Detroit Tigers: Could Brandon Dixon find his way back to the Motor City?

The Detroit Tigers should take Brandon Dixon for what he is, a depth utility player, even though he led the team in home runs during the 2019 season.

During the offseason, the Detroit Tigers are going to start clearing room on their 40-man roster and looking through the free agents to add to the roster. For Brandon Dixon, it means the organization might finally have to label him for what he is; a utility bench player at best.

While Dixon was the organization’s home run leader during the 2019 season, he is nothing more than a utility player who can slot in during some games here and there. Dixon only found his way into five games for the Tigers during the 2020 season after being the team’s power source in 2019.

The Tigers seemingly understand a)how bad they were in 2019 and b)that Dixon’s 2019 performance is nothing more than a flukey power-filled season. As they look ahead to the 2020 season, there is no reason that they should consider Dixon as a possible addition to the 2021 roster.

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If the organization is going to be smart and re-sign some of its free agents and explore other cost-effective options, there are better ways/solutions to avoid Dixon being anywhere near the big league roster.

The Tigers could re-sign C.J. Cron and add him to the first base mix, meaning Dixon really would move into a utility role.

That being said, there is not much wiggle room for him when Niko Goodrum seemingly could move into the utility role if the organization signs literally anyone capable of being an everyday shortstop.

However, Goodrum struggled in 2020 after the organization awarded him the “everyday” shortstop role for most of the season. But, Willi Castro could also be a name to watch as someone who could take on that role. Either way, leaving Dixon without a spot.

In 2019, Dixon played in 117 games for the Tigers, where he hit .248/.290/.435 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI on the season. In 2020, he only saw five games in the big leagues; as mentioned above, in the limited opportunities he had, he hit .077/.143/.154 for the Tigers.

While some may have become a fan of Dixon after his power-filled 2019 season, a return to the Motor City seems unlikely for the first basemen/utility player. The Tigers could move on from Dixon and focus on building a core that will be able to come out of the rebuild and get back to competition sooner than later.

It is no secret that the pitchers in this organization are ahead of the hitters, but shedding Dixon allows the organization to continue to try and move forward with the rebuild. At the end of the day, the rebuild and its progress should be considered first and foremost for this organization.

So while Brandon Dixon was the Detroit Tigers home run leader in 2019, the 2020 season was horrendous, and as the 2021 season approaches, it is time to cut ties with him.