After the 2009 season, the Tigers made it clear that they were ready to take offers on Curtis Granderson.

Though coming off a down year in which he had hit .249 with a .327 OBP, the 28-year-old represented an elite multidimensional talent. He had hit 30 homers and swiped 20 bags in 2009, the second time in his career that he’d posted a 20/20 season, rare numbers for a player who occupies an up-the-middle position on the diamond.

Moreover, Granderson was just two years into a five-year, $30.25 deal that included a $13 million team option for 2013, when he would be 32 years old. The combination of the talent and contract made Granderson a player of interest to just about any team in the majors.

And so, naturally, the Sox made their own inquiries on the outfielder to see if there was a fit, at a time that the team was without a starting outfielder given the free-agent status of Jason Bay. But it quickly became evident that there would not be a fit for a deal involving Granderson and the Tigers.

Detroit needed both a major-league ready starting center fielder to replace Granderson as well as pitching. Whereas the Yankees had a player ready to graduate from Triple-A to the majors in Austin Jackson, the Sox had no comparable player who could open the 2010 season in the big leagues in Pawtucket.

Instead, the only way the Tigers could strike a deal with the Sox was if outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was involved. And with Ellsbury having emerged as a premier leadoff hitter with developing up-the-middle defensive skills who had hit .301 with a .770 OPS while swiping 70 bases in 2009, the Sox had no interest in parting with him at the time.

And so it is that Granderson and Ellsbury occupy positions as American League East rivals who have come to embody, in some ways, the multidimensional stars that teams appear to be seeking more than ever.

Both patrol the critical position of center field. Both are displaying extraordinary combinations of speed and power.

Ellsbury has slammed 23 homers and swiped 36 bases, putting him on pace to go deep 28 times with 44 steals. Despite hitting leadoff, he also sits at 82 RBI, projecting for an even 100 RBI.

Granderson, meanwhile, is hitting .278 with a .376 OBP, .595 slugging mark and .971 OPS. He leads the majors in runs (121, on pace for 150), homers (38, on pace for 47), RBI (107, trending towards 132) with 24 steals (on pace for 30).

Both have injected themselves into the MVP conversation based on the numerous ways that they can contribute to their teams. In many ways, the two have been similar dynamos on the two best teams in the American League. 

“We’ve got our own version [of Granderson] who’s just as good in Ells,” said Sox pitcher Andrew Miller, who played with Granderson as a member of the Tigers in 2007 (a year when Granderson became one of four players in major league history to have 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season) and is now teammates with Ellsbury.

“Both are left-handed, power, speed, play a good centerfield. It’s a very good comparison. It’s fun to watch them both play,” he added. “Curtis was pretty darn amazing when I was there. The way Ells has come on this year, he’s pretty much been on fire since I got here.

“Both of them are the total package, as good of center fielders as you’ll find in the game. It’s fun to watch them both. They’re both young and going to be around for a long time.”

Because of the similarities of their skill sets, the two are in a unique position to appreciate each others’ talents and seasons. It is safe to suggest that there is something of a mutual appreciation society at work.

“He’s doing everything New York wants out of him,” Ellsbury said of Granderson. “He’s playing tremendously – hitting home runs, driving in runs, stealing bases. He’s doing everything you’d want and more from a player.”

“I think [Ellsbury] does things a lot better than me in terms of getting on base and getting hits,” Granderson reciprocated. “The one thing that stood out this year, in batting practice there was a ball that went over the camera well in center field and I said, ‘Dang, David Ortiz crushed that ball.’ I looked over and said, ‘That’s not David Ortiz.’ Sure enough, Jacoby’s at [23] home runs right now. He’s added to that piece and become a very dangerous guy.”

Both players pride themselves on being complete, capable of contributing in all facets of the game. In their performances this year, they have come to embody the new gold standard for elite big leaguers.

Baseball is in an era in which Carl Crawford received a seven-year deal worth more than $20 million per year despite never having hit 20 homers in a season. That was far more than the $13 million a year over four seasons conferred upon a perennial 40-home run hitter such as Adam Dunn (prior to his disastrous 2011).

The sport is placing a premium on players whose athleticism allows them to contribute in every component of the game. Amidst dramatic increases in the sophistication of metrics for defense and baserunning, the value of a “complete” player is evident as, perhaps, never before.

That, in turn, has lent itself to a time when such players are being produced at an eye-opening pace.

“Back in the day, you had speed guys and power guys, and it was hard to get an in-between,” said Granderson. “Now, you can have a list of Grady Sizemore, Jimmy Rollins, Jacoby, Dustin [Pedroia], B.J. Upton. There are so many guys who have come to that threshold. I think it’s part of how baseball is changing around a little bit.”

And that change, in turn, has resulted in MVP conversations that go well beyond the traditional triple crown categories of batting average, homers and RBIs. Certainly, players who excel in those categories (such as Jose Bautista, Adrian Gonzalez and, for that matter, Granderson) will continue to receive ample attention as worthy candidates.

Yet there also appears to be a notable wave of players who are being celebrated because their impact in the game is felt more broadly. Ellsbury, Granderson and Dustin Pedroia (17 homers, 24 steals) are all receiving ample consideration as MVP candidates for their contributions at the plate, on the bases and in the field, at a time when well-roundedness is an ideal to which players aspire.

“There still aren’t that many. There’s not that many players like that [with multi-dimensional skills,” said Ellsbury. “I just try to be my own player, use the skills that I have. … For me, I just try to be a complete player.”