Detroit Tigers: Looking to 2019 and other news

Here at The Corner, we round up Detroit Tigers news and rumors around the Tigers blogosphere so that you don’t spend hours surfing the web searching.

The Detroit Tigers first official year of rebuilding is coming to an end. Which means, it’s time to look towards the off-season and the 2019 season.  Over at the Detroit Free Press, they try to project the 2019 lineup and starting rotation. They have Daniel Norris as the number four pitcher and Spencer Turnbull at the number five slot.

Both of those stand at the most to me. With Norris, the Tigers have been sending mixed signals as to whether he’s a starter or a bullpen guy. They may continue to send those messages into 2019. Secondly, Spencer is interesting because I’d expect the Tigers to sign a veteran to a one-year deal and to try and flip that person.

Spencer being projected in the starting rotation would suggest otherwise. Over at SB Nation’s Bless You Boys, Ashley MacLennan writes that Blaine Hardy was a pleasant surprise for the 2018 Tigers.  Hardy started the year with Triple-A Toledo but by the beginning of May, he was in Comerica Park to stay.

With the team going through a several year rebuild people are generally going to be focusing on the Tigers prospects. At Bless You Boys, they have an end of the year tracker for all the Tigers prospects so that you can see how they fared this season.

According to the Jordan Horribon, of the Athletic, the rebuild has taken a toll on Detroit Tigers ticket sales (subscription required). This isn’t entirely surprising considering the Tigers spent the better part of the last decade building a team to compete for the fall classic. Tigers fans have been spoiled and don’t want to watch a team not compete.

Finally, it’s being reported that Dan Gilbert is interested in buying the Detroit Tigers. While it’s probably unlikely that will happen the staff over at BYB writes that it wouldn’t be a good thing either.