Angels talking to Tigers about Granderson

Ken Davidoff of New York Newsday reports that “the Angels and Tigers have conversed about a Curtis Granderson trade, even though the Angels already have an All-Star center fielder in Torii Hunter.” Apparently the Angels are interested in using Granderson in left field, with Bobby Abreu in right field and Juan Rivera at designated hitter. That would leave free agent Vladimir Guerrero without a position and seemingly rule out his re-signing with the Angels, although Davidoff notes that the team could also look to trade Rivera. Granderson is one of the better all-around players in the league, but a huge portion of his value comes from playing a strong center field defensively while being a plus offensively. Certainly his glove would remain an asset in left field, but the move would likely lessen his defensive impact and when compared to left fielders rather than center fielders his bat would stand out far less. In other words, it seems unlikely that the team ultimately presenting the Tigers with the best possible trade offer for Granderson would be doing so with the intention of making him a corner outfielder. Certainly adding Granderson would make the Angels better, but he’d be a bigger upgrade for several other contending teams and the Yankees in particular seem like a logical fit if the Tigers are truly in sell mode.