AL Central Nine Biggest Offseason Acquisitions #8 By Dane Moore

8. Max Scherzer SP- Detroit Tigers

Max Scherzer was acquired by the Tigers along with Austin Jackson in a three-team blockbuster trade that sent Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks and Curtis Granderson to the Yankees. Scherzer is 25 years old and one of the games best strikeout artists averaging 9.19 K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) in 2009. It has been debated whether starting is Scherzer’s true calling as a pro. Many professional scouts see Scherzer reaching his max potential as a closer. For 2010 it looks as though Scherzer will be slotted as the third starter in the Tigers rotation behind Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello.

Detroit appeared to be in the midst of a house cleaning ditching the contracts of Granderson and arbitration eligible Jackson. This was to be expected in a town ravished by 27% unemployment. While the pitching roatation seems to be able to compensate for the loss of Jackson with Scherzer and a now healthy Justin Bonderman, center field does not look so certain. The loss of Granderson last years starting center fielder and lead-off man has left Manager Jim Leyland with quite the debacle as to what he should do at the top of the lineup. In the Tigers house cleaning they also lost veteran second baseman Placido Polanco who had been filling the two-hole in the Tigers lineup for the past four and a half years. Right now it looks as though Jackson who was acquired with Scherzer will fill in Granderson's roles of center fielder and leadoff hitter. Also a rookie, Scott Sizemore will fill in for Polanco at second base and second in the lineup. The ill-fate that comes with cutting Granderson’s and Polanco’s $10 million from payroll is that neither Jackson or Sizemore have ever fielded a major league at bat. Fortunately for Detroit their ballclub is still in the AL central and once again there does not appear to be a dominant team and one would be hard pressed to count them out of contention in this division.