The Detroit Tigers are struggling to score runs, esp. with the loss of Kerry Carpenter to the IL. Although he is about to start re-habbing, it is still unknown how long he will be out.
It is also 5 weeks to the July trade deadline and the Tigers are expected to be sellers. Two of their better hitters – Mark Canha and Gio Urshela – have the potential to be traded.
But should they?
Should the Tigers allow them to leave and potentially weaken whatever little offense they have? Both players have contracts that expire after this year which means they are considered rentals and probably will not fetch a MLB-level player in return. Prospects are more likely but potentially 1 of them may fill a roster spot at some point during the 2025 season.
Or should the Tigers keep them in hopes that they can avoid an excessive number of losses by year’s end? Are the season’s final results more important than acquiring what may probably be prospects?
What do you think?
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JUNE TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
What do you think of the Tigers’ plan to retire Jim Leyland’s jersey number?
Only managers who have won a World Series should be eligible. 49%
Only players should have their numbers retired. 28%
A well-deserved honor. 23%
THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
from Tim S.: “Harris and Hinch need to commit to playing struggling young hitters already with Tigers (Malloy, Kreidler, etc) — they need consistent ABs come what may. Unfortunately, many fans and media want everything immediately. If this season is lost, now is time to do that and see what these guys can do.”
After a promising start to the season, the Detroit Tigers are now taking on water. For the first time this year, they are now 6 games under .500. In their last 10 games, they’ve won only 3 contests and just got swept by the Atlanta Braves.
Runs have been very hard to come by. We knew offense would be of the biggest concern but other than that single game in which they scored double digits, they’ve scored 0 – 1 runs each in 6 of their last 10.
The concern now only grows as the season goes on and becomes more complicated. Wins are going to be harder to get and resources are going to become more scarce.
The losses could potentially accelerate over the 2nd half of the season. Scott Harris and the Front Office have to try to find some solutions to stem the bleeding.
So what are the 5 biggest concerns they have to address? Here are my 5…….
1. Losing Kerry Carpenter to the IL for a back stress fracture has been a death blow for the team. If they don’t get him back soon, the team simply cannot win games without his bat.
2. Javier Baez is ranked as the worst hitting SS in MLB – and it’s not even close. He’s also the 4th worst SS in DRS now. An automatic out in the lineup and no longer contributing defensively. The Tigers need to slow walk him back from the IL and start platooning him with other players in preparation for, hopefully, a DFA at the end of the year.
3. As the season advances, more injuries will crop up. What happens if Carpenter is unable to return and Riley Greene, Mark Canha, Wenceel Perez and/or Gio Urshela have to hit the IL?
4. What will happen to the starting rotation at the trade deadline? If Jack Flaherty gets traded, as many expect, who will take his place?
5. And finally, if the Tigers continue their strategy of flipping players at the deadline, who will replace them? Some of those players who may leave are the better members of the roster.
Is there another situation you see happening this year that will further diminish the Tigers’ ability to win games?
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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
It’s a tie!
from chipper1962:“I mentioned awhile back in a post that owners should be responsible to produce a winning record within 5 years which is lenient or have to sell the team.”
from Senior Chief:“I do applaud all the changes/money that ownership has put into the organization to bring the Tigers into the 21st century. But Scott and the gang are tone-deaf when it comes to the product on the field. Use the trade deadline to shake things up and let’s see what happens – Tiger fans deserve better.”
What did you miss on our X feed yesterday?
Ben Verlander points out the stats about Javy Baez covered above.
One has to wonder if the Detroit Tigers ever considered what would happen to their brand when they decided to start tanking for prospects.
The tanking, of course, did not work as expected with so many top draft picks struggling to succeed at the MLB level. And now, after 8 years of an extended hell, the Tigers still aren’t close to being a consistent team capable of winning. Heck, we just officially learned that the franchise still does not have a foundation or core group of players after all those years.
The art of tanking in itself is an abuse of the fans’ loyalty. Purposely not putting pieces into place that would increase the number of wins. Playing games with no serious effort to win yet expecting fans to willingly attend and even pay for the privilege of watching those games.
Ironically, the Tigers tanked at tanking. Other teams, like the Astros, Cubs and Orioles ended up becoming terrific competitors and playing into October when it mattered after only 4-5 years of tearing down and rebuilding.
Detroit has simply been spinning its wheels. Kinda weirdly appropriate when you consider the symbolism.
But there are additional costs involved here that go beyond the roster.
The brand has been devalued. It’s become invisible. An afterthought.
Granted, the Tigers got into a position under Mr. I where a sky-high payroll, ageing players and a drop in performance became untenable. Despite pulling in 3 mill attendance on a yearly basis and winning all those divisions titles, the franchise was bleeding cash every year for over a decade.
But their overall mistake was having the wrong people in charge and not accelerating the rebuild as the Orioles did. Baltimore started their rebuild 1 year after the Tigers and came out of it 3 (excluding 2020) years later.
Four years is the crucial maximum number of seasons a team should take in rebuilding. You see, studies show that sports teams start to permanently lose fans when that 5th year of losing hits. And most of those fans don’t come back. They’ve found another team or hobby to follow.
The Tigers are in year #8 now. And we can probably tack on another one next season.
If you look at their attendance, it’s been dropping like a rock since 2017.
During the competitive years, the Tigers enjoyed sitting among the top 10 teams in attracting fans to games. Their highest ranking was #6.
However, despite those turnstiles spinning, the Tigers were spending more than they were bringing in, mostly due to an unsustainable payroll. They had double the operations expenses of the next highest team.
Since 2017, the first “official” year of tanking, Detroit dropped down to #16 in attendance. With each consecutive year, their attendance fell even further. It then hit #22 and last year, #26.
This year, the team ranks #27 in attendance so far. Only better than the White Sox, Miami and Oakland.
It is beyond sad to see this organization now keeping company with MLB’s sorriest teams.
But that attendance could realistically be even lower if not for the whole program of gimmicks developed to attract fans. And for reasons that have nothing to do with the actual game and everything to do with free swag and non-baseball related events.
The extended battle for the bottom has made the Tigers irrelevant and invisible.
Gone are the days when their famous players regularly did voice-overs for MLB Radio and TV. When every day, you were guaranteed to either hear or see a piece on one Tiger or another. Or when they did something that was newsworthy.
Now it’s pretty much radio silence.
And when you don’t have a brand to promote, when fans aren’t interested, you are forgotten. Few in MLB-related organizations don’t care anymore. News about the Tigers no longer generates many clicks.
And fans care even less.
Case in point: the recent voting for the All-Star Game. The Tigers don’t have a single player in the top 10 vote getters for any position. For the outfield, not a single Tiger in the top 20 of voting.
It just so happens that Riley Greene is ranked as the top LH hitting LFer in MLB. He ranks #1 in SLG, OPS, OBP, walks, HRs and runs. He sits at #2 in DRS.
He’s invisible on the ballot. And that’s really inexcusable.
It’s not a snub. It’s because so many Tiger fans have walked away and simply don’t care anymore. And when you no longer follow your team because of years of unwatchable baseball, you’re not going to vote either.
It is just one of many costs when your team decides to tank and doesn’t have a viable plan or sense of urgency for years to recover and regenerate.
Add to that the dive in marketing gear, advertising charges, media coverage and events that feature the Tigers. And for those who run businesses near the ballpark, they lose significant foot traffic as well.
What will be interesting to watch is how the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports and the complicated issue between their affiliate Bally Sports and Comcast will play out. If the Tigers were playing interesting baseball, there wouldn’t be that fight over broadcast fees. Comcast would gladly pay them if the interest was there.
Ironically, with Comcast’s decision, there are even fewer fans watching the team now.
But if things don’t turn around soon, don’t be surprised if Bally Sports ends up dropping the Tiger broadcasts. When your attendance rivals that of MLB’s worst teams, you can also assume that tv viewers have dropped off a cliff, too. The decision-makers at Bally are going to hang onto the teams with the largest viewership.
No amount of gimmicks or free stuff is going to lure fans back. Winning baseball will. But at this point, there will be fans who will simply not return at all.
The Tigers must start treating their fans with respect and putting out a quality product. Or they will go elsewhere. As they already have.
Time ran out 3 years ago for them. Now their fans are running out on them.
The Tigers no longer have the luxury of taking their time to rebuild exactly the way they want to or envision. They now need to show fans that they are serious about winning by doing something big.
DFA’ing Javier Baez, signing a new SS or bringing in a legit bat or two. Showing fans that poor performance no longer has a place. Showing fans that they are doing something to combat the offensive problems.
Something that shows they are serious about contending – and serious about giving their fans something of value to watch.
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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
from Rob Gladstone:“Bill James wrote this about the Tigers and the two things they do wrong – They draft pitching and then try to backfill with hitters instead of drafting hitters and backfilling with pitching when ready to compete. He also said over the years we have screwed up more players by drafting them and then asking them to learn a new position instead of just letting them focus on hitting and developing as a hitter.”
What did you miss on our X feed yesterday?
Those Tigers have some cojones asking fans for this.
Tom Gores just did something that should inspire Chris Ilitch to do the same.
If we focus solely on the positional players, just how many positions will turn over by the start of the 2025 season?
For this poll, we are going to ignore the utility players. Potentially, for those under expiring contracts, it is possible that the Tigers may extend a contract or two, however, we’re going to ignore Mark Canha given the surplus of outfielders.
We are also not considering Akil Baddoo, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Ryan Kreidler given their short amount of time in Detroit so far.
As well, Matt Vierling is not part of the conversation given that he plays 4 different positions without having a singular “home.”
There are also several MLB-level players currently in Toledo. We will assume for this conversation that they will return to Detroit this year.
Here is how the roster currently appears:
CATCHER – Jake Rogers, Carson Kelly (exp. contract)
FIRST BASE – Spencer Torkelson
SECOND BASE – Colt Keith
THIRD BASE – Gio Urshela (exp. contract)
SHORTSTOP – Javier Baez
LEFT FIELD – Riley Greene
CENTER FIELD – Parker Meadows
RIGHT FIELD – Wenceel Perez, Kerry Carpenter
Out of these 8 positions, how many of them will turn over by Opening Day 2025?
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
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FINAL RESULTS FROM A JUNE TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
What is Spencer Torkelson’s biggest obstacle to succeeding at the MLB level?
He’s immature and refuses to accept the reality of what needs to be done in order to succeed. 68%
There’s too much for him to overcome offensively and defensively. 22%
He’s still young and hasn’t yet fully tapped into his potential skill sets. 10%
THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
from ToledoBandito: “If you think there’s a lot of churning with the Parent Company, you should try keeping track of the Mud Hens!”
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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Today, it’s about quick hits – bits of news that catch my radar during the week as well as connecting the dots re ongoing stories. Even the quirky.
So let’s get to it! Here are the most interesting topics that hit my radar over the past week………..
A national publication did their annual player poll, asking a variety of questions. Of special interest was the ranking of all 30 MLB franchises. (Of course, those who responded were anonymous.)
They asked players that if they didn’t consider contracts, state taxes and rosters, which teams would they want to join? In part 2 of the question, they asked players which teams had bad reputations.
Out of 30 teams, 18 organizations were mentioned multiple times as franchises for which they’d like to play.
Eleven teams have bad reputations.
One team was not mentioned at all.
The Tigers.
Hmm, I guess that’s better than it used to be. Remember when players didn’t want to come to Detroit and Mr. I had to overpay in order to get them to come here?
Obviously, PoBO Scott Harris was well aware of the Tigers’ reputation before taking the job because in his introductory remarks, he said he wanted to make Detroit a place where players wanted to come. A top notch organization with the latest resources and a franchise that would become known as where players got better.
Now Harris just has to nudge the team into that group that players prefer. The Tigers have upgraded all their facilities and added tons of perks and resources. Now they just have to start playing .500 and better baseball to really inspire players to sign.
I’ve documented several times in this blog the transformation in player personalities that the Tigers are signing and promoting. The move from self-centered guys to those who put a priority on their careers and achieving their best. As a result, we’ve seen some DFA’d or demoted to Toledo because they no longer fit the new requirements.
While they’ve gone out the door, there’s also been an influx of positive players coming in. The stories about how hard Kerry Carpenter worked to make it to Detroit. Never-say-die Andy Inbanez who refused to be kept down. And now we’ve got Wenceel Perez and Justyn-Henry Malloy who are working overtime and have such incredible energy and personalities.
Many of their teammates say they are game-changers in the clubhouse and that their positive attitudes help keep them going during games.
This is now the m.o. of the players Scott Harris is signing. When it comes time to add free agents, don’t expect him to sign someone who doesn’t have these qualities – no matter how good that player may be.
You may remember, back in the days of contention, the Tigers had a number of players who were difficult and not team players, which contributed in part to the overall reason why there’s no flag flying over Comerica.
Who knew that back problems were contagious? Maybe that Tigers’ clubhouse needs a deep cleaning.
One after another, the Tigers lost 3 players to back problems: Kerry Carpenter, Jack Flaherty and Javier Baez.
Obviously, Baez’s problems are long-standing and now appear to have reached a critical point after not being treated appropriately. Carpenter’s appear serious at first glance with a stress fracture. And there’s concern that Flaherty required an injection in order to be ready to pitch 4 days down the road. It was his 2nd one after receiving an injection last year.
With all of this popping up, you’ve got to ask why these back issues are popping up all of a sudden – and at the same time. Approximately halfway through the season when wear and tear starts to show.
While I will never pretend to be a doctor, I do have extensive experience and knowledge of chiropractic medicine and acupuncture which are proven to help prevent and cure back problems. And it should be noted that most MLB teams now have both types of doctors on their medical staff. Some for years now.
The Tigers did have both a chiropractor and acupuncturist on staff as recently as 2022-23, but it’s unclear if they are still with the team.
What raises a red flag was Flaherty getting a cortisone injection for his back issues. Cortisone masks pain and helps reduce inflammation – but it doesn’t heal the problem. Both chiropractic and acupuncture are healing treatments. Again, it’s unclear if he is being treated by them as well or just getting an injection.
Do the Tigers have an active program to keep backs healthy? You don’t just treat back issues when a problem occurs. Teams should be proactive and treat athletes at least once a month even if they don’t show signs. That regimen keeps the body well-aligned (chiropractic) and keeps inflammation which creates injury (acupuncture) at bay.
But back problems aren’t simply limited to backs. Bad backs can throw out hips and create painful knees. And any inflammation forces the body to compensate by taxing other parts of the body and throwing off alignment.
I would hope that with all the injuries, the Tigers are including both disciplines in their treatment of players and not just exercise and physical therapy.
Which one of these stories resonated the most with you?
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What did you miss on our X feed yesterday?
The concern over Kenta Maeda, the Tommy John factor and what options the Tigers may have.
On this holiday, we welcome readers to share their thoughts about the Tigers or baseball in general. Your observations, comments and questions. Extra credit to those who create topics or questions that generate thoughtful dialog threads.
For this day only, a maximum of 6 sentences please.
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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
from Don Kopka: “I chose “about as I expected,” which is really a choice about disappointment. Sorry, but I do not see the “core” present or developing that will lead to future competitive success. The players seem to have a good spirit about themselves, but the skill level is undistinguished.”
The Detroit Tigers have almost completed half a year, so it’s time to take the pulse of the fans.
You’ve had the chance to watch/follow this team for 3 months now. Are they performing as you expected or are they disappointing? Could they even be playing better than you expected?
How are you feeling in general about them?
Make sure to come back and check the final results!
Don’t see your comment? Comments are limited to a maximum of 3 sentences and must address the day’s topic. Please make sure to check out the other rules for posting under the link at the top of the pagein order for your comments to be published.
FINAL RESULTS FROM A JUNE TOTALLY TIGERS POLL:
Where do you think the Tigers are in the development of their core?
They only have a handful (3-5) of players they believe will be part of the long-term future. 55%
They are still in the process of evaluating the potential of all their young players. 35%
They believe there are 6 or more players who will form the foundation of the roster. 10%
On this Father’s Day weekend, there’s no better story to tell than the one I published a few years back about my father-in-law. Coincidentally, perfectly timed since we just celebrated the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Dad fought in both Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
He lived through it all, came back to the US as an American citizen and managed to keep the family tree of one of Scotland’s oldest and original clans since 1400 going. He was the only son of an only son and produced another only son, my husband. In turn, we have an only son as well.
Here’s to all fathers!
My father-in-law passed away the other day at age 97. Ironically, just around Veteran’s Day – timed perfectly for a member of The Greatest Generation.
Dad was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, coming over to the US when he was still young. After enlisting in the Army, he became a U.S. citizen while on a ship headed to Europe where he ended up fighting in both Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge.
Potentially, World War II may have changed the history of baseball. You see, Dad loved the game. A game he learned after arriving in the U.S. and a game he played very well.
He was serious about baseball and played it well enough to attract the attention of the Yankees. He was a rather good shortstop. Quick hands, great reflexes, solid fast-twitch muscles. Physical qualities that would keep him healthy and mobile until just this past summer.
But World War II intervened and kept him in Europe long enough that when he returned, he was older and had a different perspective on life.
He was raised just outside of NYC and eventually became Ford’s Director of Public Relations, remaining in NYC instead of moving to Detroit. And in a strange twist, he knew all of my relatives who worked for Ford well before he met me.
The two of us hit it off immediately because of our love for baseball. His son – my husband – you see, never really embraced the game despite his dad’s efforts. (And my constant imploring.) He had no family member with whom to share the game until I came along.
And after a long afternoon of discussing the players, teams and stats, Dad declared “Finally! The son I never had!” Laughing, of course.
He was also very pleased that I had made my husband memorize the entire starting lineup of the Tigers before we got married. And this was before I even knew about the movie Diner.
You’ll be happy to note that Dad was never a Yankees fan. It was the Mets for him while he was in NY and later on, when he moved to Washington, the Nationals. He was very concerned about Bryce Harper’s very slow start that year. And worried about their new manager, their place in the standings, the closing window…… As Tiger fans, you understand.
But for some reason, his favorite team overall was the Cleveland Indians. Don’t ask me why. I think it had to do with his favorite players who both took time out from tremendous careers to enlist in WWII. Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
Dad spent his career in Manhattan, working on a street heavily populated by media types. At lunchtime, he would routinely see well-known personalities out and about. At one restaurant, he ran into Joe DiMaggio. He simply said “Take two and hit to right” and Joe smiled back and started a conversation. I’m pretty sure they talked baseball.
When he came to Detroit for business meetings and events, he often interacted with some of Ford’s official spokesmen. A couple of them who wore the Olde English D very well. Of particular note, Dad was very fond of Charlie Gehringer and told me of the many conversations they had.
It was sad to see the Cleveland Indians come so close but not win that World Series for Dad in 2016. But I think baseball helped keep his memory sharp all of these decades. He watched almost every game except when Cleveland was in the playoffs and leading because he also had that notorious superstitious streak that characterized many baseball players. He was afraid that he would jinx the team.
He religiously read the sports pages and analyzed the box scores and stats. And he would call me to lament that Bryce Harper was only hitting .216 at the time. And when he was in and out of the hospital that last summer, I brought him books on baseball to help pass the time.
Dad was the quintessential Scotsman who ended up loving so many quintessential American things. Ford. Strawberry shortcake. And baseball.
He really loved baseball most of all.
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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
It’s a tie!
from Chris: “I find it very curious that this back injury for Baez really came to a head right at the same time Kreidler was finally healthy and available after finger surgery. Injured or not, I’ve had the feeling for a while that I’ll start to take this team more serious when they quit trotting Baez out there. I wish him good health, but the truth is that he is historically awful right now for a player of his salary and track record.”
from andy: “Kreidler has played a grand total of 39 MLB games in 2022-2024. He needs the organization to commit to him to some extent and give him a sustained period of time in which he can cut his teeth on major league pitching, display his pure defensive shortstop skills, and collect a good data set to see what type of major leaguer he is. If he is a good defensive shortstop who settles in at .220 for a batting average, so be it, that’s our shortstop.”
Well, we may just be seeing the first domino fall in the Javy Baez saga.
Baez went on the IL a couple days ago with lumbar spine inflammation. But this doesn’t appear to be a run-of-the-mill injury.
Baez’s back was so inflamed that doctors could not perform a proper diagnosis so they are waiting for the swelling to go down. Meanwhile, the team has scheduled a number of consultations for him with a variety of doctors. He also underwent an MRI.
Javy said that he hopes to return for the 2nd half of the season despite him being put on the 10-day IL.
We are only now learning that Javy has had a history of lower back problems that go back to the Cubs. It would appear that the Tigers knew this as it is standard protocol when you acquire another team’s player to get their medical records. But they signed him anyway to a 6-year contract. He’s now been on the IL at least 5 times due to back problems since joining Detroit.
What is alarming is that he now says that his back problems prevented him from hitting. That the pain was too great and he couldn’t hit balls to 2 out of 3 ballpark locations.
Now he tells us.
It’s hard to know just how much the current Tigers knew about his condition given medical confidentiality rules. Often, when players have health problems, they avoid the team doctors and seek their own so their teams don’t know the extent of their issues.
But wouldn’t you like to know if he was playing with a bad back and the Tigers knew that it was the cause of his poor offensive skills?
Wouldn’t you want to know why a team was keeping a player on the roster knowing that he was going to be an anchor because his bad back prevented him from hitting? Then again, maybe they had to keep him playing because there was no one else with whom to replace him.
It’s still too soon to know the degree of the injury and whether rest and treatment will correct or modify it. But will it heal enough for Baez to be able to hit?
Of equal concern is his fielding. Once a plus defender, he’s now one of the worst on the team with a -4 DRS. Is his back taking a toll on his fielding as well?
However you look at this concern, it’s hard to imagine that Baez can continue to play for the next 3.5 years. After this season, he’s still owed $73 mill.
Can the Tigers build a foundation and establish a core of players as they say with Baez still on the roster – and playing 1 of the most important positions?
Conveniently, just as Javy goes on the IL, Ryan Kreidler just recently came off of it. He’s spent the past couple years recovering from 2 hand surgeries to repair broken bones.
He had an exceptional spring training this year both at the plate and in the field. He earned the starting SS slot but didn’t get it. Ninety million reasons why.
Unfortunately, his regular season offensive stats are not great. But now he gets the best shot of his career to prove he’s worthy.
Kreidler will share the SS position going forward with Zach McKinstry. A. J. Hinch was careful not to say he would inherit the position but if he plays and hits well, it could potentially happen.
At least for this year.
The Tigers have to be considering what to do with Baez. Things are not getting better but they are coming to a head with the back injury.
They will be watching to see how Kreidler and McKinstry do at SS. And if this works better than having Javy there, it would be logical for Baez to get less playing time when he returns.
I would imagine that the Tigers are lining up options not just for the rest of the year but going forward. Baez hasn’t been able to make it through a season without going on the IL multiple times with a bad back. And it’s only getting worse.
Will this be the factor that allows them to more easily cut ties after this season?
Will they decide that the tandem of Kreidler and McKinstry can get them through this year so they can move forward on bringing in a new SS for next year?
To be considered, although a longer shot, could the diagnosis of Baez turn out to be long-term bad news that prevents him from playing regularly or forces a retirement?
Surgery may just force that hand much as it did for Prince Fielder when the Tigers traded him to TX. He failed to receive medical clearance and had to retire. The Rangers had insurance on him and got out of almost all of his salary. Unfortunately, the Tigers didn’t and still had to pay his remaining contract.
Do the Tigers have insurance on Baez? That also may influence their strategy.
But what’s really interesting is a national article this week revealing that teams “misuse” their Injured Lists. That players often go on it – or stay on it – when they really don’t need it. All to give teams roster flexibility, bring up fresh arms and avoid burning options. The vast majority of players interviewed said their teams did it regularly.
So will the Tigers do it? Depending upon how well the tandem of Kreidler and McKinstry do, will the Tigers be tempted to keep Baez on the IL even though he could be cleared to play?
It will all be interesting to watch – and we’re going to need to see it play out.
But if the Tigers manage to stay within reach of a playoff spot, let’s hope that they will opt for the best solution, not for who has the biggest paycheck.
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THE BEST COMMENT FROM YESTERDAY’S BLOG:
Once again, so many great comments that we couldn’t select just one….
from McWatt:“Although I love him, I’d trade him at the end of this season for positional talent that would be in the lineup and contribute daily. With Boras as his agent I doubt a reasonable contract extension could ever be negotiated. Jobe and Olson, other arms in the pipeline, a free agent or two, and Fetter working his magic should keep the pitching solid.”
from golions1:“A team that says they can’t afford their best player is a team that isn’t serious about winning. That said, if Skubal suffers another arm injury it’s pop goes the weasel. I voted to keep him but I would quietly guage what he will bring at the deadline, and if it really is an outstanding return, I’d do it and spread the injury risk among several players.”
from midog1: “I would like to see them try for an extension this year before the season ends because this shows Skubal, the team and the fans that the Tigers want him and are trying to build a winner. If Boras prices him out of negotiations, then Boras becomes the bad guy. If they sign him for a number the Tigers can live with, we all win.”
from Sandy Kelly:“I for one would love to keep Skubal (he reminds me a lot of JV). I would like to see them give him and extension with a nice amount of money and see if we can keep him. If that doesn’t work out, then trade him (but we need to make sure we get someone of value who can play now).”
What did you miss on our X feed yesterday?
Three players, three back injuries. Is this a sign that the Tigers aren’t being proactive about back health?
Totally Tigers 