Word came out this afternoon that the Tigers were considering sending either Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis to the Red Sox for shortstop Julio Lugo.  It’s an interesting move to fill a hole but it definitely comes with some risks.

Lugo is a speed player.  He doesn’t hit for a ton of power and most of his seasons have found him south of the .400 mark as far as slugging.  He does have 184 career steals with 33 coming in 2007.  Of course one big problem is, Lugo is coming off a leg injury (quad) which could tap him of his speed.  If a guy like Lugo loses a step, it’s pretty much the end of the road.

On the other hand, neither Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis are locks to make the rotation even though the Tigers have a couple of holes to fill there.  Giving up one, after rough seasons in 2008, might not be that risky if it means we get a new starting shortstop.  It’s also a low risk move because if Lugo doesn’t pan out, option number two is waiting in the wings in Ramon Santiago.

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