The Detroit Tigers have signed Victor Martinez to a four-year deal. The financial terms have not been disclosed yet, but the number will be pretty big. Some may suggest that a four-year deal for a 36-year-old DH is excessive for a team that already has a great number of big contracts. To which I say: nah, its cool. Because the Tigers, as currently constructed, are the Blues Brothers 1974 Dodge Monaco. They may be close to falling apart, but they havent fallen apart just yet. Indeed, they still haul ass with that 440 Magnum engine, cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. Theyre a model made before catalytic converters so theyll run good on regular gas. They just won the AL Central again and look to be in good shape to win it again in 2015. When you got a car like that you drive it until it literally falls apart. Which could come at any second, but man its gonna move until that time comes. The reality for this team is that 2015 is all that matters. And if they do well then, well, get to 2016. Worrying about 2018 with players as old as the Tigers have and with contracts as big as they have and with an owner who is, like, 90 years old, richer than Croesus and just wants to win is rather silly. If the Tigers had, like the post-2012 Phillies, just experienced a year in which they finally cratered under the weight of old players and nonetheless reloaded as if the bad year hadnt happened and happy times were still here. Sure, slam them. But for now the Bluesmobile is still holding together, so theyre wise to put the pedal to the metal.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:52:57 +0000