COLUMN

This week, the Detroit Tigers left fans and baseball pundits everywhere scratching their heads with the signing of veteran closer Jose Valverde to a multi-year contract. Undoubtedly, Valverde helps the Tigers, but his addition is a contradiction of everything the team worked toward previously this offseason — cost-cutting and an emphasis on becoming a younger team.

Sure, the Tigers have their closer for at least the next two seasons, but $7 million a season is too rich for a team that was said to be in dire financial straights thanks to declining ticket sales, the economy and frivolous spending in recent seasons. 

Perhaps of bigger significance than all of the money they committed to Valverde is the accompanying loss of the Tigers’ first round draft pick that was forfeited to Houston.

Detroit’s minor league system is among the bottom tier of teams in Major League Baseball, lacking both depth and more than a couple of prospects with impact potential. The team needs all of the draft picks it can get. 

The Tigers offense, which was nearly non-existent for so much of last season, appears considerably worse as it stands now. The team has no viable leadoff hitter with Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco no longer on the roster, and just a single player, Miguel Cabrera, who will pose any sizeable challenge to opposing pitchers. 

Ah, but they’ve got themselves a closer!

The team will apparently make due with a middle infield consisting of the light-hitting Adam Everett and a completely untested rookie, in Scott Sizemore, at second base. Another rookie with no big league experience, Austin Jackson, has been pegged to start in center field. 

That’s either really bold or really stupid. 

The offense is going to be painful to watch once again this season. General manager Dave Dombrowski’s biggest mistake has been ignoring the problems with the everyday lineup and instead choosing to allocate even more of his resources and money into the pitching staff. 

Dombrowski foolishly opted not to offer free agent-to-be Polanco arbitration for fear of the improbability that he’d accept it and cost the Tigers the money they supposedly didn’t have. This decision cost Detroit a first round compensation pick of its own. 

Well played, sir. 

Every move the Tigers have made this winter prior to Valverde’s signing indicated that the team was in unfavorable financial circumstances and it had to slash payroll figures immediately. 

The blockbuster trade in December that sent all-stars Granderson and Edwin Jackson elsewhere was infuriating to fans, but could be rationalized given the team’s expressed need to shed salaries and desire to acquire younger talent. 

Dombrowski’s decision to commit $14 million over the next two seasons to a guy who will pitch, at most, 120 innings, is absolutely perplexing. 

The Tigers’ greatest asset in the minor leagues is their glut of young bullpen pitchers, one of whom could have assumed the club’s closer position before long. Between Ryan Perry, the team’s closer of the future, and Joel Zumaya, the team could have survived enough ninth innings to remain in the thick of a lousy American League Central Division race. 

Consider some other ways the team could have spent the $7 million that magically became available. In this down economy, teams are reluctant to commit multi-year contracts to even some of the best free agent hitters. The Tigers could have used a veteran second baseman, a designated hitter with some power, or a much-needed left-handed hitter for a lineup that is almost exclusively right-handed. 

Instead, we got a player that will only be inserted into the game when the team carries a lead into the ninth inning. And, with the team’s anemic offense, it’s hard to imagine that’ll be often enough to justify his cost. 

Sounds like a gross mismanagement of money and resources to me.

Dombrowski has been a polarizing general manager during his time in Detroit. He built a team that went to the World Series four years ago, but he also signed several of the wrong players to lengthy and expensive contract extensions and dealt away countless prospects in trades for veterans. One minute he’s a genius and the next he’s the goat.

When Dombrowski was with the Florida Marlins a decade ago, he assembled a championship team with a fraction of the payroll to work with. But with Tigers owner Mike Illitch’s money to spend, he’s become far too reckless.