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Detroit Tigers: Trade for Francisco Rodriguez A Sign Of Things To Come

By Souichi Terada

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The Detroit Tigers and Al Avila look to regroup after a disappointing 2015 MLB season. The recent trade for Francisco Rodriguez is a sign of things to come.

The 2015 Detroit Tigers were a disappointing 74-87 and last in the American League Central. They were a far cry from the four straight division champs who dominated the league.

Looking closely, their strength from 2014, the starting rotation, was in shambles. The bullpen was somehow in worse shape by the end of the season.

Luckily the offense was its typical great self for the Tigers. They led the league in batting average and hits. They have solid players to work from in Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez.

But the Tigers still have a long way to go if they want to compete in 2016. They have the reigning World Series Champion Kansas City Royals residing within their division.

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The Minnesota Twins were a surprise team last year competing for the last Wild Card spot. The Cleveland Indians even played well down the second half of the season.

That’s why when news broke that the Tigers traded for Francisco Rodriguez from the Milwaukee Brewers, it was great news. The Tigers’ new General Manager Al Avila got a proven closer for a cheap, buy-low cost.

Rodriguez has been lights out the past couple years as the Brewers’ closer.

There’s also a shift in philosophy among the Tigers’ organization. In the past, former-GM Dave Dombrowski (now with the Red Sox) loved his hard-throwing relievers.

As Tony Paul mentions, that’s an obvious change from before. Al Avila is slowly starting to develop this team in his image.

And he still has a ton of work to do. While Rodriguez is a great pickup, if he can get one or two relievers to solidify the nightmare that was the bullpen, it should ease the fan-base.

News like the Tigers being interested in Doug Fister is also encouraging. Fister had a down year and is a great buy-low candidate. He’s had success in the Motor City and already has some fans here.

The Tigers don’t need a front-of-the-line ace-type starter. Justin Verlander had a great bounce-back year and that’s turning out to be huge for the Tigers.

If Fister bounces back and is a solid part to the back-end of the rotation, that’ll help the Tigers add stability.

That way, they can rely on one of their younger guys like a Shane Greene or Drew VerHagen to potentially step up. A fifth starter isn’t too hard to find at the Major League level.

This team doesn’t need major changes to make some noise around the league next year. A lot of things went against them last year. Injuries and just plain bad luck can be harmful to any team.

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Their superstars in Cabrera and Verlander were both hurt. Victor Martinez didn’t look the same after pre-season injuries. And the list continues.

A few minor tweaks here and there with a solid starter can make this team formidable. If guys like Jose Iglesias, Nick Castellanos, and Matt Boyd continue to grow, watch out.

The Tigers’ future isn’t as bleak as once thought. Al Avila has a great chance to make this team a bona-fide contender again. For a fan-base that hasn’t seen a World Series in more than 30 years, that’s all they can hope for.

At the end of the day, they have a few mega-stars they can rely on to take them back to the thrill of October.

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