Moving Forward, Here’s What I’d Like to See From the Detroit Tigers
The 2015 postseason is getting closer and closer, and the Detroit Tigers‘ hopes of making it there are getting smaller and smaller. Suffice to say, we all need to focus on 2016.
After dealing away one of the best starting pitchers in the majors, David Price, a great overall player in Yoenis Cespedes and one of the team’s most consistent bullpen guys (which isn’t saying much), Joakim Soria, what needs to happen next? Well, the Tigers need to acquire pitchers at affordable prices.
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Price and Soria were big-name guys that came with big price tags. Price was costing the Tigers almost $20 million this season (although they only have to pay about $12 million because of the trade). Meanwhile, Soria was signed to a two-year, $8 million contract before his trade, which is small in comparison, but far from small (I will never see $8 million in my life…or even $1 million).
By getting pitchers like Daniel Norris and other prospects, the Tigers will save plenty of money, which is great. That being said, prospects have to be molded into big league pitchers.
Getting pitching prospects is always risky. If they can’t make the adjustment to the majors, they’re almost worthless. They become glorified pitching machines for opponents to tee off on. That being said, if the organization can craft them into above-average players, they’re gold mines. Sadly, this takes time and most fans (*raises hand*) are impatient.
Veterans like Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander can help the new kids make it in the majors, but honestly, those two need to look out for themselves right now. Neither one has posted great numbers this season, and the Tigers will need them to get back to their old ways sooner rather than later if the team wants to be successful.
As for Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon, they have been failed experiments, or close to them. Simon hasn’t been awful, but his ERA went up over half a point from in 2014 (from 2.87 to 3.44) and over a full point (3.44 to 4.46) since. Greene still has some promise, several years of control, but he has taken a big step back with his performance in 2015.
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Fernando Rodney is going to be a free agent in 2016, and his price tag right now is lower than Soria’s. His ERA isn’t where it used to be (5.57 so far this season), but he’s still one of the best free agent closers out there. Unless the Tigers want to break the bank for someone like Jonathan Papelbon.
In a perfect world, I’d love to get Doug Fister, another free agent, back. His ERA isn’t great at 4.39, but I think he is still capable of putting up better numbers. Mark Buehrle and Tim Lincecum are other veteran names who are going to be free agents as well. It will be interesting to see what direction the Tigers take with their pitching staff this offseason.
The Tigers need to switch up a lot in both the bullpen and starting rotation if they want any success. Verlander and Sanchez are the only two pitchers I’m attached to at all. Almost nothing has worked for the team so far this season except the bats, and even those have seemed inconsistent at times.
I’m not saying they should start from scratch in the pitching department, but they need to come close (particularly in the bullpen). The offseason will prove very interesting, and I think it is time for us fans to lick our wounds and look toward 2016.
Next: Is Brad Ausmus to Blame for 2015's Failures