Steve Stone

And as we all know, the Central Division of the American League isn't exactly overwhelming.

So I still look at Detroit, and I still wonder just exactly why they are where they are.

It comes back, for me, it comes back to their hitting.

And I thought the hitting would be pretty good, especially adding McGonigal, who, by the way, is for real.

This is a really good young player.

And I think leading off for them, he makes a big difference in their lineup.

However...

you have to face reality after over two months, and that is they're averaging three and a half runs per game, which is the worst in the major leagues.

Somewhere along the line, they have to get some kind of a jolt, and I don't know exactly where it's going to come.

It's tough for me to write them off because if you look at preseason predictions, most people were predicting both the Guardians and the Tigers battling it out head-to-head for the championship.

Maybe at the end it'll get to that, but to me right now,

I got a school problem from the Tigers.

He's going to come back in the not too distant future.

You have to establish that he can still pitch and pitch like the guy who won two consecutive Cy Young Awards.

But for me, I trade him, and I trade him to a team that's going to give me four top-of-the-line players because the Tigers are not going to sign him.

They're not going to want to pay what he demands.

He's already been injured, but still, he's a wonderful pitcher, and I think they can rebuild their organization by trading one guy.

I think it's going to happen, and unfortunately...

It appears, because of the money they can spend to sign him long-term and the prospects that they have to give in return, that it's going to be the Dodgers once again.

Well, I think the most successful of all of the Boston trades is going to be Garrett Crochet.