People say Granderson would be a “perfect fit” for the Chicago Cubs and while I don’t really agree, he would certainly be welcomed.  Granderson is the center fielder the Cubs have dreamt of.  He roams a patch of grass in Comerica Park that has more empty space than just about any other park in the league, he steals bases, hits for power, gives full effort every night, and is about the best ambassador for the game you could imagine.

Much like Soriano however, he isn’t the ideal lead-off hitter.  He strikes out a lot, had a terrible average this year, can’t hit left handed pitching at all, and really doesn’t get on base at a good clip.  It would be fun to watch him lead off against righties and Soriano against lefties though.  You’d see a record number of lead-off homers I’d be willing to bet.

Granderson to the Cubs sounds great, but will it really happen?  Hendry would have to pay a pretty steep price for the young star.  Carlos Marmol is the name I’ve heard thrown around the most.  I wouldn’t expect Detroit to want anything to do with Milton Bradley either.  This would likely be a deal involving an established player at a position of need for the Tigers (2b, cf, rp) and at least one top prospect.

I have no doubt that Curtis would be a fan favorite on the North Side.  His batting average and merits as a lead-off hitter might not wow anyone, but he’s a damn exciting player to watch and a kid you want on your team.  I can tell you that there is a large contingent in the Detroit area expressing some outrage at the thought of this trade.  Granderson is arguably Detroit’s most popular athlete, so at least you could hold that over our head for a while.

Just to clear up any confusion, yes, we were the UIC Flames.

I have been a huge Curtis Granderson fan since his days playing baseball at University of Illinois at Chicago (of which I am an alum).  I didn’t know him personally, but he was always smiling and friendly with everyone around campus and just generally had a great reputation.  When he came up with the Tigers, he swung a sweet bat basically from day 1 and I cheered him on, praying that he might someday wear a Chicago uniform.  In fact, ask StevieY19, but I have been contemplating buying a Granderson Tigers jersey (or jersey tee) for some time now.  Anyways, Granderson isn’t just from Chicago, he loves Chicago.  He had this to say in his blog this morning (I am an avid reader by the way, you should check it out):

Even though Chicago is one of my favorite cities to come back and play in, there are a lot of things that I do miss out on throughout the course of the season in Chicago. This year for example I’m going to miss my high school’s 10-year reunion. I’ll also miss the “Taste of Chicago,” the music festivals, the Air and Water Show, the summer in the city, and being in my house for more than four months out of the year, especially during the warmer months.

By the way, did you see that ridiculous catch he made the other day to save the game against the Indians?

How can you not love this kid?