Report: Tigers wanted Ellsbury, Buchholz for Granderson

The Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman says the Red Sox did discuss Curtis Granderson with the Tigers before the still unfinalized trade with the Yankees took place, but that Detroit requested both Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz in return. If that seems like a substantially higher price than the Yankees paid, well, that’s mostly because it is. Ellsbury doesn’t quite qualify as a star, but he was a better player than Granderson while hitting .301/.355/.415 with 70 steals last season and he’s going to be much cheaper than Granderson going forward. Buchholz probably wouldn’t have been on the table, either, so it’s doubtful any match would have been found even if the Yankees talks had broken down. If the Red Sox were truly interested in Granderson, it suggests that there’s a real chance that they could sign Mike Cameron, with the idea of playing Ellsbury in left field. Cameron isn’t as dynamic as Granderson, but he’s the more well rounded player and he’d only require a one- or two-year contract. He’s a definite option for Boston if Jason Bay leaves..