Will Adam Dunn signing with the White Sox, one of the Tigers' main rivals in the American League Central, become a nightmare?
Bottom line, it was either Dunn or Victor Martinez for the Tigers. Carl Crawford was unlikely, and probably, too, was Jayson Werth. The Tigers landed Martinez, a solid acquisition, for sure.
All things equal, just based on hitting, I would have taken Dunn, though. He has unique power, maybe the best in the game. And while he strikes out a lot, he walks an inordinate amount as well. That's why his OPS is much higher than that of Martinez, despite a considerably lower batting average. Martinez figures to hit between 18 and 22 home runs with plenty of doubles.
These are two polar opposite hitters. Dunn rarely puts the ball in play. It's either a strikeout, walk or home run. At least it seems. Martinez usually puts the ball in play. He doesn't walk or strikeout that much.
The problem with Dunn is that he no longer is remotely even an average outfielder. He is a first baseman, who doesn't want to become a full-time DH in his early 30s. Martinez still catches well enough to be placed there a few days a week. Obviously, the Tigers are boxed in at first with Miguel Cabrera, who is not only a premier hitter, but has become very good defensively. They aren't boxed in with Alex Avila at catcher. So in that way, signing Martinez instead of Dunn made perfect sense. It's just it's ominous that Dunn has landed with a division foe that plays its games in such a band box ball park.
We'll see how he adjusts to the American League, but he might hit 50 runs this season.