Dontrelle sent to Class A

The Tigers had to do something with Dontrelle Willis, that much was clear. They couldn't keep starting him, not after Willis showed again Monday night that he just can't throw the ball over the plate. So today, with Willis' permission, the Tigers optioned their struggling left-hander to Class A Lakeland.

"We don't want to put a time frame on it," general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "We just want to get him right."

Willis has been so bad (a 10.32 ERA and 21 walks in 11 1/3 innings) that releasing him might have been a possibility, except that the Tigers just signed him to a three-year, $29 million contract after acquiring him from Florida last December. With that kind of money invested in him, they had little choice but to do whatever it takes to turn him around.

It's not clear whether Willis will pitch for the Class A Flying Tigers right away. Dombrowski said they want their minor-league pitching coaches (Jon Matlack and Joe Coleman) to work with Willis on his mechanics.

As recently as 2005, Willis was a 22-game winner who finished second in the National League Cy Young voting. His numbers have progressively gotten worse since then, but this year's fall-off has been even more dramatic. Willis had trouble throwing strikes in the latter part of spring training, and he didn't get better when the season began. In an 8-2 Tiger loss to Cleveland Monday night, Willis walked five and allowed eight runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

Willis is still just 25 years old.

The Tigers didn't decide on who will replace Willis in the rotation. They're considering several options, but manager Jim Leyland said Eddie Bonine (9-2 with a 4.48 ERA at Triple-A Toledo) is a strong possibility.

Why does everyone have to throw out PED use? Has there been any credible information anywhere that he was using? I don't remember anything.

This fall was coming. He put up an ERA over 5 last season in the national league, a move the AL and another professional hitter in the lineup was not going to improve his numbers. I have to think Detroit knew that when they made the deal and only really wanted Migs from FLA, but then again they signed him to a $29M contract so maybe they were naive about his performance degradation.

Just don't use drugs as a crutch for someone losing it. There's plenty of explanations from injury to just plain partying all offseason, that could describe his fall. I mean he did pitch 230 innings at 22 and just got his first big payday as a pro player. Both seem much more likely than drugs.

The fact is that Detroit has gotten very lucky in the past couple of season with questionable moves paying off. Nothing they did was genius. They gamble on Ordonez's knee and that paid off, they gambled on Kenny Rogers responding to a pennant race to motivate him, gambled signing all of their starters through 2010, and now some of those bets are turning on them.

Vengeance Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 16, 2006	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:23 pm Score: 95 Dontrelle sent to Class A You can blog my knobler anytime you want, Danny Boy. [ Reply to Comment ]
orangemen90 Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 23, 2007	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:24 pm Score: 95 Dontrelle sent to Class A Isn't that amazing his fall from grace. Was his performance based on the drugs he took (PED). He is not alone in this predicament. MLB players have long said drug usage to get a contract is acceptable....This now make the Tigers 0 for 2. Bad decisions... [ Reply to Comment ]
Spartans! Reputation: 94 Level: All-Star Since: Jan 10, 2008	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:38 pm Score: 93 Dontrelle sent to Class A Try telling that to Barry Zito or C.C. Sabathia... Sabathia is 3-8 with a 4.81 ERA after a 19-7 with a 3.21...and he denied a contract, which obviously means he's on steriods (sarcastic) Zito was demoted after his dismal start (2-9, 5.83) and he had an ok year before that (11-13) Don't put crap about the steriods if two other Cy Younger's have the same problem [ Reply to Comment ]
PAOLO Reputation: 0 Level: Amateur Since: Aug 16, 2006	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:38 pm Score: 87 This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator
MLB Rainmaker Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 12, 2007	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:48 pm Score: 88 Dontrelle sent to Class A Why does everyone have to throw out PED use? Has there been any credible information anywhere that he was using? I don't remember anything. This fall was coming. He put up an ERA over 5 last season in the national league, a move the AL and another professional hitter in the lineup was not going to improve his numbers. I have to think Detroit knew that when they made the deal and only really wanted Migs from FLA, but then again they signed him to a $29M contract so maybe they were naive about his performance degradation. Just don't use drugs as a crutch for someone losing it. There's plenty of explanations from injury to just plain partying all offseason, that could describe his fall. I mean he did pitch 230 innings at 22 and just got his first big payday as a pro player. Both seem much more likely than drugs. The fact is that Detroit has gotten very lucky in the past couple of season with questionable moves paying off. Nothing they did was genius. They gamble on Ordonez's knee and that paid off, they gambled on Kenny Rogers responding to a pennant race to motivate him, gambled signing all of their starters through 2010, and now some of those bets are turning on them. [ Reply to Comment ]
stpete2you Reputation: 91 Level: All-Star Since: Mar 11, 2008	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:48 pm Score: 85 Dontrelle sent to Class A Dontrelle had some productivity at the plate while he was in the NL. Perhaps the Tigers should take a page from the Cardinals and Rick Ankiel. Ankiel lost his ability to throw strikes, and it appears that Willis has the same problem. Let Dontrelle work on his hitting in the minor leagues, and maybe he can resurface as an OF or a DH. [ Reply to Comment ]
BigBenNC Reputation: 81 Level: All-Star Since: Jun 10, 2008	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:49 pm Score: 37 Dontrelle sent to Class A Are you bashing the Tigers I am not a tiger fan but if I was a Marlin fan I would keep my mouth shut since Griffey hits his 600th home run and there is like 8 thousand people at the game. The tigers were stupid for thinking D-Train was going to be anything special I was thinking the Tigers had to take them from the Marlins in order to get Cabrera because he was awful last year and was overpaid. The Marlins should move to another state and at least the Tigers have people at there games whether they are classless or not. I am a Yankees fan so could care less but you call Detroit lousy and classless when your town doesn't care abou its team at all. [ Reply to Comment ]
Tigers1979 Reputation: 55 Level: Pro Since: Dec 4, 2007	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:50 pm Score: 69 Dontrelle sent to Class A Nice unsubstantiated babble, Paolo. Hopefully Dontrelle will fix his mechanics - I fail to see what role the city of Detroit played in that... And I hardly think Cabrera's career is 'ruined'... Ruined how? 1/3 of a season batting .270 doesn't ruin many careers. When he collects his 3000th hit or 500th home run, we can discuss the quality of his career. The cold early-season weather didn't treat him well, but I don't see how that can be attributed to being in a 'lousy' or 'classless' city. [ Reply to Comment ]
toccojac Reputation: 92 Level: All-Star Since: Aug 31, 2006	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:51 pm Score: 86 Dontrelle sent to Class A Detroit/the state of Michigan is one of the greatest sports towns in the country if not the greatest. Fans are smart and loyal. Anyone from florida saying anything about another city is a joke. Florida has the worst professional fan base in country, fans only show up when team is good. and sometimes even when team is good they dont show up [ Reply to Comment ]
06restoirtheroa Reputation: 98 Level: Superstar Since: Sep 20, 2006	Posted on: June 10, 2008 4:53 pm Score: 89 Dontrelle sent to Class A an organization as lousy as the Tigers and for a city as lousy and classless as Detriot Wow, this coming from a Florida Marlins fan, the organization everyone should model themselves after, you guys can't even get 16,000 fans to see Griffey hit his 600th home run, what a disgrace. ..and I would not be so quick to think you got the better of this deal, it's still early and Cabrera has a chance to do great things with this team. Your franchise is nothing better than a farm system for other big league teams, it would not surprise me if down the road another big league team possibly the tigers re-aquire Miller and or Maybin once they are good enough to make it to the real show. [ Reply to Comment ]

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