Tigers to DFA D-Train

[Hammerhead]

The Tigers will designate Dontrelle Willis for assignment tomorrow, according to the team's official Twitter feed. The move will free up a roster spot for Max Scherzer, who is being called up to start tomorrow's game.

 

Willis, still just 28, has been a disappointment since coming over from the Marlins prior to the 2008 season. Overall, he posted a 6.86 ERA in 101 innings with the team, including a 4.98 ERA in 43.1 innings this year. He won just two wins in a Tigers' uniform, missing time with everything from knee hyper-extension to forearm tightness to anxiety disorder.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/05/tigers-to-designate-dontrelle-willis-for-assignment.html

 

With Meyer and Badenhop gone, we really don't have a true long reliever. Why not bring him back? He's a fan favorite here (a stark contrast from the villain he was in Detroit) and he has a decent numbers here (525.2 IP, 3.85 ERA, 1.36 WHIP). Why not throw him a minor league deal and see if he can get back to near what he was?

[SilverBullet]

Because he sucks.

 

His best days are gone and he hasn't consistently shown he can get to the level he once was. Good guy or not, I sure as hell dont want him back.

[dim]

I'd take him back to play center field for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kidding....kinda.

[Dr Beinfest]

Yes... try him in the pen. Why not?

[Admin]

Because he throws less strikes than Andrew Miller does. He's a walks machine. I'm surprised his ERA isn't higher than it actually is.

[Hammerhead]

Because he sucks.

 

His best days are gone and he hasn't consistently shown he can get to the level he once was. Good guy or not, I sure as hell dont want him back.

 

He's 28. And if he is the same here as he was in Detroit, it costs us nothing.

[Admin]

Also, he's being DFA and not outright released. There's a difference.

[Nny]

Also, he's being DFA and not outright released. There's a difference.

 

 

I doubt anyone will trade him, so he'll likely be released in the end.

 

And, he has good numbers against lefties this year (2.57 FIP, 1.28 WHIP even though he has a .350 BABIP, 3.17 K/BB) and great numbers against them in his career. LOOGY!

 

Geez, he's faced 100 more right handed batters this year than left handed batters, yet has 5 more strike outs against lefties

[Hammerhead]

Also, he's being DFA and not outright released. There's a difference.

 

No one wants his salary and I doubt he accepts another demotion from the Tigers so he's probably getting released.

 

Coming back to the NL could work wonders for him. Also, his FIP of 4.62 this year isn't that bad and he actually has positive WAR. It's worth a shot.

[MarlinsLou]

I am into signing him on a minor league deal once released, no one is picking up that salary on a DFA (well I guess Detroit could eat ALL of it), and like NNY said - LOOGY.

 

Worth a shot if it costs nothing. Thing is, is Dontrelle ok moving to the pen fulltime and becoming a lefty specialist in the immediacy.

[Erick]

I am into signing him on a minor league deal once released, no one is picking up that salary on a DFA (well I guess Detroit could eat ALL of it), and like NNY said - LOOGY.

 

Worth a shot if it costs nothing. Thing is, is Dontrelle ok moving to the pen fulltime and becoming a lefty specialist in the immediacy.

 

 

 

Even if he's not ok with it; I'd be fine with Dontrelle as a 5th starter, and moving Robertson to the bullpen. It's pretty much the same thing.

[Rabbethan]

I am into signing him on a minor league deal once released, no one is picking up that salary on a DFA (well I guess Detroit could eat ALL of it), and like NNY said - LOOGY.

 

Worth a shot if it costs nothing. Thing is, is Dontrelle ok moving to the pen fulltime and becoming a lefty specialist in the immediacy.

 

 

 

Even if he's not ok with it; I'd be fine with Dontrelle as a 5th starter, and moving Robertson to the bullpen. It's pretty much the same thing.

Not right now. Robertson's still getting it done.

[Admin]

Why touch Robertson at this point? He has exceeded expectations and has done fine in his role.

 

I don't see Willis becoming a good reliever because of the anxiety problems he has. If it's a minor league deal and they don't send him straight into the pen, I suppose it's not too bad.

 

Quite frankly, I think at this point Dontrelle would be best suited for being the next Rick Ankiel.

[Erick]

I'm just saying Robertson would probably do a lot better in a LOOGY role, so it's pretty much the same thing. The move would improve the bullpen, regardless. Whether it's Robertson or Dontrelle as the 5th starter, I don't see much of a difference, long-term. So in a scenario where Dontrelle wouldn't want to pitch out of the pen, I'd still make the move because I still feel it'd improve the pen, thus improving the team.

[Admin]

If both Robertson and Willis were to be on the 25 man roster, I can't see a scenario right now where it would be better to have Robertson in the pen and Willis starting.

 

I think hands down, Robertson would be the better starter, which is more important than a LOOGY. If Robertson is to become a LOOGY, it should be because a superior starter could be moved into his rotation spot. That's only if West gets healthy, Miller finds the ability to pitch at a AA level, or the Marlins trade for someone.

[Vicp493]

Once he gets released, give him a minor league deal. If he excels as a starter in the minors, use him to replace one of our starters once they start to struggle or go down with injuries. If he doesn't do well as a starter, use him as a lefty specialist.

[Sirspud]

If this team was more interested in having Dontrelle in the 5th spot than Nate Robertson, I think its pretty likely that Dontrelle would have already been pitching for us.

[Admin]

The Tigers are paying all of Robertson's 2010 salary ($10 million). They still have to pay Dontrelle $12 million this season as well.

 

It would be interesting for the Marlins to pick up Willis and have him pitch out of the pen for them.

[louiecastillo1]

He can't be more terrible than the pieces of crap we have now, right?

[Admin]

Better than Meyer maybe, but he's not in the picture right now. His overall WHIP is 1.78. I doubt he can be anything but a LOOGY. This is assuming he has the stomach to be a reliever. Some people are accusing him of faking sick just to avoid pitching against the Yankees.

[MrMarlinPride]

I'd love to see what Dontrelle could do out of our pen.

We do need more LHP and if Tankersley can continue his minor success you can make him the main LHP in the 7th or 8th inning roles and use Dontrelle as a LOOGY.

[heat84]

What happened in 2007 that screwed up his game? Did a pitching coach screw him up? Maybe they got him to stop using that wind-up? I remember hearing somewhere that even though that wind-up was what made his game work so well, it had a really bad down side. I can't remember what that downside was though.

 

I was just looking at his stats and I didn't realize he had 7 CG"s in '05. Wow! And still remember his last game against Philly that year. He was up 1-0 in the 9th and collapsed. Wasn't that collapse started by a defensive mistake? I hope that wasn't what screwed him up. "I was that close to a Cy Young" and the f***ing defense had to blow it for me!"

 

 

I would like to have him back. He can't be any worse than what we've already got. I'll always have a soft spot for him.

[fanofthefish]

No team is taking that contract and I'm fairly certain that D-Train won't accept a minor league assignment with Tigers, if the numbers could be worked out he could be a bonus to the bullpen, even with the walks and runs he'll be more loved than Pinto!

[dim]

What happened in 2007 that screwed up his game? Did a pitching coach screw him up? Maybe they got him to stop using that wind-up? I remember hearing somewhere that even though that wind-up was what made his game work so well, it had a really bad down side. I can't remember what that downside was though.

 

I was just looking at his stats and I didn't realize he had 7 CG"s in '05. Wow! And still remember his last game against Philly that year. He was up 1-0 in the 9th and collapsed. Wasn't that collapse started by a defensive mistake? I hope that wasn't what screwed him up. "I was that close to a Cy Young" and the f***ing defense had to blow it for me!"

 

 

I would like to have him back. He can't be any worse than what we've already got. I'll always have a soft spot for him.

 

 

As far as I can remember, he suffered some sort of foot injury in mid 2006 game while trying to cover first base, and he was never the same after that. However, the issues with Dontrelle are mostly mental, and it seems Willis may be a little past the point of fixing. He's still relatively young, but somebody it's make or break time for Willis on his major league career.

[Sirspud]

What happened in 2007 that screwed up his game? Did a pitching coach screw him up? Maybe they got him to stop using that wind-up? I remember hearing somewhere that even though that wind-up was what made his game work so well, it had a really bad down side. I can't remember what that downside was though.

 

I was just looking at his stats and I didn't realize he had 7 CG"s in '05. Wow! And still remember his last game against Philly that year. He was up 1-0 in the 9th and collapsed. Wasn't that collapse started by a defensive mistake? I hope that wasn't what screwed him up. "I was that close to a Cy Young" and the f***ing defense had to blow it for me!"

 

 

I would like to have him back. He can't be any worse than what we've already got. I'll always have a soft spot for him.

 

 

The problem with the wind-up was that as a mechanic it wasn't that easily repeatable, at least once the rhythm was lost. For Dontrelle to pitch well, he had to be completely in sync with himself. As we all remember when he was the results were awesome. Unfortunately, when things got off the command completely disappeared. Also, in his last year here when he was struggling, they showed film of his windup in '03 and then '07, and it was clear that Dontrelle's wind-up had gradually eroded. The leg-kick wasn't as high and the motion wasn't as fluid.

 

I was at the game you refer to, and I will probably be scarred for life because of it. Dontrelle actually left the game with a couple runners on, I don't remember how, and Jones came in. Unfortunately, Jones choked on fielding a bunt and threw the ball up the first base line. Then a comedy of errors ensued where there were at least 2-3 errors that inning and at least 2 misplayed fly balls that didn't count as errors, one from Encarnacion and Pierre each. I knew watching that team implode in such a critical game that it was the end of that team. I thought they were moving to San Antonio, but while they did stay in Florida that team itself was completely dismantled a month later.