It’s kind of sad that this is the biggest news in Detroit. Dean Palmer was good when he started out for Detroit. He hit 38 homers when the Tigers played at Tiger Stadium in 1999, and he hit 29 more in 2000.

Then shoulder problems put him on the shelf, and he hasn’t played the equivalent of a full season over the last four years. Probably the closest comparison to this (and its a stretch), is when Kirk Gibson came back to play for Detroit in 1993 after moving on to the Dodgers in 1988. The major differences are that he never missed a full season, and at worst, was playing half seasons.

Double this with the fact that we don’t really have room for Palmer, and it makes this whole thing a non-story.

My latest column is up over at the Hardball Times. This time take a look at the Angels name change game. Aaron Gleeman also take a second look at Albert Pujols.

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