Tigers REALLY Don’t Want Renteria
December 2nd, 2008 Posted in Edgar RenteriaThe Detroit Tigers passed on offering arbitration to Edgar Renteria. By offering Renteria arbitration two things could have happened:
- Renteria would have signed elsewhere and the Tigers would have received the first round pick of the team that signed him and a sandwich pick in between the first and second round. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. Those two draft picks, if used correctly, could have really helped the Tigers rebuild their depleted farm system.
- Renteria could have accepted arbitration and the Tigers would have had to pay him at least $9 million to play for them next season. Ugh.
As enticing as those draft picks must have been, I think the club did the right thing. If they had offered him arbitration it would have scared a lot of teams off. I don’t think many teams would have given up their first round pick so that they could sign an aging Edgar Renteria.
In the end, this move officially ends Renteria’s time with the Tigers and he represents a huge chunk of cash coming off of the Tigers books.
Renteria is a career .290 hitter but hit on .270 in his only season with the Tigers. He also saw his on base percentage and slugging percentage fall way short of his career marks.
