The Granderson Trade - Right or Wrong for Detroit?

Speed...Power...Great Defense...That describes Curtis Granderson on the field. Kindness...Generosity...Philanthropy...This describes Curtis Granderson off the field. On Wednesday, December 9th, at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, the Detroit Tigers did something that their fans thought would never happen...they traded the face of the franchise for the past four years and for years to come.

As fans of the game, we all know that baseball is a business. Moves have to be made to improve a club, cut payroll, etc, etc., but when you really look closely at the Curtis Granderson trade, other things come to mind beyond the game of baseball. On the field, we all know what Granderson brings to the table, just look at his 2007 season. He became only the fourth player in the history of the game to have 20 or more doubles, triples, homeruns, and stolen bases all in the same season (Jimmy Rollins also did this in '07 but reached it after Granderson). He also brings Gold Glove caliber defense to his Center Field position. Example - 2009 where he saved a Justin Verlander pitching gem earlier in the season in Cleveland when he went over the high center field wall at Progressive Field to rob Grady Sizemore of a game winning homerun in the bottom of the 9th, preserving a Verlander win (there was one more out to go which Verlander struck out the next hitter). That catch, with the situation, was probably the best I have ever seen. On the last day of the season he made a diving catch in shallow left-center field to help the Tigers go to a one game playoff against the Twins (in which they eventually would lose). That's the Curtis Granderson we all know on the field. Off the field, Granderson, I would argue, has been even more valuable.

With the city of Detroit being hit hard by the economic downturn and with one the lowest high school graduation rates in the country, Granderson, has been a big shining light in what otherwise has been a city spiraling downward. You always hear what athletes do wrong (see Tiger Woods most recently). This is a story of an athlete that is doing right. In 2008, Granderson started a foundation called Grand Kids, which serves as an education-based organization for Michigan inner cities. The foundation collects donations for books and other school supplies, as well as starting baseball programs in areas that need them to help youth gain structure and stay out of trouble. He has been big in giving back to a community that desperately needs help (It should be noted that he was able to start the foundation after signing a 5-year $30.25 million deal with the Tigers in 2008, which ironically, is the reason why he was traded in order to cut back on payroll). With all this being said, when does a person's character and him giving back to a community overshadow the economics of baseball? That's a tough question to answer.

Like I said earlier, we all know that baseball (as well as all sports) is not just a game, but a business. I know what the Tigers' intentions were with this trade, and getting back what they got for Grandy (left handed reliever Phil Coke and rookie center fielder Austin Jackson from the Yankees, left handed reliever Daniel Schlereth and right handed starter Max Scherzer from the Arizona Diamondbacks) will help them as early as this year, however, trading a guy like him can also hurt a clubhouse and a community. Again, should a player's value to a community weigh into baseball economics? I think in some cases it should. I think what the Tigers lost...no...what the City of Detroit and the state of Michigan lost, was a great young man that could have helped slowly bring back Detroit out of its own depression by helping the kids of Detroit stay out of trouble and stay in school. I'm not saying he was the sole answer of turning Detroit around, we all know it needs more help than that but he was on his way to doing his share to help.

Granderson's departure not only leaves a big void in Center Field at Comerica Park, but a big void in the state of Michigan who really needed someone like this.