I’m really late on this one. The first time I go on a business trip for weeks and I miss a major signing. Oh well. As this story has been covered throughout the Tiger blogosphere already, I won’t dwell on this news to much.
While not a big surprise it is great news to see that Curtis will likely be roaming in the outfield at Comerica Park for quite some time. I had speculated a deal closer to Grady Sizemore’s 6-year $23.45M but Granderson out did that by a bit. As a fan I can say I’m very excited to watch him for years to come.
That said, to have staying power there are still some real holes in his game that need work, starting with the ability to hit lefties. It appears as though he thinks he’ll get over that hurdle quickly:
“As I see it, there’s always something to improve upon,” he said. “Right now, it’s going to be in addressing how to hit left-handed pitchers more consistently and continue to cut down my strikeouts. But moving into 2009, I’m sure there will be another list of things to improve upon. I still have a long ways to go. I’ll just try my best not to press too much.”
The contract is very heavy-tailed to the end of the deal but his salary slightly more than doubles next year from $410,000 to $1M. I believe this also make Curtis the Tiger with the longest contract in terms of years left.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| $1M | $3.5M | $5.5M | $8.25M | $10M | $13M club option w/ $2M buyout |
Now that this is behind them they can try to finish up a deal with Miguel Cabrera. I also wonder if, since he is in the same situation that Curtis Granderson is in now, the Tigers could stomach yet another contract with Justin Verlander. Would that make sense? I believe so, and for all the reasons that this deal made sense for Detroit.