Detroit Tigers Weren’t Alone in Quiet Winter Meetings

It’s been a long time since the Detroit Tigers were quiet during the Winter Meetings. Fans are used to some activity.

This lack of a big Detroit Tigers blockbuster deal in the Winter Meetings might seem outside of the norm. But it really isn’t.

The Tigers were in the majority. Most teams did not make big deals at the meetings in Maryland.

Sure, there were plenty of small deals made, but the blockbusters were limited to just a small number of teams: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals. That’s six teams. Out of 30.

Silence is a Virtue

That’s 80% of the MLB making small, realistic, manageable deals or no deals at all. It’s ok to be in the majority.

The other deals were single-player signings that involved one- or two-year contracts, like the Philadelphia Phillies signing relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit and the Seattle Mariners signing Casey Fien.

If Tigers fans are left scratching their heads wondering what to do now, it is ok to accept what is. Remember that Dave Dombrowski, the orchestrator of the blockbuster extraordinaire, has been doing the same thing to the Red Sox that he did to the Tigers: eviscerating the farm system. While the Red Sox try to contend with their new “mega-rotation,” only one team wins the World Series.  Eventually, the Red Sox will have a bunch of old guys and DD’s replacement manager will be stuck, just like Al Avila is.

The Team is Still in Good Shape

In actuality, the Tigers are not in a horrible spot. The mixture of the team includes a few old guys – who really aren’t as old as they may seem. Victor Martinez is the only old guy. He’s the only one on the team who was born in the 1970s. After that, there are a handful of men born before 1987: Ian Kinsler, Francisco Rodriguez, Justin Verlander, Mark Lowe, Miguel Cabrera, Andrew Romine, Mike Pelfrey, Anibal Sanchez, Alex Wilson, and Jordan Zimmermann. The rest of the team is under 30.

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There is still some seriously good talent on this team. Two men on the team are practically locks to receive permanent homes in Cooperstown. Of the men over 30, more than half of them have played in All-Star Games. That’s not too shabby. Not many other teams can make the same claims.

Still Time for Action

Al Avila still has plenty of time to make a deal that could make fans take notice, but the odds are good that he won’t. He did make a small Rule 5 pick today for a left-handed pitcher named Daniel Stumpf. The only reason this deal made any kind of waves was because of Stumpf’s history testing positive for an anabolic steroid in 2016 when he was with the Kansas City Royals.

Next: Padres Showing Interest in Jose Iglesias

With openings at center field and catcher, there could be some excitement brewing in Avila’s brain. Or…maybe not.