Tigers take over 1st place!! Now what?

After the victory tonight, our Detroit Tigers are tied for First place in the AL Central, thanks to hot streaks by Brennan Bosch, Jhonny Peralta and Justin Verlander (just to name a few), and the collapse of the over achieving Indians. But now that we have pulled into first place we need to stay there for the long run. If anyone has followed the Tigers over the past few years, they know that the Tigs always fall apart near the end of the season, whether its bad pitching, injuries, mismanaging or whatever. That is why I think Dave Dombrowski needs to pull off a BIG time move to help this Tiger train keep rolling, along with a couple minor moves to sure up the team.

1st. Get rid of Ryan Raburn. This is actually very simple, he is not very good. That is why, on Monday, when Magglio comes back, I think Dombrowski should designate him for assignment or just release him whatever can be done to get him off of the Tigers.

Most likely a swing and a miss.

2nd. Trade for Jose Reyes. Another simple fact, Reyes is one of the best players in the MLB and fills soooo many holes that the Tigers have. Including, a shortstop with range, a consistent left handed bat at the top of the lineup, and someone that can steal tons of bases. Also if you bring him in, we can then move Peralta back to third base where he fills that hole in the line-up.

My trade: Detroit trades P Charlie Furbush, OF Casper Wells and a lower level prospect to NYM for SS Jose Reyes. I feel like this is a good trade because Reyes will be a FA, the Mets are a mess financially,  they need some young players to build around, Furbush is pitching very well right now and Wells is a very good defensive player but he seems like he will always be a utility outfielder and we have a ton of those already in the system. 

Jose Reyes

3rd. Sign Jose Reyes to a long term extension. A lot of people may not think the Tigers can afford a player like Reyes but with at least $22 million coming off of the books in Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen, the Tigers have the money to sign him to a nice long term deal to be the Tigers shortstop for a long time.

4th. Move Phil Coke back to the bullpen. Okay, this experiment needs to be over. Coke is a great pitcher, and a perfect personality for Detroit baseball, BUT he is a relief pitcher, not a starter. Coke is his best when coming in around the 6th or 7th and shutting down the team after the starter does his job or comes in early when the starters struggling. Andy Oliver has proven that he has the stuff to excel in the bigs, and I think he would be a much better option at the back end of the rotation. I would say Jacob Turner, but I don't think he will be up for good until next season. Also, this move to put Coke back in the pen saves the Tigers from going out and trading for another relief pitcher to fill Furbush's spot as the long reliever, thats what we in the business call "Three birds, One stone".

No matter where he pitches, Coke has a great mustache

5th. Jim Leyland. Period. I put him down because I believe he is the reason this team falls apart at the end of every season, I think he needs to find that happy medium of managing. He seems to either over-manage or under-manage nearly every season and I think if he just keeps doing what he's doing and not letting any of his "man crushes" (Raburn and Inge) get in his way, then the Tigers will be not only winning the AL Central but maybe the entire American League all together.

Thats some real "dude love" right there

Detroit Tigers Offensive Line-up:

1. #7 SS Jose Reyes
2. #14 CF Austin Jackson
3. #26 LF Brennan Boesch 
4. #24 1B Miguel Cabrera
5. #41 DH Victor Martinez
6. #30 RF Magglio Ordonez
7. #27 3B Jhonny Peralta
8. #13 C Alex Avila
9. #39 2B Ramon Santiago

Bench Players: 

•  #12 OF Andy Dirks
• #32 UTIL Don Kelly
• #15 UTIL Brandon Inge

Starting Pitchers:

1. #35 Justin Verlander
2. #37 Max Scherzer
3. #48 Rick Porcello
4. #31 Brad Penny
5. #43 Andy Oliver

Bullpen: 

• #58 Adam Wilk, Lefty
• #55 Daniel Schlereth, Lefty 
• #38 David Purcey, Lefty
• #45 Ryan Perry, Righty
• #40 Phil Coke, Lefty, Long relief
• #62 Al Albuquerque, Righty, set up
• #53 Joaquin Benoit, Righty, 8th inning set up
• #46 Jose Valverde, Righty, Closer

Images via MLB.com