Immediately following Detroit’s incredible run to the 2006 World Series, Dave Dombrowski considered bringing in a lefty bat to complement a team that was just three wins away from its fifth World Series. This Ohio native had never played a full season for a winning team, while averaging around .290 with 25 homers and 90-plus RBIs a season during his nearly six years with the then-Devil Rays. Sensing that his playing time would be diminished in Detroit, Aubrey Huff took his career .285 average and headed to greener grass in Baltimore. Today, Dombrowski finally has his solid lefty bat and Tigers fans have greater hope with six weeks remaining in the 2009 season.
While Huff’s presence presents a positional issue for the Tigers, the talented duo that is Leyland-Dombrowski will be put to the test in order to find playing time for their new talent.
Huff, who is finishing up the final year of a 3-year, $20 million deal he signed with the Orioles before the 2007 season, immediately came across as thrilled to be playing with a contender. Many fans had believed he had overstayed his welcome with the team when he referred to Baltimore as a horse (fill-in-the-blank) city. His production numbers have also dropped a bit this season, a major reason why he was not snatched up by other contenders at the deadline.
Aubrey Huff is truly a tremendous talent that can only be a benefit for a team that managed a total of seven runs in 4 of the last 5 games (2 happened to be wins). His OBP is stellar as is his hunger to have some sort of title associated with his name. This post-waiver trade doesn’t concede a top prospect and comes across much like the Brian Rogers trade of 2006 – also known as the trade that brought Sean Casey to the Tigers. Huff is a scrappy player that will only benefit from the Comerica Park clubhouse and the Tigers will benefit from not having to face his bat again — at least until 2010.