Detroit Tigers Face Tough Decisions As Deadline Nears
Sitting third in the congested American League Central at 48-50, many speculate the Detroit Tigers could begin moving players. But, then again, Detroit isn’t exactly out of contention, either. They’re what analysts loosely categorize as a bubble team, an unkind area of baseball where one decision could sway an entire season one direction, or another. Only four games away from wild card No. 2, Detroit could easily shop or drop salary owed to players prepared for free agency — namely David Price — right before the trade deadline drama ends on Friday.
The Tigers have six series remaining between Kansas City (four) and Minnesota (two). There are other teams like Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Houston, which will face a Detroit Tigers team mired in an unusual rut but is talented enough to win division titles regardless where they’re sitting in July. Hitting isn’t the problem with Detroit, as they’re leading all MLB teams in average (.276), OBP (.334), and rank third both in run production (440) and slugging (.431). Pitching, however, is limited to what David Price produces, as the remaining starters without Price are averaging slightly over 5 earned runs per contest. Doesn’t seem logical they’re only four games out, but they are — because of their remarkable run production.
So, what’s the quandary?
David Price becomes a free agent after the World Series winner is announced. Yoenis Cespedes could reap massive returns in terms of prospects, while Price could be purchased by anyone prepared to drop Max Scherzer money. Detroit Tigers executives will be mulling this over the next four days, along with the health of their starting rotation and what possibly they’d gain by making an unpredictable run at Kansas City.
Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, and similarly expensive players aren’t realistic acquisitions for an organization prepared to live without Price and waiting for the once-dominant Justin Verlander to either produce or move on. The Tigers don’t need hitting help, although platooning guys like Ben Zobrist or Gerardo Parra wouldn’t hurt, either. The young Nick Castellanos has locked down third base, but outfielders like Rajai Davis are climbing near 35. Victor Martinez will probably not see field time this season, meaning he’ll be relegated to DH when healthy.
GM Dave Dombrowski will undoubtedly meet with everyone and comprise an action plan. What remains in limbo is whether they’re preparing a sell-off, or to enlist pitching help to increase their chances of wild card playoff appearance. Given the seriousness of Detroit’s situation, it stands to reason (and makes the most sense) for this aging team to finally sell assets instead of purchasing temporary rentals to essentially go nowhere. According to the Detroit Free Press, Price will probably go quickly, although not quietly.
[Photo by Darren McCollester / Getty Images Sport]
