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.

h/t: The World of Isaac, Midwest Sports Fans

***UPDATE: Strangely enough, a Tigers fan defends Mauer.

The White Sox come in to the tilt with far greater momentum than the Tigers, having won both series since the all-star break and picking up the 18th perfect game in MLB history about two packs of Leyland’s cigs ago.  The Tigers meanwhile have only taken one game since the break, while losing five by a total of six runs.  Four of those games were by a score of 2-1. 

The depressing part for Detroit has been the outstanding pitching from unheralded starters that has gone completely to waste.  They are struggling at the plate in the worst way and it’s seemingly the worst possible timing for a series of importance. 

One thing going against the Sox has to be the pitching match-ups.  Leyland scheduled his post-break rotation to set up for this series and will trot out Verlander, Jackson, and Porcello this series, along with Eddie Bonine for tonight’s second leg of the double dip.  The Sox will have Contreras, Colon, Floyd, and Richard for their part. 

I have no stats whatsoever to back this up (what’s new) but it seems like Contreras kills the Tigers.  Gavin Floyd has gone six innings or more in every start but one since late May, and Clayton Richard is coming off one of his best performances as a major leaguer.  Even with the pitching match-ups favoring Detroit, you have to like the White Sox to take at least two games. 

Alright, well the games get started here in about an hour, so I’ll direct you to the lineups here.  Looks like Carlos Guillen will be making his return for the Tigs today after a long stint on the DL and DeWayne Wise will be rewarded for his heroic catch with a spot for him and his .196 average at the top of the order for the Sox.