Lynn Henning: Tigers Insider

Twins' roster should motivate Tigers to pony up for a hitter

It was a tempting notion for the Tigers. They had played the Minnesota Twins to a standstill ahead of last season's playoff game at Minneapolis and, with the deep pitching Detroit stands to throw at the Twins and others in 2010, the Tigers dreamed of squeaking out a playoff spot even with a diminished offense.

But those thoughts have likely vanished. And if they haven't, they need to be abandoned, not only by the Tigers front office, but by owner Mike Ilitch.

The Twins have gotten stronger during the past off-season. Francisco Liriano is revitalized after a couple of tough recovery years following Tommy John surgery. He will be a menace in 2010 and should become the Twins' ace.

Jim Thome is backing up a left-hand power train that includes Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel.

And now the Twins have added Orlando Hudson to play second base. They signed him Thursday to a neat one-year deal, and what a difference at the plate he will bring to a position that otherwise was in the light-hitting hands of Nick Punto.

Can the Tigers out-pitch the Twins in 2010? Or even the White Sox, who themselves have a nice staff?

It's a tough challenge when a team still must score runs to win a baseball game. And runs steadily look as if they could be a Tigers' Waterloo from the get-go.

Pressure situation

Johnny Damon is not a perfect answer or player. His throwing arm would be a liability in left field at Comerica Park. But there are worse deficiencies, which the Tigers might be confronting if they don't find a better answer than Damon ahead of Opening Day.

The Twins have suddenly put extreme pressure on the Tigers. If the Tigers are serious about contending, about doing more than conceding the Twins -- or the White Sox -- the division race, it's mandatory that they add at least one more bat, preferably a left-hand hitter who can provide guaranteed on-base average at the top of the lineup.

There could emerge better options than Damon by the time spring training has wrapped up. Then and only then will each big-league club's questions about injuries, surpluses, tradable commodities, etc., be clear. And at that time the Tigers might be in position to swing a deal for the hitter they ideally want, which would likely be a corner outfielder.

But so many things would need to align for that scenario to play out positively for the Tigers. What could more easily happen is that the Tigers would be left with a hole at the leadoff or No. 2 spot in their lineup, and a less-than-ideal situation, defensively, in left field.

So, there is your case for signing Damon to the two-year deal he and agent Scott Boras are demanding.

What's the holdup?

What's the hold-up for a Tigers team that just spent $80 million on Justin Verlander, not to mention $14 million on new closer Jose Valverde? Why would the Tigers' offense, as well as their left-field defense, not merit similar respect heading into a new season?

That's a question for Dave Dombrowski and Ilitch to ponder. Boras and Damon will want two years for something approaching the $19 million Bobby Abreu got to sign for two more years with the Los Angeles Angels. But that figure appears out of bounds, at least on Feb. 6.

Abreu is four months younger than Damon and has played one less season. He has a .299 career batting average and a .404 lifetime on-base percentage. He has 256 home runs.

Damon's numbers are appreciably south of those: .288, .355, 207, although Damon has 314 more hits.

In the end, this one is about competitiveness. It's about what a team ultimately decides it can afford to do, or what it cannot afford not to do. If the Tigers believe they can make a better deal than Damon, make it. If there are doubts either way, they need to take another look at the Twins roster, at which point the decision should be easy.

Good company

Justin Verlander signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the Tigers on Thursday. Here's how he compares to other pitchers in their first four full seasons in the majors:

Justin Verlander -- 65-41, 3.88 ERA, 828 2/3 innings, 739 strikeouts, 277 walks

Greg Maddux -- 58-49, 3.62 ERA, 880 innings, 520 strikeouts, 308 walks

Steve Carlton -- 54-50, 4.04 ERA 914 2/3 innings, 733 strikeouts, 325 walks

Tom Seaver -- 75-44, 2.50 ERA, 1,092 2/3 innings, 766 strikeouts, 291 walks

Dwight Gooden -- 73-26, 2.46 ERA, 924.3 innings, 892 strikeouts, 275 walks

By the numbers

245 -- Doubles the Tigers hit in 2009 (last in the American League)

119 -- Doubles three Red Sox batters (Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz) combined to hit in 2009

201/87 -- Innings/walks Justin Verlander had in 2008

240/63 -- Innings/walks Verlander had in 2009

2.60 -- Atlanta pitcher Jair Jurrjens' earned-run average in 2009, fifth among all Major League starting pitchers.

2,943 -- Career hits by Frank Robinson, the smallest margin by which a player has missed the epic 3,000-hit mark.

Quotable

"He's big, he's strong, he throws hard, he has a superb work ethic. I don't know what else you could be looking for."

Dave Dombrowski, Tigers president and general manager, on staff ace Justin Verlander, left

Prepare to cry

Wanna know how long it would take Tigers ace Justin Verlander to earn your salary?

A day after his five-year, $80 million contract was announced, ESPN.com made him the featured athlete in their "Salary Crunch" calculator.

Say you make $100,000 a year. (Good for you! Are you hiring?) Here's what Verlander, on average, figures to accomplish in earning that: 1.68 strikeouts, 1.5 innings, .22 games and .12 wins.

And in case you're not quite humiliated enough, the calculator gets in one last insult: You'll need to work 160 years to make Verlander's salary.

-- Tony Paul