After the Detroit Tigers lost the 2012 World Series, the 2013 American League Championship Series, the 2014 American League Division Series, they are now on the outside looking in.
As of July 21, 2015, the Tigers are 46-46 (.500) and sit 9.5 games behind the American League Central's first-place Kansas City Royals, who are 55-36 (.604). The Tigers are 4.0 games behind the Minnesota Twins, who are 50-42 (.543). The Twins are in second place in the Central division and occupy the first place spot in the American League Wild Card race.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Tigers plan to put David Price and Yoenis Cespedes on the trading block. This makes the Tigers a "rebuild the farm system now" team and not a "win now" type of team.
Nightengale says that "barring a veto from owner Mike Ilitch, the club is going to surrender and be sellers."
The Tigers will probably wait until the trade deadline to make a move. It is unlikely the Tigers will catch the Royals, and they do not seem like a Wild Card team without Miguel Cabrera, who is out with a calf injury. It also does not help that Justin Verlander is not even half of his former self.
Look at it logically; if the Tigers deal both Price and Cespedes, they still have an honest shot at making the playoffs. Four games behind in a wild card standing is not hard to comeback from. If the Tigers sweep the Twins in a four-game set, they would be in the wild card race. But, if they deal just one player, the chances would be even greater.
In 2012, the Tigers made it to the World Series with a lineup that some would say was a joke:
- Austin Jackson, CF - .300
- Omar Infante - 2B - .257
- Miguel Cabrera - 1B - .330
- Prince Fielder - 1B - .313
- Delmon Young - DH - .267
- Alex Avila - C - .243
- Johnny Peralta - SS - .239
- Andy Dirks - LF - .322
- Avisail Garcia - RF - .319
The reason Detroit made it was because of pitching. The rotation was what made the Tigers that season. It went as follows:
- Justin Verlander
- Doug Fister
- Anibal Sanchez
- Max Scherzer.
The Tigers should not trade Price, but they should deal away Cespedes, Alex Avila, Rajai Davis and Nick Castellanos. To replace them, Detroit has Steven Moya in left field, James McCann at catcher, Anthony Gose in center, and Jefry Marte at third base. The Tigers also have Dixon Machado to help in the infield and Tyler Collins to help in the outfield.
The Tigers would need to trade away those four players for starting pitching. They do not need a No. 1 or 2 pitcher, but they do need a core rotation pitcher that can shut down hitters in big situations and help them mount a crazy comeback.
However, the Tigers should not re-sign Price in the offseason due to the big contract he will expect and command.
"If the Tigers are out of contention, they have to put him out there. I don't see how there is any way they can sign him. Just do the math: they owe $105M next year to Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Anibal Sanchez; where is the room for another $30M contract?" (via Mike & Mike)
All in all, this could be the last year the Tigers have a shot for quite some time. They can give up a few players in the field, but keep the starting pitching and make the roster more like 2012's. If they model the team around pitching, the Tigers will have a chance to make a run.
A few pitchers the Tigers should look at are Scott Kazmir of the Oakland Athletics, Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds, and/or Aaron Harang of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kazmir owned a 15-9 record in 2014 with a 3.55 ERA in 32 starts. In 2015 and now age 31, Kazmir has gotten worse with a 5-5 record, but he owns a 2.38 ERA over 18 games (109.2 innings pitched). It seems as if he needs a steadier offense such as Detroit's to get himself the victories he deserves. Kazmir will become a free agent at the end of the season, so he would be a rental player, which is exactly what Detroit needs at this point.
Cueto is a long shot for the Tigers, but it is fun to dream. However, he is also due to become a free agent at the end of the season, and he is only 29. This is another rental-type pitcher that the Tigers could use. He would require a straight-up trade for Cespedes, plus cash or a Minor League pitcher.
According to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, the Tigers scouted Cueto's start in Chicago on June 12 against the Chicago Cubs.
Jason Beck of MLB.com reported earlier that week that the Reds had a scout at a Double-A Erie game, which is where a few of the Tigers' pitching prospects are throwing.
Cueto is 6-6 with a 2.79 ERA over 18 games (122.2 innings pitched). He would easily become part of a 1-2 punch with current ace Price.
Harang is a possibility for Detroit because he is a cheap and reliable back-end rotation pitcher that would help the Tigers.
In his 14th MLB season, Harang owns a 4-11 record with a 4.08 ERA. He plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, which is the reason for the MLB-leading 11 losses. However, a transition to an offensively dominant team could give him the boost he needs.
Dave Dombroski, the Tigers' general manager, always seems to pull something out of his sleeve. By the end of the deadline, the Tigers could have a dominant rotation with a decent batting lineup that could look something like this:
- David Price
- Johnny Cueto
- Anibal Sanchez,
- Justin Verlander,
- Aaron Harang/Scott Kazmir/Alfredo Simon/Shane Greene.
If the Tigers did pick up one of the three pitchers mentioned above, that would force Alfredo Simon or Shane Greene out of the rotation. Those two could be key pieces for the Tigers to trade as "add-ons" to their key players.
As for the lineup, it would go as follows:
- Anthony Gose
- Ian Kinsler
- Miguel Cabrera (once he comes back),
- Victor Martinez,
- J.D. Martinez,
- James McCann,
- Steven Moya,
- Jefry Marte
- Jose Iglesias
That lineup is not bad. It is actually outstanding and possibly still in the top 10 in baseball. The Tigers need to think twice about selling both Price and Cespedes because with a good rotation, anything can happen.