Chris McCosky of The Detroit News recently spoke with Tigers’ general manager Al Avila about the trade deadline. Avila discussed the circumstances that led to a relatively quiet deadline for the club. The only move they made was sending lefty Daniel Norris to the Brewers in exchange for righty Reese Olson.
Players like Jonathan Schoop and Michael Fulmer received some interest, but not enough to get a deal done. Avila credited the relatively quiet deadline to injuries, such as those to Fulmer, Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull. “We had a couple of guys who would’ve been of interest,” Avila said. “But as always, the injuries that we’ve suffered played into us not being able to do a whole lot.”
Despite four consecutive dismal seasons with a winning percentage below .400, the Tigers seem to have turned a corner this year, sitting at 51-57, a much more palatable .472 winning percentage. The club’s exciting crop of starting pitching draftees have now reached the majors and started forming into a fascinating core. Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matt Manning and Tyler Alexander have all joined the big league club and could potentially be mainstays of the rotation for years to come. Spencer Turnbull was also having a great season before the unfortunate news that he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. But even if he were to miss the entirety of the 2022 campaign, Detroit would still control him for two more seasons after that.
Young and controllable players have also made encouraging contributions on the offensive side of things. Akil Baddoo, Jeimer Candelario, Eric Haase and Jake Rogers have all been worth more than a win, according to fWAR. Candelario is a free agent after 2023 but the rest of the guys on that list are controlled through at least 2026.
The Tigers also have some more guys on the farm who could be making their way to the big leagues sooner rather than later. Three of the club’s top prospects– Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler— are in Double-A.
And though the White Sox seem built to be a juggernaut for years to come, there’s a clear path for the Tigers to sneak up on them. Cleveland has done more selling than building in recent years. The Royals hoped to push into contention this year but are lagging behind Detroit in the standings. The Twins are hoping for a quick turnaround after this down year but just made it difficult for themselves by trading away Jose Berrios.
“You have to always remember that we want to add,” manager AJ Hinch says. “I hope when we are talking a year from now, we’re talking about adding talent.”
Good core and the tigers are about to spend to fill holes. Looking forward to this rebuild finally bearing fruit as soon as next year
Need to get miggy to 3k hits and 500 hrs and be done with him as well. I get that he’s going into the hof as a tiger and will draw fans as it gets closer to each milestone, but he’s hasn’t been worth his contract for 4 years now. Worst case drop him in the lineup next year.
Miggy isn’t worth 30 mil a year? Who is?
Cabrera is still one of the better players on that team. Until they get better players, let him play.
Actually he’s the worst player on the team, possibly the worst everyday player in baseball.
That’s simply not true. He has like a 94 OPS+ rn. He’s definitely not worth 30 million a year I think we can all agree on that, and I’m not really trying to justify the contract in comparison to his stats. If we look at his contract alone with a league average bat? Yeah he’s pretty bad, but from a pure statistical standpoint? He’s just an average hitter at DH. Which won’t bear the best fruit when you’re at that position and can’t hit at a 120 OPS+ clip.
But he’s literally hitting better than Cody Bellinger this year, who is still getting everyday at bats even though he’s slugging only .285 (which is god awful). 51 OPS+ compared to 94 OPS+. Obviously Bellinger has more potential in the future and is just in a rut rn, but in the now and now, Cabrera isn’t the worst.
Miggy can still hit, just not to the prowess of 150 OPS+ a season, even though I don’t think anyone really expects him to do that anymore. He’s been injured a lot and is in his late 30s. A league average bat at 1st or DH will always be a below average WAR player in comparison to their counterparts.
Be he is statistically better than Bellinger so he can’t be the worst everyday player in baseball rn.
Also he’s not the worst hitter on his own team, statistically anyways (he’s obviously the worst if you factor in the contract, but apples to oranges, right?).Wili Castro, Harold Castro and Niko Goodrum all have lower OPS+ while (yes playing in less games) still getting starting reps this season.
Still 4 years left on Cabrera’s contract after this year. No matter how you slice that’s a YIKES in anyone’s book. Can’t do anything about it now, but it’s a big payroll factor.
Actually, consider it two years remaining on his contract. The final two years vest if he is in the Top Ten of MVP voting. That not likely to happen. If it does happen, then maybe that means good things are happening and it’s probably worth. Otherwise, two years remaining.
No, not really a factor. . Look at the Tigers’ payroll. Still among the bottom feeders. 1/3 of the Dodgers’ payroll, 1/2 of the Cardinals’ payroll, and only 65% of the league average.
And we have no guarantee that Al will spend the $30 million on good players, or at all once it is off the books.
Too many fans assume the $30 million will magically transform management into buyers? It could simply reduce the payroll to $55 million which, unfortunately for their fans, would still be more than the Pirates and Indians.
TheMichigan
That’s simply not true. He has like a 94 OPS+
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Who is worse? My guess is that #2 worst is Castro. Then it is a simple question of whether you want a really slow DH with a .686 OPS, or a 2B with speed, who has a .623 OPS.
Basically his contract is terrible and it’s holding back the franchise…. Miguel Cabrera can still hit, and at 50 years old that will probably still be true… ownership for all MLB teams need to stop handing out 5-10 year contracts (for past not future performance) that they realistically can’t afford… Mike Trout looking like the latest regrettable move that will handcuff a franchise for years to come
What a difference a good manager makes. If it wasn’t for the dismal April (when Hinch was learning his team’s strengths and weaknesses) the Tigers may have been buyers at the trade deadline. Looking forward what AJ Hinch can do with this young, talented core. They remind me of Houston a little bit; it’s just that their core youngsters are mostly pitchers instead of position players like they were in Houston, but it’s easier to add good position players in free agency than good pitchers. Come 2023, the Tigers should have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. A changing of the guard is underway in MLB. Seattle, Miami & Detroit are building talented young rosters. It will be nice to get some new blood in the playoffs.
Not so sure about Seattle. They probably won’t want to spend on free agents when the time comes. Unless they get new ownership.
Not so sure about Seattle. Dipoto’s track record is that not enough of his prospects work out.
As I keep writing – if teams are not contending, they’re in some sort of a rebuild. Those that succeed will be contenders for a few years at least. There simply cannot be 15-20 contenders in a 30 team league. Consequently, most rebuilds fail simply due to the numbers.
Hit the nail on the head. If it wasn’t for April, they may have been buyers. Hinch has made a world of a difference for this young team.
Kudos to Hinch, but Avila has put together a wicked good rotation.
Extension to schoop and candelario and sign Javy Baez we making the playoff 2022
Thats not a bad idea. Signing Baez and maybe bringing Verlander back would be similar to when the Tigers brought in Pudge Rodriguez, Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez and changed the culture of the team very quickly
No thanks to Verlander. We do not need a washed up ego guiding the new kids in the rotation.
Yes we do. We need a guy who’s got 3 no hitters and an mvp and a World Series ring … who wants that type of leadership
Mr. Upton is also a tiff with his wife away from his ERA ballooning up over 4.50. Seen it before. Not to mention he is a diva with the sports media here. Too many distractions. Hard pass.
Extend Schoop only if they utilize him at 2b, hard pass on Baez, and I’m not convinced Candelario is a viable 3b on a contending team. Correa, Semien, or Story in that order for SS, just my opinion. I also think Verlander would be a great addition for a number of reasons as detroitfan69 suggested, as long as the price is right.
They are probably best off going with Mize, Screwball, Manning, Boyd and Alexander, and waiting on Turnbull. Verlander will be 39 when next season starts, and you cannot be sure how long it will take to recover from TJS, if at all.
Baez, or another top tier SS will help this team. Also extending Schoop, getting Fulmer another offseason, Boyd and the big 3 back and this pitching staff will look even better. If Miggy gets to 3000 & 500, maybe he’ll take a front office job and retire, free up more cash to invest in other additions. They’re on the verge of being good again
Really? Would you volenter to not be paid?
I agree. They’re on the right path. I’m hoping they take a run at Carlos Carrera. He’s a free agent this year, and Hinch has a prior relationship with him. It won’t be cheap, but he could hold down SS for the next 5-7 years.
So Cleveland is just ceding to the Tigers as the next “up and coming” team in the AL Central, eh?
I’d take a closer look at that if I were you.
Cleveland fans: reliably salty
Nah, the Tigers know they will be Guardians for years.
Typical Avila . . . “We had a couple of guys who would’ve been of interest,” Avila said. “But as always, the injuries that we’ve suffered played into us not being able to do a whole lot.” Just comes across poorly, especially if your names are Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd. It’s a business, but framing as he did is just counterproductive to the culture he says he is trying to build. He needs to take a couple Pictures classes.
*PR classes
I thought the exact same thing. Dombrowski never would’ve said that.
He’s also bluntly said people were available in trade before, and then not found a market for them. He’s like a poker player that shows you his hand before acting.
yeah, some heck of an excuse by Al there
Pretty bad IMO… his job could be in jeopardy. If they don’t extend Schoop below market number then what was the point of keeping him? It’s not like this team is playoff bound at the moment.
tesseract
Pretty bad IMO… his job could be in jeopardy.
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The Tigers are only 7 games behind the NYY and 9.5 games out of the playoffs. He is more likely to receive the Executive of the Year award, than he is to get fired.
As always, Avila is bluntly honest. I didn’t expect a lot of action this year by the Tigers. Actually surprised they could find someone to take Norris. But he is dreaming if this team is going to be buyers at the next deadline. While the pitching core is solid we are still fairly weak overall. Next year will be more of a transition, with more young talent reaching the big club. 2023 is more realistic.
Seeing the Tigers trade away prospects in less than a year is not my dream scenario, either. But I understand Avila’s comment as a general commitment to adding talent, for which this off-season boasts a golden opportunity: Several high-profile SSs will likely be available and no other team might need a SS as desperately as the Tigers!
Gruß,
BSHH
I thought Jonathan Schoop would be traded. I’m glad I was wrong. I think he’s the Tigers MVP this season.
AA and his scouting team is improving with the team as well. Hopefully, no more Nomar Mazara types.
Please stick with the original plan.
I’m usually a fan of trading anyone that will not be on the next contending team, but the Tigers are playing so well, I wouldn’t play around with the chemistry. I think they might be past the tipping point in the rebuild, and need to think about locking in players at this point.
Mazara didn’t pan out, but I like those type of signings. Taking a chance on a player with a 1 year deal at a decent price is low risk-high reward. If he busts, he’s gone. If he goes off, flip him at the deadline.
yeah, at his age Mazara was worth a look. sometimes those deals dont work out, but its off the books after this year so it’s not an issue.
Based on Avilas record of trades and free agent signings, he probably crawled into his shell w/o his phone..sadly using Norris was a “token” because he’s due for more money. We need a new younger,ballsy GM and aggressive,, ( I.e. Epstein)
Yes, that’s probably it.
That could be it.
Or maybe he was thinking ahead and thought that the Tigers have gone 42-33 over their past 75 games, and figured that they might be better off maintaining the chemistry that got them that .560 winning %.
” Spencer Turnbull was also having a great season before the unfortunate news that he will have to undergo Tommy John surgery. But even if he were to miss the entirety of the 2022 campaign, Detroit would still control him for two more seasons after that.”
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This is a situation that should be rewritten when the CBT negotiators begin …….
Players want free agency in 4 years.
It takes most players at least 2 years in the majors just to get their feet on the ground. In this case a pitcher needs TJ surgery and were there a 4 year control limit, Turnbull would be a FA when he begins to pitch again. Where would that leave the Tigers who spent time and money developing him, or their fans (we never bring the fans up in anything) that have been waiting on him?
Then add in the baseball media that begins to point out a player’s approaching FA at the deadline 1-1/2 years before he hits it. So assuming that it takes 2 years for most players to develop consistency at the ML level, that means the team and their fans get 1/2 of a season of a player before the media starts harping on why he would make a good trade candidate.
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If a team can only control a non-vested player for 4 years, then go ahead and make them all FA’s each year. That would save teams and their fans getting stuck with guys on poor-performing long-term contracts. Every team would know their budget going into each season, and that’s that. As for developing players in the minor leagues – there would be no reason for teams to invest in individual farm systems. Have the teams contribute an equal percentage amount to fund the minor leagues, and have some administrators – even if they know nothing about baseball such as in arbitration hearings – determine via statistics which players get promoted through the minor leagues. At the beginning of each year, MLB teams would have the option of signing minor league players to be on their roster for the coming season.
To add:
This would make players free agents each year. No franchise could keep them in slavery against their will for 4-6 years, while holding down their salaries.
But you’ll never get the players to agree to yearly free agency, since it would flood the market and actually serve to compress compensation. And it would eliminate the player security of long-term deals, which we know seldom work out.
But I love the suggestion. Imagine the traffic this site and others would get every winter. As Marvin Miller predicted (he didn’t want unfettered free agency either) , free agency has been a great success for ownership.
But I do think you’ll see the threshold of free agency will change with the new CBA.
I love the way you use the term “slavery”. An MLB player makes minimum 575K and the average salary is how many million per to play a game? If that’s slavery then sign me up. I will never feel sorry for anyone making that kind of money playing a game for 2/3 to 3/4 of a year. Against their will, LOL!!! I agree maybe the current situation favors the owners a little, but the players did agree to the terms of the current CBA.
Wasn’t Norris the centerpiece of the Price deal a few year ago? The guy that lived in a van during spring training?
Yeah. He’s been okay, but not what was hoped for. Boyd came in the same trade and he’s been the better pitcher.
Hey Tiger fans, We all have been thinking the Tigers should dip into this year’s FA SS market and make a run at Correa, Baez or Seager (I’d pass on Story)…but with Candelario reaching FA after ’23 what about the Tigers going after Kris Bryant this Winter? Candy could bring back a decent prospect or two as he’d be controllable for 2 years.
Tell me I’m crazy.
If the Tigers do not sign either Semien, Correa or Seager, I will call the off-season a failure (Story and Baez are lesser SS options for me). However, I don’t see any need for a 3B now, unless Candelario gets traded. He is a solid and durable 3B.
Even if the Tigers let Torkelson play 1B full-time eventually, they have a few middle-tier prospects who could end up at 3B, Paredes among them. Hopefully, they spend big on other positions, in particular SS!
Gruß,
BSHH
I wouldn’t be against the Bryant idea, but him and a top tier shortstop together would be too expensive in one off-season for this current regime. I am also much more in favor of Story than Baez, the guy just seems like poison and big regression waiting to happen. Semien seems like the safest bet to me right now followed by Correa, as he can move to third as he ages. I’m not sold on Candelario being a 3b on a pennant seeking team either.
There’s really no excuse for a team like the Tigers to go into these extensive rebuilds; that’s just a marketing scheme. Teams with their revenues/assets should strive to be competitive every year. And blind squirrels, given enough time, can find enough nuts to be “in the hunt”, especially in a division like theirs.
It’s just taken wayyyyyyyyyy too long. And there’s really no excuse besides gouging that justifies it.
if being the Dodgers was so easy than everyone would be doing it
bobtillman
There’s really no excuse for a team like the Tigers to go into these extensive rebuilds
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Of course they had to. Three years ago, the Tigers had one good position player, and a couple of RPs. If they signed all of the top-10 FAs after the season, they still wouldn’t have been .500 in 2019. This is a game where you need 25-30 players. Having an awful team, and signing the best FA available is the proverbial deck chair on the Titanic.
And as I like to point out out to everyone, if every owner doubled their spending, rough half the teams would still be at .500 or below, and at least 6 teams will finish last.
There’s no excuse to stay in rebuild mode for long periods of time, but I do think it’s necessary to push the reset button once in a while. The Tigers basically started from scratch due to yearly free agent signings, aggressive trades and top finishes yielding late 1st round or no 1st round picks for a number of years and greatly thinning their prospect pool. It has just taken them a while to recover, although the first year or two were a little questionable. Things look much better now and in the foreseeable future, although anything can happen good or bad. I just do hope they spend more than a couple of bucks a year to fill obvious holes from now on, LOL.
The Tigers at least started the rebuild correctly by starting it with pitching. Mize, Skubal, Manning all maturing now. Anything can happen in baseball and you never know how a hot streak can help you grow together as a team. The Mets reached the World Series in 2015 with young pitching in Harvey, Syndegaard and DeGrom. Conforto debuted mid year near the training deadline. Sure, Cespedes from the Tigers helped from the deadline on, but sometimes things just come together. But it starts with staring pitching. The Tigers do have some good young arms.
Tigers also have Faedo out with TJ recovery. He could be a piece next year. Joey Wentz is also recovering at AAA after TJ.
If Boyd, Mize, Manning and Skubal can and avoid TJ and Turnbull can be back by September ’22…certainly ’23, the Tigers should have a solid rotation.
Torkelson, Greene and probably Dingler should all show up in ’22 and be ready to be full timers in ’23. I think Greene is going to be the star of this group. He reminds me of another version of Cody Bellinger. Even if he’s only as good as Michael Brantley that would be pretty good.
Resign Schoop.
It will really depend on whether the Tigers will go BIG this off season on a SS. Put me down for Correa. I think he’s better than Lindor when he’s healthy. Give him the big bucks, pair him with his old manager, Hinch, and plug him into the 3 hole for the next 10 years.
2023 lineup
Baddoo CF
Greene RF
Correa SS
Cabrera DH
Torkelson 1B
Schoop 2B
Candelario 3B
Haase LF
Dingler C
Crazy?
So another year Al? Sure.
MLB teams have grown terribly irresponsible with money… why did the Cubs get nothing in return for Yu Darvish? Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Francisco Lindor yeah good luck with the back half of those contracts….
Just for the record, the Cubs got a pretty good haul for Darvish. In addition to Davies, 2-3 of the kids they got are performing well.
Extended schoop and candelario and sign Correa and u good till 2025 4 years schoop and 4 years candelario
Actually……
The Tigers currently have 3 very good young SS’s.
And they have a load of young players with the other positions, as well as more Pitchers coming up as noted in the posts above.
Right now is the time for them to do exactly what they’re doing…..playing the youngsters and seeing who will rise to the top, and subsequently what positions they need help on in free agency.
Gee u think Avila was in on the Austin Martin trade discussion..?
Great trade for Minny, imo, but I am not sure the Tigers had an equivalent player to Berrios.