Payback Time?

In 1987, the Tigers trailed Toronto for most of the season in the race for the AL East pennant. They traded with Atlanta for Doyle Alexander, who went 9-0 down the stretch, had a 1.53 era with three shutouts, finished fourth in the Cy Young vote that season, and was a critical component for a team that made up 3 1/2 games in the final week of the season to win the division.

The player the Tigers traded for Doyle Alexander - A minor league pitcher named John Smoltz.

John Smoltz, a local kid who dreamed of playing for the Tigers, went on to become an integral part of the Braves pitching machine that dominated the National League for well over a decade.

So it would be nice, if one of the pitchers the Tigers got from Atlanta yesterday turned into something special. They owe it to us. Then again, the Tigers violated the first law of trading yesterday. Never swap pitchers with the Braves.