Whether you call it a perverse dream or a slim chance, I’ve been dreaming about the Tigers signing Carlos Beltran for some time. He’s one of the top five players in the league. I don’t know if the Tigers are still gun shy after some of their “big” free agent signings in the late 90s and early 00s (think Bobby Higginson and Damion Easley), but the Tigers could have really made their mark had they offered Beltran say, another year and maybe a half million more each year.

Instead, the Mets hit the jackpot, and we’re stuck with another season watching Alex Sanchez trying to get an eye on the ball. Alex Sanchez has a WARP of just under one, and Carlos Beltran has a WARP of 8.4. That’s 7-8 wins we could have bought, pushing us very close to that .500 mark. And I know protection may be more myth then fact, but it would give Pudge some better pitches to hit.

Now I know Beltran may not have come to Detroit under any circumstances, but they should have kept themselves in the bargaining until the very end.

Over at Hardball Times, Steve Treder takes a look at the 1952 season. Good stuff.

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