting my preferred replacement very difficult, as that guy is available sooner than the 2013 season.

Here are the five top candidates for the eventual new Yankees closer spot, and Joba Chamberlain is NOT on the list.

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Miguel Cabrera and Jose Valverde will represent the Detroit Tigers in the 2010 Midsummer Classic.

Cabrera narrowly lost out to for the starting position at first base to Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins. Through Saturday night’s game against the Mariners, Cabrera had a .338 batting average, 20 HR and 68 RBIs. 

Cabrera is most likely the last remaining hitter with a chance at the American League triple crown this season. He ranks in the top five in batting average, runs batted in and home runs.

Valverde, the Tigers’ dominant closer, will join Mariano Rivera of the Yankees and Joakim Soria of the Royals as the closers in the AL bullpen.

Valverde has collected 18 saves so far while posting a league-best 0.51 ERA.  Valverde has been nearly perfect this season.

The Tigers’ closer has only given up two earned runs in 35 innings pitched this year.  Valverde will hopefully be given an opportunity to display his talent and creative antics on the mound in Anaheim.

Despite the Tigers landing two players in this year’s game, they could have easily had two more in the forms of Justin Verlander and Brennan Boesch.

Boesch has taken MLB by storm ever since he was called up in late April when Carlos Guillen was sent to the disabled list. Through Saturday, Boesch has hit .342, 12 HR and 46 RBI. However, he has only 219 at-bats, which is roughly 100 less than most position players who have been playing the entire season.

Boesch could certainly make a strong case to have a roster spot over other AL outfielders such as Vernon Wells or Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays. Wells is currently sporting a .274 BA to go along with 19 HR and 48 RBIs.  Bautista has hit 21 HR and 52 RBI, but he only has a .230 average so far.

Boesch’s ability to hit left-handed pitching just as well as right-handers could have also proved useful in the All-Star game.  The left handed hitting Boesch is hitting .453 versus lefties as opposed to .307 against right handers.

Verlander is off to another strong season in 2010. Verlander picked up his 10th win of the season versus the Mariners on Saturday night. He has 103 strikeouts to go along with a 3.85 ERA. 

The hard throwing Verlander is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in the AL today. It would have been hard to find an argument against him being on the team if he was selected.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Saves….some people care about them, some people could care less.  For those that do care, it’s time to take a close look at each team’s closer role.  It’s July and the sample sizes are large enough to see some trends.  So here we go…

What to watch for

Blue Jays –  Either Kevin Gregg beat out Jason Frasor or Frasor lost the job to Gregg. No matter how you slice it, the Blue Jays should have a few save opportunities each week.  Gregg has all the experience of a closer who has lost a job before; will they go back to Frasor if Gregg falters? 

Scott Downs or Shawn Camp could get looks at the end of games, but by the time that happens the Jays would be out of contention this year and could look elsewhere.  But I could be getting ahead of myself. There are a lot of reasons to think Gregg is going to continue to get the job done.  Gregg is 18 for 21 so far this year, his ERA could be a concern, but if you’re looking for saves…he’s got them.

Mariners –  The Mariners’ last save was earned by Brandon League, who converted his second save of the year.  David Aardsma had pitched the previous two days, so there isn’t much to read into the save chance for League. 

But then Aardsma went on to blow the Mariners next save opportunity.  Aardsma has now blown more saves than he did all of 2009.  At 3 percent owned in Y! leagues, League will be presented with more chances this summer and now is the time to take a shot.

Angels –  There is nothing more frustrating than being an Angels fan with the lead in the ninth inning.  Brian Fuentes has made for great baseball drama, but he still closes games out and continues to get the chances for the Angles. 

In waiting is Fernando Rodney (38 percent owned in Y! leagues), who has done well when given the chance.  Rodney recently blew his second save chance, but if the Angles look to move past Fuentes, Rodney will be their guy. 

The move has to be coming soon.  Fuentes is so good at blowing saves, he blew a save without even giving up a hit!  And to top it all off…. the front office could dictate a move since Fuentes owns a contract clause which forces the Angels to pay him $3.25 million next year if he gets 59 appearances (he’s made 25 so far this year).

Red Sox –  Get to know Daniel Bard (23 percent owned), who is leading the Red Sox bullpen in appearances, innings, ERA, Ks, and WHIP.  But the closer is Jonathan Papelbon today and he’ll be the closer tomorrow.  However, if a window of opportunity comes up, Bard is next in line.

White Sox –  The White Sox closer, Bobby Jenks, has been on the bereavement list this week and the team just kept rolling on.  Jenks has only blown one save this year, so his job isn’t in jeopardy.  If he is to slip up, the Sox can turn to Matt Thorton (57 percent owned) or a rejuvenated J.J. Putz (13 percent).

Nothing to see here

Orioles –  There is not much to be said about the situation in Baltimore.  The team doesn’t win often and unfortunately, your team needs to win the game in order to qualify for a save.  Alfredo Simon has saved 10 games so far, but he’s only seen 19 innings of action this year.  And when he’s seen playing time, he hasn’t put up the strikeouts and statistics that are important to us.

Indians –  The Indians sit in the cellar of the AL Central, therefore there just aren’t that many save opportunities to go around.  Kerry Wood is getting the rare save chances today, of which he’s converted eight saves. 

Chris Perez was doing the closing earlier in the year and he managed to get seven. The Indians could go back to Perez, but the team won’t offer up enough save situations to give either pitcher much value. 

Even though they’re riding a hot streak, the team figures to trade veterans this month and make moves with their future in mind.  Therefore we shouldn’t expect the hot streak to continue.

The closer role is on lock down…

Yankees –   Death, Taxes, and Mariano Rivera….the three guarantees in life.

Rays –   Reminds me of taking a kicker from a good team—you know you’ll do good enough.  Rafael Soranio just has to stay healthy to continue closing.  If he did get hurt, someone could be in line for saves and the Rays have a few solid arms.  Look for Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler to back up Soranio if he gets hurt.

Twins –  The Twins haven’t missed a beat since Joe Nathan was put on the shelf this spring.  Jon Rauch has settled in nicely to the closer role and it doesn’t appear that anyone is threatening his role.

Tigers  – H is antics on the field aren’t the classiest, but Jose Valverde’s results are top notch.  So far this year he’s locked up 18 saves and posted a minuscule 0.53 ERA.  Valverde is supported by one of the best bullpens in baseball, but they just lost Joel Zumaya to a fractured elbow and this could impact Valverde’s opportunities.  Still, he’s one of the best at what he does and the Tigers win games.

Royals –   A really effective closer on a bad team can be a good thing.  Joakim Soria has managed to accumulate 108 saves in his four years of service with the Royals.  There aren’t any indicators to think that he won’t keep racking up saves for the rest of the year, with 21 so far.  Look for Soria to top 40 saves this year and flirt with 50 if the Royals can put together some wins.

Rangers –  The Rangers close out their games with one of the hardest throwers in baseball, 22-year-old Neftali Feliz.  Feliz has saved 21 games this year and he didn’t even have the job out of spring training—Frank Francisco won the job out of camp. 

But since taking over, Feliz has been dominant, striking out 38 in just over 35 innings.  Feliz is a must-own and if you’re looking for saves he should be a buy high target given the Rangers hot streak and weak division.

Athletics –  The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, Andrew Bailey, has saved 16 games so far this year and posted a 1.64 ERA.  He’s blown three chances, but all things considered, it is safe to say that Bailey has faded the sophomore jinx.  Even if he struggles, the Athletics will stand behind Bailey and give him time to work things out.  

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