Detroit Tigers show hand at trade deadline

Aug 5, 2023

Mitch Vosburg

Well, that happened. And I’m not thrilled about it either.

The 2023 MLB trade deadline is officially over. As a lifelong fan of the Detroit Tigers and someone who loves any sort of trade deadline regardless of the sport, Tuesday was a holiday for me.

The Tigers were in sell mode with expendable pitching. Michael Lorenzen was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies for a 20-year-old infield prospect named Hao-Yu Lee.

Lorenzen’s departure was expected, but he wasn’t the only Detroit pitcher whose name was in trade rumors for the last month. The big prize Detroit dangled in front of teams was Eduardo Rodriguez.

The southpaw pitcher, when healthy, has been electric so far this season. Outside of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, Rodriguez was the best available pitching option for contenders to acquire.

In fact, the Los Angeles Dodgers wanted the services of Rodriguez. A deal was in place. Prospects and maybe a few cases of Dodger dogs were on their way to Detroit (OK, Dodger dogs weren’t involved in trade talks, but I’m allowed to dream).

That was until Rodriguez vetoed the trade, The Dodgers were one of the 10 teams in the no-trade clause of his contract, which also features a three-year opt-in with a price tag of $49 million.

Rodriguez stayed a Tiger. Detroit’s best chip to add to its prospect pool proved ineffective. Any chance of the Tigers plucking talent from the Dodgers’ loaded farm system or my opportunity to devour a Dodger dog flew out the window.

Needless to say, it was a disappointment. A disappointment similar to the end of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Sure, Tigers’ Director of Operations Scott Harris didn’t have to answer three questions in order to cross the bridge of death. However, much like the ending of Monty Python’s classic piece of cinema, I was left wanting more. A lot more.

Sure, I’m disappointed. At the same time I feel a bit relieved knowing where this team believes it stands.

Tuesday’s trade deadline peeled back the final curtain for the Tigers’ master plan under Harris. Whether we want to admit it or not, Detroit’s in the first page of the first chapter of yet another rebuild.

Rodriguez’s opt-in proved to be a red flag for most teams in the market for starting pitching. Shortstop Javier Baez also has an opt-in with his contract. His opt-in is for four years at $98 million.

And with a batting average of .226 and a WAR of 0.5, it’s safe to say that he’s opting in for the next four seasons in Detroit. Would any shortstop with those numbers make $24-25 million like his opt-in gives him if he entered free agency this fall? I think he’d have a hard time getting half of that, personally.

With cornerstone pieces in Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson in their second season of MLB service, Harris and company know that patience trumps aggressiveness at this point. Why do you think they selected Max Clark, a high school player who won’t see the MB for a few years over Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, who has a shorter route to the MLB?

Harris is in the same situation Steve Yzerman was when he took over the Red Wings in 2019. It took multiple seasons for Yzerman to shed bad contracts and re-stock the farm system. In 2023, the Red Wings finally appear to be a true playoff contender after four seasons which felt like 40.

Harris is in that same position right now. But, unlike Yzerman, he has some intriguing pieces to play with entering 2024.

The three-man rotation of Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal will be back to full force in 2024. Greene and Torkelson are showing flashes of what their ceilings may be. The Tigers will have money to spend in free agency to fill some of the holes in the lineup and pitching staff, albeit stop-gap players until players in Toledo and Erie make their way to Detroit.

Think of building a professional sports team like building a house. You need to build walls, a roof, ceilings, individual rooms, wiring, plumbing, add furniture, get the lawn set and maybe put in a pool with the Christmas bonus you get from your boss instead of a one-year membership to the Jelly of the Month club (even if it is the gift that keeps on giving according to cousin Eddie).

Not to mention all the stress that comes along with building a house. You go over budget and have to settle for your second or third choice of kitchen tiles. Some parts of construction take longer than anticipated. There are a stupid amount of hiccups along the way.

In 2023, the Tigers have their foundation laid and maybe a few walls. By no means is the house finished and ready to put up on the market or for your family to move into yet.

Yet, since this team is 6.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, some believe that this team needed to make a push for the postseason. That would require tearing down the walls and exchanging the lumber for a used in-ground pool. Removing the walls to put in the pool at this point in construction is not only foolish, but incredibly irresponsible.

Give this new regime time. Quit calling Torkelson a bust. And most of all, be patient. Because when this house is finished, it’s going to be a beauty. Not an eye soar built by Al Avila.

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