He has ZERO trade value unless Detroit eats his entire $5,500,000 salary. He passed through waivers last year unclaimed when any team could have had him for only the cost of his paycheck. He is signed through this season with a 6 million dollar TEAM option for 2013 that they are certain to turn down in favor of a $500,000 buyout. They are almost certainly stuck with him on their bench this season short of them granting him his release or sending him to Toledo as insurance in case of an injury, where he would again have to pass through waivers to be assigned.

As long as he is not the hitting coach

I will also be sad to see Inge go, but I think it's an inevitable situation at this point. His performance has been mediocre (at best) for too long. I dont agree however, that he is one of the most hated guys in sports. In certain segments of the Tiger fan population he seems to be, but one of his most endearing qualities and a reason he has always been one of my favorite Tigers is because he isnt one to whine and complain. He agreed to go down and work on his swing last year, and in years past he has been willing to fill in as a utility player when needed. Not only has he been loyal to the fans and the team, but he has also donated millions of dollars to the Children's Hospital of Detroit and other local charities so at least that bloated salary stayed in the city. I will miss Inge... but not his soul patch or tattoos.

Crew
He really is a nice guy,have you seen all his tattoos ?

Plus I'm not sure there's much of a market for a third baseman who can't hit and makes a lot of money. Call me crazy.

Inge has never led the MLB in errors at third base. Ever.

In reply to hartland eagle's comment that "Inge has never led the MLB in errors at third base. Ever"...

You're right, he's never led the MLB in errors, but he has, in fact, led the American League in errors at third base THREE times. In 2005 Inge had 23 errors to lead the AL. David Wright and Troy Glaus led the NL, each with 24. In 2007 he again tied for the AL lead in errors at 3B and there were 5 NL 3rd Basemen with more errors, including Miguel Cabrera who was with Florida that season. In 2009 only Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves made more errors than Inge at 3B and Inge again led the American League. Let's not distort facts. Inge is an immensely overrated fielder as evidenced here.

From Inge's page on Baseball Reference...

Errors Committed as 3B
2005 AL 23 (1st)
2006 AL 22 (2nd)
2007 AL 18 (1st)
2009 AL 20 (1st)
Active 114 (6th)

So, error leaders include...
Chipper Jones $14 million/yr
David Wright $14.25 million/yr
Miguel Cabera $11.3 million/yr as a 3rd baseman

Inge makes $5.5 million/yr.

This makes him overrated how, exactly?

Is he the greatest player on the team? No. Is he worth $5.5 million/year? No.

Point is he's one of the most popular sports figures in Detroit.

The point is that you are ignoring the other half of the coin that can't stand the guy. Take off your blinders and realize that for every person that "loves" Brandon crInge there is another one that "despises" him. If you don't realize that then you don't listen to sports talk radio, you don't read the paper, you don't read about baseball on the internet and you are completely OBLIVIOUS to the fact that your opinion is not commonly shared by a majority of people. And to address your other ridiculous point, it makes him overrated beacuse you insinuate that he is some kind of elite defender, which he is not. Besides that point alone, Chipper Jones, Miguel Cabrera and David Wright are/were at the time all some of the best, if not the very best, offensive players at third base. Brandon crInge couldn't carry Chipper's luggage when it comes to offense. He is a vapid wasteland offensively and he is TREMENDOUSLY OVERRATED DEFENSIVELY and I've provided you the evidence of that. Which I will do further in the next post.

These are the 4 players with their career WAR rating and seasonal WAR average. WAR represents "wins above replacement" and is one of the leading sabermetric statistics in use today in major league baseball. Here is a basic idea of what a seasonal number represents...

8+ MVP-level player
5+ All-Star level player
2+ Average Starter level player
0-2 Average Substitute level player
< 0 Replacement level player

Chipper Jones - Career WAR (18 seasons) 82.7
- Seasonal Average WAR 4.6 (just below All-Star level)

Miguel Cabrera - Career WAR (9 seasons) 40.2
- Seasonal Average WAR 4.5 (just below All-Star level)

David Wright - Career WAR (8 seasons) 32.6
- Seasonal Average WAR 4.1 (1 point below All-Star level)

and now the kicker...

Brandon crInge - Career WAR (11 seasons) 17.9
- Seasonal Average WAR 1.6 (.4 BELOW an average starter level)

I can't illustrate this point any more than this chart. Inge is BELOW the level of an average starting level player in the major leagues and the other 3 players you mentioned are all near All-Star level players and are all between 2 and 3 TIMES the player that Brandon crInge is.

Now do your really want to continue to argue this point? Your boy crInge does not even rate as a STARTER-CAPABLE level player in the major leagues and is VASTLY overrated as proven out by the scientific examination of the numbers.

Where did I insinuate he was a great player? He's not the greatest 3B man. I never said he was.

Stephanie

Try to hit a 95 mile fast ball,or catch hard line drive, these guys are athletics and people pay to see them preform

I understand everyone has the right to spend their money as they see fit, but what does it say about our culture that we value baseball more then a homeless or hungry person.
(and don't get me wrong, I'm not anti baseball or sports, I and my children have enjoyed both). It seems as a nation we really have our priorities screwed up.

Absolutely just think how much was pumped into Detroit by having the super bowl,all start game it sure the businesses hotels etc

The medical field is a multi-BILLION dollar business. Hospitals create jobs, build communities and are an investment in the community. The medical equipment, medication, etc., all of which are necessary to the hospital ultimately create jobs for others.
As a nurse I should therefore be paid $200 plus million dollars over the next 6-8 years :)

No Stephanie, you're NOT one of only 25 people who work in the profession in said city. He is one of the best players in the game, being paid at the going rate for his skills based on the market. Your argument is nothing short of silly. I understand your point, but professional sports are beyond the scope and baseball depends on only 25 players to make up the team that is responsible for ALL of the other jobs, revenue, business, etc. that come along with it. If ALL OF MICHIGAN could get by with 25 nurses then you'd have an argument that you should be paid 200 plus million dollars over NINE years. How many nurses work in Michigan? Divide the Tigers approximate 150 million dollar payroll by that number and see what you should be making according to your argument. It's just ridiculous that you even equate the two in ANY way.

Here are some numbers for you Stephanie.

According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics registered nurses held around 2.6 million jobs in the United States in 2008. So if we divide that by the 50 states we come out with approximately 52 thousand nursing jobs per state. Now, if you take the Tigers approximate payroll for 2012 of 150 million dollars and divide it by the 52 thousand nurses that approximately work in Michigan we get this number

2,884.61

Using your argument that number above is what you should be getting paid on a yearly basis if your wages are based on the same percentage of employees to expenditure as the players on the Detroit Tigers. So again, using your own argument and measuring that against the median annual wages of registered nurses in May 2008, which were $62,450. Then you, Stephanie, are overpaid at a level of 21 TIMES that of the players on the Detroit Tigers. Sure, these numbers mean nothing in the real world, but I'm just giving you a representation of how relative the pay of professional athletes is when compared to the pay of nurses when you use the same 150 million dollars to pay the individuals responsible for the "work" in the state of Michigan.

Crew,
you missed my un-stated point which is compare what a nurse does to a guy hitting a ball and running around 3 bases. To pay a nurse 30+ dollars an hour and the baseball player millions of dollars shows what screwed up priorities our country has.
Next time you have a medical need or emergency, call a baseball player.

If you have "never heard a single person, even one, say they hated Inge" then you may well be deaf. And as far as "the fact that he's generous with his time and money, and extremely well liked by the community", I fully guarantee you that will have NOTHING to do with a decision made with regard to his role on this ballclub. If you think otherwise, you have zero understanding of the workings of the major leagues. Literally ZERO.

Well, I can guarantee you it's a factor. Like I said, you don't know the Tigers nor the Illitch's very well.

NEITHER of us KNOW the Ilitch's WHATSOEVER. But i will GUARANTEE you that decisions on the major league level are NOT made with regard to a players public philanthropy or popularity. Baseball is a BUSINESS and regardless of those personal factors the fact remains that if Brandon crInge does not fit within the confines of the 25 man roster on PLAYING MERIT that he will either be again sent through waivers and sent down to Toledo or given his outright release. It was proven last year when that is exactly what they did with him. If he comes in to camp this year willing to accept a part-time role and do it without the complaining and whining that has been a trait of his going back to the acquisition of Pudge Rodriguez then he will have a job on the Tiger roster. If he is unwilling to accept said lesser role, continues to complain or continues his downward spiral of performance he will LOSE HIS JOB. Nothing about his popularity or philanthropy will have ANY effect on that. In fact, when he was sent to Toledo last year Mr. Ilitch called Brandon in to his office and discussed the situation with him personally, specifically BECAUSE of the reasons you have stated, and yet it did not prevent him from still being sent down to Toledo because he did not fit on the major league roster at that time. One other factor he has working in his favor is his 5.5 million dollar salary, which is, at best, an albatross that no other major league team is willing to take from Detroit, even for FREE.

Really. You know what my relationship with the Illitch's and the Tigers is. You should really use your mind reading skills on something more profitable.

By the way, I never said that they will keep him in Detroit. I said his popularity will be a factor.

Unfortunately I have seen this by four named people through out the entire patch threads. It has made me decide to read the stories and enjoy the commentaries over a cigar because it brings great joy to know that if people could use the thoughts and time they spend on an issue like this and the Obama post with pride and common sense, we could change the world. (or at least I like to think this) I prefer to have civilized discussions instead of being attacked every time one provides a thought or your opinion. I guess when people are not in front of you face to face or use handles, they feel comfortable just bullying and attacking. Social Media has created more bullies then I have known my entire life. Thanks Michelle for saying what I really wanted to say, but have decided to just read for now on.

I'm all for free speech and anyone can say what they want (within the forum rules). I just think that the purpose of this is to share a thought or two of your own on the article and not to sit there and bash each other. Some people just make a general comment and someone else will come in and dissect it to death. It keeps others (like Jerry) from not wanting to post anything and share in the group. I like Patch with it being truly local and sharing with my neighbors. I thought it was a way for people to get together locally when times are busy. I hate sitting there watching people go back and forth trying to defend themselves for one little comment in the thread. This was a sports article, not political. You can love Inge or hate him. Everyone can have their feelings about it and that doesn't make you right or wrong. Just accept not everyone will agree with you no matter how many times you post about how right you are.