This is unfortunate. Mantei is one of those "could've beens." He had great stuff and was close to one of the best relievers in the game for a very short time, but it looks like his shoulder couldn't hold up to the stress of being a Major League Pitcher.
It seems like every day, the Tigers lose a reliever. Fernando Rodney did throw yesterday a bit, so that sounds promising, but with Zumaya gone, Rodney a question mark and now Mantei off to be a father instead of a pitcher, the Tigers will again have to rely on their starters, I think, a bit too much early in the season.
The good news is that the offense should make it easier for the starters to stay in and win games. The bad news is that larger workloads early could spell trouble in August in September. Hopefully, the offense can explode to a point where the Tigers could afford to put even me on the hill in the seventh inning every other day, but that is not something that you want to count on.
Hopefully Fernando can come around and take the 8th until the All-Star Break, and Jones stays healthy and saves over 90% of his opportunities. Hopefully, Kenny Rogers can stay healthy enough to start over 30 games and Dontrelle Willis can relax now that he doesn't have to work 230 innings as the ace of a staff. And hopefully the slew of middle relievers the Tigers have can work the seventh inning in tight games and get the ball to Rodney.
Man, that's a lot of "hopefullys." If the Tigers keep having injured relievers, maybe Brandon Inge could pitch. Then he wouldn't have to concentrate on hitting.
The more I hear about Brandon Inge being upset, the more I think, for the betterment of the team, he should be elsewhere, though I think he'll end up starting about a game a week, and he'll end up with an at bat in four of the other five as a defensive replacement in late innings. I am all for Inge sticking around, because if anyone gets injured, he can play that position. However, he needs to bite the bullet and just play. If he wants to get traded, it would be best not to complain at all.
If he wants to play at all, he should be willing to play anywhere. Since when did a lifetime .250 hitter get to whine about playing time? Allen Iverson can complain about having to practice. Brandon Inge cannot complain about his playing time. Yes, he is a great defensive third baseman, likely the best in the major leagues, but he is way down the totem pole when it comes to hitting, and he should be willing to play anywhere. Topps only makes 792 baseball cards a year because that's how many people make it out of spring training. You're not Manny Ramirez, so we are not allowed to chalk this up to "Brandon being Brandon." You hit .300 with 30 home runs, and you can start to pull this crap.
Regardless, I hope Inge will come around and be a positive influence on this team this year. If any third baseman goes down anywhere, though, he will likely get traded, but he has to stop and think: What happens when that player comes back? What if A-Rod goes down for four months and Inge gets to play 75 games, but then ends up behind him for the next three years? Would that be beneficial? No. He'll end up with more playing time in the long run in Detroit.
The Tigers have shown in recent months they are about winning and winning now. They have almost no feelings of loyalty to their players when it comes to keeping them around. Less than two years ago, Cameron Maybin was off the block, and Dmitri Young was getting every chance to get his life together. At the end of this season, what are the odds of wanting one or both of those players back? Inge might get traded, but he might end up getting traded to a team where he ends up worse off than he his now. Jim Leyland likes Inge, and he likes to rest players. Inge could get 10-12 games at seven different positions if he wants. That could add up to 80 starts by the end of the year, and he could get another 40 games in as a defensive replacement. That's 300 at-bats. That's the 10th man. That's Marcus Thames. Do you see him complaining?
One thing is for certain, though. The Tigers won't trade Inge if it won't help their chances of winning. Thus, the trade will only go through if one of two things occurs. 1) They get something better than Inge in return, which isn't very likely because of Inge's large contract or 2) They think Inge is a clubhouse nuisance that will take away from their chances to win, which hurts his trade value (see #1).
I see others agree with me. But, whatever happens, it should make Spring Training pretty interesting in the Tigers' neck of the woods...
