Inge to Dodgers? Tigers talk trade

Inge to Dodgers? Tigers talk trade
by Danny Knobler
Saturday March 01, 2008, 12:32 AM

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Perhaps the Detroit Tigers will be able to trade Brandon Inge this spring.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have contacted the Tigers about Inge, and while talks do not seem to have progressed far, a baseball official familiar with the situation said the Dodgers remain interested in making a deal.

Inge would play third base for the Dodgers, who did not have a full-time third baseman last season and have been trying to decide between veteran Nomar Garciaparra and rookie Andy LaRoche this spring.

New Dodgers manager Joe Torre is familiar with Inge from his time in the American League, and Torre and new Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa are said to be Inge backers.

Inge remains popular with Tigers fans, who have given him louder applause than any other player during the first few spring games. But the Tigers remain open to trading him.

Among the reasons: Inge wants to be traded and his hefty salary: $6.2 million.

If the Tigers do not trade Inge or any of their other veterans, their opening day payroll would be more than $134 million.

Even if the Tigers and Dodgers cannot work out a deal, Inge could be traded elsewhere. One baseball official suggested Friday that Houston should acquire him to use as a catcher.

NO!

bobrob2004 wrote:

One baseball official suggested Friday that Houston should acquire him to use as a catcher.

Isn't that why he wants out of here?

Go figure?!

it's funny, now that we are getting trade offers i don't want him to go.

NO! KEEP BRANDON!


DODGERS SUCK!

get rid of him!

trade him some place that wants him to be a catcher. if the tigers are going to still have to pay most of that contract. make him pay, by being a catcher somewhere else.


its not that i really dislike the guy, but what bugs me about him is that he doesnt see the whole picture. he is average- to below average. if he could just see what we all see, everyones feelings on the guy would be different. he is acting like he is the best 3bman around. that is what bugs me. and getting paid 6mil a year for being a AAAA player. dude open your eyes and collect the money while you collect splinters in your butt riding the bench. you show patience and hard work it will pay off. you may not like catching but there (hopefully) will be an empty spot next year that you can be a starter at.



austin

But that contract is the reason Brandon probably stays!

c'mon Brandon! Just stay!

Posted by Lynn Henning on Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 5:19 PM
The Inge situation is all but tragic

I have been trying for many weeks to see a way in which the Brandon Inge-Tigers situation could be resolved happily for two parties. I now know after hearing Inge speak Sunday that it can't happen. The Tigers came to grip with reality some time ago, so Sunday's revelations shouldn't be a surprise. But, still, it has seemed to me like such a waste, a terrible waste, when both sides have much that could together be achieved. But I listened to Inge again Sunday and I realize his desire to play third base is so deep, so personal, so overwhelming, so intrinsic to his happiness, that nothing else matters. Fans can talk about his big contract ($19-million-plus over the next three seasons) and his contractual obligation to help the Tigers in any way they wish. But even the front office understands how unique this situation is; how, in this rare instance, human considerations are so compelling that the Tigers really have no effective choice but to trade Inge to a team where he can compete regularly at the position a professional athlete considers fundamental to his happiness and to the quality of life he experiences during his short time as a big-league baseball player. In hearing him Sunday explain how catching robs him, not only of the opportunity to play at a position he finds fulfilling, but also of his focus on offense, it is impossible for me to condemn Inge or to say he should suck it up and play out the string in Detroit. It is bizarre that it has come to this. But I can't believe the front office looks at it much differently. For all their wishes and desires that Inge would have been receptive to a different role, the Tigers see a man who is incapable of knowing peace of mind as a catcher or as a substitute. I wish for all sides it had worked out differently. But it has not. And that's why trading Inge is certain to happen at some point this month. After Sunday's game and words, there can be no other option.

KEEP BRANDON!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Posted by Lynn Henning on Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 5:19 PM
The Inge situation is all but tragic

If Inge wants to be a 3rd basement he can have his contract voided and see who wants him and what they pay him. He says money doesn't matter.

If he's not willing to do that he needs to shut up. I'm tired of his whining.

That's how I have felt all along. He is the only one who can have it voided, it is binding n the Tigers unless he does that. Let's see how serious he really is about being traded!

03/02/2008 8:33 PM ET
Notes: Inge squats behind plate again
Veteran already noticing toll of catching on hitting abilities
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Brandon Inge's return to catching Sunday against Cleveland was supposed to test his skills again, and he certainly represented himself well in that aspect. More than anything, however, it reminded him how much he enjoys third base.

It's not the catching that bothered him, but how it drained him when he tried to hit.

"Catching right there absolutely reinforces that third-base is my all-time love," Inge said. "It's not even a question. If it came down to it, where I was just catching, I'd have to find a way to separate it. I don't know if I can, because I take too much pride in the catching aspect."

Inge caught for three innings, before Dane Sardinha replaced him in the bottom of the fourth. He went 0-for-2 with a called third strike at the plate.

"I'm a much better hitter this year than I have been in a long time," he said. "That feeling that I got today was much more of a downer feeling. Don't get me wrong: The actual catching part of the game [was] fun. It was awesome. But what fires me up is the offensive part. It's very frustrating to me.

"It's a fine line. I'm not saying that I'm frustrated about them making me catch. It's frustrating because the way I feel offensively, and then how I feel catching offensively. It's two completely different things. My mind's not in it. Mentally, if you're not into hitting, you're not going to hit. Especially with the game plan I have now offensively, it's tough."

Inge struggled at the plate during his days as an everyday catcher. His hitting improved after he became a utility player in 2004, eventually settling in at third base. Now, catching is back in his repertoire as he looks at potential utility duty again. He remains on the trading block, while the Tigers look for a team that would use him as an everyday third baseman.

For all the struggles, he's trying to catch in games for the first time since 2004. He's not sure whether he'll catch in a regular season game, let alone where he might do that.

"The only certainty is, I'm here now," Inge said, "and this is what I'm preparing for."

Rogers returns to mound: To look at Kenny Rogers' uniform after his first outing of the spring Sunday would've suggested he had a slew of ground balls and diving plays. That was far from the case.

No, most of that dirt came from the round of fielding practice that he took on a back field at Chain of Lakes Park after he was done pitching.

"I try to do it when I'm loosened up and all," Rogers said afterwards in the clubhouse Sunday afternoon, "not when I'm stiff, which will come in about 30 minutes."

From a mound standpoint, Rogers said, "I'm not unhappy," after pitching two scoreless innings against the Indians. Both innings ended with double plays, the second with the bases loaded and hot-hitting Michael Aubrey at the plate. He stayed mainly with changeups and fastballs while throwing at 90 percent effort to limit wear and tear. His elbow, which bothered him last summer, felt fine, which was expected since he has been able to play long toss this spring.

Still no Cruceta: Francisco Cruceta's effort to get a visa and head to camp still has no end in sight, 2 1/2 weeks into camp.

When Cruceta was late for the initial days, it meant little, since he was still fresh from pitching in winter ball and could catch up. Now that games are under way, though Cruceta has been working out in the Dominican, even manager Jim Leyland admits that they can't assume Cruceta will be here with enough time to make a bid for Detroit's bullpen.

"I don't want to be discouraging or anything," Leyland said. "but right now, I'm not counting on Cruceta at all. I know he's been throwing and he's in shape and everything, but I can't make any judgment on Cruceta and not even see him. It's not his fault. I'm not blaming anybody. I'm just saying that at some point, you have to [proceed]. We're not sitting here every day saying, 'I hope Cruceta gets here.' We'd like to see it, but we're going about our business either way."

Rodney update: Fernando Rodney said his shoulder felt fine on Sunday. However, he said the athletic training staff told him he would not throw on Monday. Rodney is expected to resume playing catch in the coming days.

Grilli renewed: Unable to reach agreement on a one-year contract, the Tigers renewed right-hander Jason Grilli's contract for 2008. He stands one season away from being eligible for arbitration.

Up next: The Tigers host the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday for a 1:05 p.m. ET matchup at Joker Marchant Stadium. Jeremy Bonderman is scheduled for his second start of the spring, this one opposite new Rays starter Matt Garza.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

He's still complaining.

Hey, we've got Grilli signed

He'd better not have lost the game!

laprimamirala wrote:

He'd better not have lost the game!

He caught the first 3 innings, and no runs were scored, but that does not mean he did no hedge on his batting to make a point.

Well Catbox....if he DOES get traded to the Dodgers, at least you'll have a chance to see him play more often. You could always give him a piece of your mind between innings or before the games start and he's warming up. lol

and tell him he blew it!

Absolutely!! He needs to hush up and ride this Tiger Train all the way to October!!

geez, for $9 million, I could do that...

But, if his attitude harms the tigers chemistry, out the door to Mudhen time!

Hell.....I'd do it for 1 million!!! No need in being greedy about it! lol

Share the wealth!

Who, Inge

Tell ya what.....if I was making what Inge makes to do his job....I'd shut my damn mouth and enjoy it while I can. Then I'd be able to share the wealth with the rest of ya's and not complain about it!

Ohios#1TigerFan wrote:

Tell ya what.....if I was making what Inge makes to do his job....I'd shut my damn mouth and enjoy it while I can. Then I'd be able to share the wealth with the rest of ya's and not complain about it!

You're hired!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Ohios#1TigerFan wrote:

Tell ya what.....if I was making what Inge makes to do his job....I'd shut my damn mouth and enjoy it while I can. Then I'd be able to share the wealth with the rest of ya's and not complain about it!

You're hired!

If only it were that easy!

I thought about going down for the open tryouts....but at my age, they'd just laugh at me and tell me to come back in my "next life" lol