CHURN, CHURN, CHURN

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by Holly Horning

Don’t look now but the Tigers are re-making their roster.  And, for the most part, they are doing it on the QT.

That 2024 Open Day roster?  Soon to be a distant memory.

Many fans haven’t even really noticed.  There aren’t any big moves being made or free agents being signed.  Rather, it’s a series of mostly under-the-radar or very small changes.

The Tigers are demoting those who can’t meet goals.  Moving players to better positions.  Bringing up prospects for auditions.

And trying to build their foundation and develop their core group of players.

So what’s going on?  What’s going to stick?  What’s the next chess move?

Let’s explore and go position to position….

CATCHER – Jake Rogers remains here for 2 reasons: his top defensive skills/ability to call games and serving as the placeholder and mentor for (hopefully) Dillon Dingler.  Expect Dingler to get a tryout later this year.  If he works out, don’t expect Carson Kelly’s contract to be extended after this year.

FIRST BASE – Spencer Torkelson has regressed to below 2022 levels and sent down to Toledo.  Manager A. J. Hinch has made it clear that they aren’t looking at his offensive stats down there but rather watching to see what changes he’s making, if any, at the plate.  Hinch also said not to expect Torkelson back in Detroit for awhile. 

Meanwhile, Gio Urshela is doing great work at 1B and also raking.  He’s made Torkelson expendable for the moment.  Don’t be surprised if the Tigers bring him back next year to play both 1B and 3B ( a veteran paired with rookie Jace Jung).

SECOND BASE – The job is Colt Keith’s, pure and simple, until 2030 if all works out.

THIRD BASE – Gio Urshela will still play there when he’s not manning 1B.  Matt Vierling will help out and both will assist Jace Jung acclimate to the position when he arrives, which could be in August/September.

SHORT STOP – Don’t be surprised if Javier Baez has an extended stay on the IL and is walked back as slowly as possible.  Especially when we read that the majority of teams use the IL very loosely in order to play those they want.  The Tigers may gradually transition him to playing part-time.  All those winters of extra coaching haven’t helped and now he’s become a negative defender so there are no reasons to keep him beyond 2024.

Ryan Kreidler needs an extended shot to show the Tigers what he is capable of doing.  His glove is elite – his offense is not.  But this is the ideal time for him to get a long tryout.

OUTFIELD – Once again, there are more players than positions.  But count on Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter to stay.  And Wenceel Perez appears to be winning another slot.  (Mark Canha’s contract expires after this year.)

Justyn-Henry Malloy will probably stay as well.  Matt Vierling will continue to combine OF and IF.

If Parker Meadows gets better offensively, he’ll return with his elite speed and glove.

But Akil Baddoo will be the odd man out after this year.

The starting rotation remains a huge question mark.  Currently, there are only 2 viable SPs out of 5 for the 2025 season.  Expect to see a number of auditions towards the end of the year.

And the bullpen, by nature, is a volatile beast.  That, too, will change significantly for next year.

So where does this current positional roster stand between now and next year?

INFIELD – Three unlikely to return.  Four potential new players.  One contract possibly extended.

OUTFIELD – One player demoted.  Three players promoted.

Another way of looking at this roster is that 5 out of the 8 positional slots have changed since the beginning of the year.

Going into 2025, out of those same positions, 3 of the 8 will remain the same.  One will be transitioning.  Four will be question marks.

Out of those 8 positions, PoBO Scott Harris has now made changes at every single infield/outfield slot since taking over from Al Avila.  Some will stick, some will not.

Now we know why Harris said the Tigers will not be adding free agents until they establish a foundation and core of players.

And when it’s time to take that next step, don’t expect most of the players currently on the roster to still be there.

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15 thoughts on “CHURN, CHURN, CHURN”

  1. Based on my read scouting reports, Keith to 1st, Jung to 2nd, no SS, no 3rd. Greene in lF everyday, platoon CF and RF with really no one yet to face RHP with LHM at DH. Trade Skubal to Os and get a 3rd baseman, OF and pitcher and then sign some FA who an hit RHP and play ball.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Rob, I just checked and we are also -.01 WAR at the DH position. The strategy of “resting” sluggers at DH has not worked with this anemic hitting group. Also the position versatility of players does not pay off if there are not slick fielding anchors somewhere on the diamond.

      Liked by 4 people

      • Lab, to play Moneyball with only 13 movable pieces, six have to be able to field a position and hit either RHP or LHP really well and the other good enough. Platooning the other three spots, if you have to, brings you to 12 pieces with one left over. It’s like we thought we were swimming to shore but the riptide has pulled us back to no man’s land.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. Because of the changes to the roster, due to the inability of players to hit and defend a position, POBO, Holly says, will not go after FA’s right now. POBO continues to insist these square pegs be pushed into the round holes. This is why I strongly feel that acquiring at least two 3-year FA contracts will provide stability and leadership on a team that either has none or has very little.

    Liked by 8 people

  4. I agree with Holly that many if not most of the current Tigers will also be churned out before this organization produces a 90 win team that looks truly competitive. Most concerning they don’t control the strike zone, play good defense or run well. I thought this was going to be a fun team to watch, but unless Tarik is pitching and Riley is slashing, they are dull and seem quite replaceable.

    Liked by 11 people

    • My definition of fun is watching the ball sail over the wall. We haven’t had a team capable of consistently doing that in years. Yes, the Cardinals of the 70s and 80s might be fun but then we’d have to bring back Astroturf and move the fences back out, lol.

      Like

    • Back in Eddie’s day SS weren’t expected to hit. He looked like he weighed 150 lbs, but he could play SS. He wouldn’t have made it out of AA these days.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. The Tigers are so poorly constructed it isn’t funny anymore. They can’t win at home. We play so many close games because we can’t hit and we lose most of these games because the Tigers have zero clue how to manufacture runs.

    Liked by 4 people

  7. Baez remains frustrating, and expensively so, saying he knows what the problem is and yet he keeps flailing away at outside pitches. A return to even a decent level of hitting would make a lot of difference. He seems reasonably intelligent and yet he simply doesn’t respond to a problem he knows exists.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Holly is right, churn and burn should be the rule of the day where the Tigers are concerned. They have only one core positional player and you could divide the rest into 2 groups: unproven rookies and useful but expendable players. The only way out of this mess seems to be a creative trade that brings back a couple of players who could start and hit.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I would like to see Kerry Carpenter, Matt Vierling, Gio Urshela, and Mark Canha–all 4 on ending contracts–offered extended contracts, 5 years for Carpenter and 3 for Vierling, Urshela, and Canha. The fans need to see stability emerging in position player/hitters.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Churning is a proven technique to turn good milk into higher value butter. Bur you can churn water forever and never get butter. Tigers problem is they don’t seen to be starting with good quality milk.

    Liked by 1 person

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