Padres Rumors: Tigers Could Be Interested in Carlos Quentin

By James Clark | Feb 6, 2015

News broke Tuesday afternoon that Detroit Tigers regular DH Victor Martinez, tore his medial meniscus in his left knee during an off-season workout. He is scheduled to undergo surgery this coming Tuesday and the severity of his injury will not be fully known until then.

If Martinez is indeed lost for the season or at least a large chunk of it, the Tigers would be a great fit for San Diego Padres outfielder/DL occupant Carlos Quentin. His knees are not and never will be able to handle the every day grind of playing the field. He is an obvious choice for a DH. You sprinkle in a healthy Quentin to an already formidable lineup and you have something.

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At 32 years of age, Quentin is sure to have something left in the tank. The 2-time American League All-Star has been with the Padres since New Years Eve 2011, when he was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Simon Castro and Pedro Hernandez.

Quentin has always been able to hit. He is, when healthy, a middle of the order bat. The problem is, chronic injuries have limited his total potential. He has never played more than 131 games in a season, although he has put up decent numbers. In 2008 as a member of the White Sox, Quentin hit .288 with 36 home runs and 100 runs batted in. That was at the age of 25 and he looked to be a star for years to come.

Injuries have just limited him. It’s really sad, because he is a local guy too. He grew up here in San Diego and went to University High School. I was really excited when the Padres acquired him, I thought he could turn it around here.

If the Padres can get someone like the Tigers to take Quentin then potentially his $8-million dollar salary will be off the books for this season. In a perfect world, the team could move him for a prospect or two. Reality is some teams might want the Padres to eat some of the salary. Even if the Padres were to take on three out of the eight million for his salary, then it would be a winning deal.

Five extra million in salary relief for this season might just be the difference in bringing more key pickups to this 2015 team. Now if the Padres could get the Tigers to re-unite with their former #1 draft pick Cameron Maybin, then the team could throw a ticker tape parade. Maybin is owed $15 million for the next two years with a $1 million dollar buy out for the 2017 season.

Cameron Maybin, teamed with young left-hand hitting Anthony Gose, would give the Tigers a decent tandem to rotate in the spacious outfield of Comerica Park.

Ultimately Quentin will have to show his knees are rounding into form before any team will take a flier on him. I would not expect anything to come to fruitation any time soon, but once Spring Training starts, teams will begin sniffing around Peoria in search of cheap outfield help.

Come on Detroit Tigers, you guys can take both Quentin and Maybin and improve your team in one stop. The Tigers have the money to spend on them, why not? Again A.J., if you need help facilitating this deal…. Tweet me.

Next: Padres Involved In Deal Involving Andrew Cashner?

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