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Will injury to top prosect open door for Polanco's return?
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(AP) Sizemore hit .308 in Erie this season.
If General Manager Dave Dombrowski and the rest of the Tiger organization were ready to look to the future at second base, maybe they should think again. Prize second base prospect Scott Sizemore will miss the rest of the Arizona Fall League after breaking his ankle earlier this week.
Sizemore has been regarded the heir apparent to Placido Polanco, who will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season. Polanco’s return has been one of the more hotly-debated questions looking ahead to 2010, as the 34-year-old Polanco, who made $4.6 million in '09, will likely command a salary outside the Tigers’ spending range.
It appeared as though, before the injury, that the time was now for Sizemore, 24. Although Sizemore believes the ankle will be ready for Spring Training, will the Tigers turn away a future Hall-of-Famer in Polanco in favor of a 24-year-old rookie coming off a broken ankle?
Financially speaking, they’ll probably have no choice. The clock is ticking on Sizemore’s arrival into the Majors, and the sun is setting on Polanco’s sterling career. Polanco has shown enough at the plate and in the field to command more than a one-year deal at a mid-level salary, something the Tigers will be unlikely to offer.
With shortstop Adam Everett also eligible for free agency, the Tigers could be looking at a totally retooled middle of the infield. Considering Brandon Inge will be coming off dual-knee surgeries, and an infield defense that was a strength in 2009, becomes a glaring concern in 2010.
Will Dombrowski—who has a reputation for overpaying veterans— reward Polanco for his service in Detroit with a contract based on production rather than potential? Or will Dombrowski be forced to make the shrewd business decision and part ways with on of the classier players in the Tiger organization as well as arguably the biggest addition to Detroit’s 2006 run to the World Series?
All signs point to yes, or at least they did earlier this month, when Dombrowski referred to Polanco in the past tense.
Will an injury to one of the organization’s top-prized prospects change his mind?
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