Team 70: The 2008 Detroit Tigers

• Year: 2008
• Record: 74-88
• Win %: .457
• Win % Change: -88
• Run Differential: -36
• Pythagorean Record: 78-84
• AL Finish: 12th of 14
• Manager: Jim Leyland
• Best Transaction: Traded a pile of prospects for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.  Sure, the Willis era in Detroit has been a complete and total disaster, but it’s not like the Cameron Maybin-Andrew Miller era is off to a great start in Miami.  In Cabrera, the Tigers got one of the best five hitters in the game and locked him for the better part of a decade.  While Cabrera is owed a TON of money and has switched positions a time or two, he sure is an intimidating force in the middle of the lineup.
• Worst Transaction: Traded Omar Infante for Jacque Jones.  Jones was an utter failure in Detroit, hitting .165 in only 24 games before getting released.  Infante on the other hand, has developed into a pretty useful role player in Atlanta.  Infante is hitting .298 for the Braves and has played six different positions in the field.
• Upper: Armando Galarraga.  Cabrera was great during the second half, but that was expected.  Galarraga was picked up in the offseason and looked like a AAA guy.  However, he came on in late April and ended up being the Tigers best pitcher.  He led the team with 13 wins and an ERA of 3.73.  Galarraga struggled in 2009, but boy was he a fun silver lining in 2008.
• Downer: Justin Verlander.  In 2006 he won Rookie of the Year and helped lead the Tigers to the World Series.  In 2007, he looked even better and threw a no-hitter.  In 2008?  Verlander fell flat on his face and led the American League with 17 losses.  He was plagued all season by high pitch counts and inconsistent command of his pitches.  Luckily for all of us, he appears to have put that season behind him.
• Summary: This season was a total mess.  The club entered the season coming off a World Series appearance in 2006 and an 88 win season in 2007.  They added Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and others to that nucleus and it just seemed to make sense.  Sadly, the team got off to a 0-7 start and never really had a shot.  They made a bit of a push in June and July, but just fell apart and ended up trading for stupid Kyle Farnsworth.  Curtis Granderson had a nice season, hitting for a relatively high average and usual array of extra-base hits.  Magglio Ordonez hit .317 and topped the 20 HR and 100 RBI marks.  The pitching staff was a mess and guys like Kenny Rogers and Nate Robertson completely fell apart and Dontrelle Willis went nuts.