Gator Predicts The ALDS

The Tigers could win the World Series. Think about that, they could actually win the World Series. Back in April, there wasn't a single person out there who thought it could be possible, but here we are on the eve of October and the Tigers are still playing ball.

How is this possible? What's the No. 1 reason why they have this golden opportunity? It's not Verlander, it's not Cabrera, it's not Valverde or Martinez. The reason is Dave Dombrowski -- the Tigers' GM deserves the credit.

If you remember back to the off-season, the biggest free agents out there were named Crawford and Dunn. DD had a different plan of attack, go with Victor and sign Benoit. It was unconventional thinking, going with a quasi-gimpy catcher who'll end up being an everyday DH and locking up a setup guy at a lofty salary. Throw in taking a chance on a cat named after a city in New Mexico and the team headed north. They were competitive, but not complete.

Because the Tigers stayed within striking distance of the top sport in the Central, DD had the green light to be bold in late July as they added Betemit and traded for Fister/Pauley. They gave up a decent amount to nab Seattle's duo, but they received the only real known commodity in the deal with Fister. A couple of weeks later, DD pulled off his biggest coup by landing Delmon Young, who had driven in over 100 runs last year...for next to nothing!

The Tigers now have a second ace up their sleeve for several years and an every day left fielder as well. These moves put them over the top and you couple that with the magical moustache of Jim Leyland, and the Tigers have a real shot at the big prize. Taking out the Yankees won't be easy, particularly without home field advantage, but because of the job that Dave Dombrowski did, I actually think the Tigers have the advantages.

Prediction: Tigers in four games.