Detroit Tigers: Roster Changes a Step in the Right Direction

The Detroit Tigers front office made a number of moves this offseason in hopes of putting this team back in title contention. Did they do enough to finish the year as division champions?

Just a mere ten days stand between now and opening day for the 2016 Detroit Tigers. After winning four straight AL Central Divsion Crowns, last year ended in a huge disappointment with this team finishing dead last in the division. The end of last July saw the Tigers essentially throw up the white flag on the season and a “reboot” was in the works.

The big question on my mind as we approach opening day is did they make enough improvements to challenge for another AL Central crown? The big splash this off season was the acquisition of Justin Upton. While he brings a steady presence in the field and power at the plate he alone won’t make this team a contender. Let’s take a look at some of the other major roster moves as we inch closer to opening day.

It’s no secret that the Tigers pitching staff took a major step back in 2015. While David Price was his typical steady self before he left town, the remainder of the staff struggled for a majority of the season. Justin Verlander struggled mightily through the first half of the season while Anibel Sanchez had a disappointing season as well. Matt Boyd and Shane Greene had a couple promising starts but as a whole were not reliable.

Jordan Zimmermann was the big addition to the pitching staff this off season. He will add a steady veteran presence to this staff and can pitch 200 solid innings year in and year out. He has been in the shadows of Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer in Washington so many don’t know just how reliable he has been. Over the past 4 seasons he has averaged 202 innings, 165 strikeouts and a combined ERA of 3.28. I think we can pencil him in for another season close to those averages.

Mike Pelfrey also has come over from the Twins and is expected to be in the rotation. He hasn’t been an overly exciting pitcher throughout his career but he has been in the majors since 2006 and hasn’t looked bad this spring. Daniel Norris will likely start the season on the DL but is expected to fill out the rotation.

The key to the pitching staff, however, will be the health and performance of Verlander. After the All-Star break last season he looked like his former dominant self compiling a 2.80 ERA while striking out 95 batters in just over 100 innings pitched. This spring he has given up a few long balls to Bryce Harper but has otherwise looked solid. If he can continue to pitch like he did at the end of last season he will return to being the ace of this staff.

From a hitting perspective, this lineup has the look of being very potent and scary to opposing pitching staffs. The addition of Upton batting in the second spot will force the hand of many pitching staffs as they won’t be able to pitch around anyone in the top five in the batting order. With a healthy group (always questionable with Cabrera and V. Martinez) this is a lineup that is as good as any other in the league.

Cameron Maybin has made his return to Detroit after last playing here in 2007. Highly regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, he has never really turned the corner into a great player. He does have good speed and is always a threat to run, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to turn himself into a star.

He started strong for Atlanta last season but eventually tapered off in the second half. He did hit .289 with 8 home runs and 15 stolen bases pre-all star break last year, so you can see how that would be a nice boost to the bottom of the lineup if he could produce anything close to that.

Maybin will likely open the season on the DL, but has a good chance to be the everyday center fielder when he returns and could provide some speed and a bit of pop to the bottom of the lineup.

One of the biggest annoyances I personally have had with the Tigers front office moves the last few years was ignoring what was a glaringly obvious weak spot on their roster: the bullpen. This year we finally had a few moves that just might make the 9th inning a little less exciting, which is a great thing. Francisco Rodriguez comes on board as the all time active leader in saves and is a 14 year veteran. He will immediately be a huge improvement over everything the Tigers have tried the past few seasons.

There might be a few questions surrounding Rodriguez as this situation seems similar to that of Joe Nathan as he enters his 15th season in the league.

The Tigers also went out and acquired Justin Wilson from the Yankees, a hard-throwing left hander that fits perfect for their needs. They also got Mark Lowe from Toronto and he will help round out a bullpen that actually has depth. Brad Ausmus will have decisions to make on how exactly these roles pan out, but one thing is for sure Rodriguez will be in there in the 9th.

All in all, I really like the moves that were made and this is a better roster than the club finished last season with. Upton is going to dominate the headlines and be what is talked about, but the quieter moves are what make this team better. I am excited to see Zimmermann on this staff and to a have a bullpen that might actually be reliable?

Next: Detroit Tigers All-Time 25-Man Roster

The AL Central is a pretty strong division this year and I know the Royals are still going to be tough. The key to this veteran roster is going to be staying mostly healthy throughout the season. If that happens, I can see this “rebooted” Detroit Tigers roster challenging for another division title come September.