Add Edgar Renteria to the list of disappointments for the 2008 Detroit Tigers season. To think the Tigers gave up young starting pitcher Jair Jurrgens to the Atlanta Braves (current stats: 11-9, 3.56 ERA, 113 strikeouts, 159 innings) for passed-his-prime Renteria is too painful to expand upon.
But the fact of the matter is that Renteria is now Tigers property. Should the Tigers give up on him because he’s had a bad first year or should they give him another shot at 2009?
Early calls for Renteria’s release or trade have ceased since he’s been parking baseballs in the seats. But I have long believed the right thing to do with Renteria is to give him time to adjust. It’s hard enough transitioning to a new team and league, but being traded to a team that everyone expects to win the World Series has got to be downright draining.
It’s very possible that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski will stick with Renteria by default simply because he’s not exactly loaded with options. But even if he were, I still think you’ve got to give a guy more than six months to prove himself.
Renteria has the mechanics and the history. The Tigers should not give up on him yet.
- Detroit Tigers shortstop Edgar Renteria turns two against Minnesota.
