Detroit Tigers: If Playoffs are a Priority, What are We Doing?

Detroit Tigers GM Al Avila proclaimed the playoffs were the goal at the start of the season, but their recent moves say otherwise

“Anything can happen in a 60-game season.” I have said it and many have heard it; and the 2020 Detroit Tigers season so far has proven that statement true. As of Wednesday night, the Tigers are just two games out from the final Wild Card spot in the American League and are playing their most meaningful baseball games since August of 2016 when they were just two games back in the AL Central chasing the Cleveland Indians.

The team on paper as well as on the field does not display the type of talents necessary to deal with the Dodgers or the Yankees or the Padres or the Astros of the league. This we know. Still, for a team which has been miserable over the past two seasons, a playoff berth would not only be helpful for fanatics and the franchise–it would also do wonders for a city which has not supplied skillful talent consistently among their four major sports franchises.

But if the goal is truly the playoffs, there have been some recent decisions that have challenged the motive of such a pursuit. This is not to say the Detroit Tigers should have gone pedal-to-the-metal at the deadline and pull a San Diego Padres; such a decision would be short-sited and would expose the team to mire in mediocrity for several years. However, there are several decisions recently made that would not have exposed the long-term nature of the club but will compromise their short-term aspirations.

If the goal is the playoffs, why bring back Jordan Zimmermann?

I was among those who were less than thrilled about fans’ relief or celebration about Zimmermann’s injury which has displaced him from the team for most of the season and thus has provided opportunities for younger players to contribute. These same fans would not dare cheer for another teams’ injured player regardless of their effectiveness; why do it for the team they root for?

Any way, Zimmermann has been anything but good for the Detroit Tigers upon his signing; pitching to a 5.61 ERA and averaging over a hit per inning pitched in a Tigers uniform. Coming back from a forearm strain alone will only compound his struggles–and this does not even take thought to the fact that this will be his third time trying to pitch in 2020 after the Spring Training stoppage and his injury.

While I admire Zimmermann’s relentlessness and the effort he undoubtedly put in to pitch in 2020, it is tough to envision a scenario in which this plays out well for either party. It was probably was best for Zimmermann to call it a season and it would have been equally as tactful for the Tigers to move on however they needed to do so.

If the goal is the playoffs, what is with the bullpen usage?

For much of the season, I have admired Ron Gardenhire’s approach to the bullpen. The strategy could be described by the simple phrase: go for the jugular. When they had a lead, the club was not bashful about going to their best relief arms to seal the win–independent of a ‘save’ situation or leverage. There is a difference between being aggressive and being wreckless, though.

Take Tuesday night’s win as an example. After Turnbull left pitching six scoreless innings and the offense picking him up for six runs themselves, Gardenhire went to bullpen relief ace and flamethrower Gregory Soto in a 6-0 game. Soto would throw a scoreless inning but struggled with his command and ultimately took 21 pitches for him to work through the inning. The coaching staff would also throw Buck Farmer later that game with an 8-0 lead.

The team had a quick turnaround for a day game Wednesday–they would ultimately get trounced so it did not matter, but it was easy to envision a scenario in a close game with the heart of the Brewers’ lineup coming and Soto being unavailable because he had thrown in a game which was essentially decided.

Conversely, Sunday’s game against the Twins featured Casey Mize, who was only able to last four innings. Gardenhire decided to go to Rony Garcia in a 2-2 contest, who has struggled in his first big league season and would give up three runs in .2 innings before getting pulled. Luckily, the team was able to storm back and ended up winning the game 10-8, but it is yet another head-scratcher from an approach perspective.

If the goal is the playoffs, why sell at the deadline?

The Detroit Tigers were relatively quiet at the deadline with the sole move being the trade of journeyman and former farmhand Cameron Maybin, who was traded by the Tigers for the third time in his career; this time to the Cubs for Triple-A infielder Zack Short.

It is possible the organization thought highly of Short, who can move around the infield and has shown the ability to take walks through his minor league career. At the same time, a likely utility man in Short is not likely to make or break the success of a club a few years down the line. If the goal is truly the playoffs, I would think the team would prefer the veteran Maybin in rightfield as opposed to the new call up Daz Cameron, but at least it would have provided a mentorship role for the new young outfielder.

These three areas appear as obstacles to the club’s playoff aspirations. Because it is only a 60-game season, not only are wins amplified, but losses are too. So in reality, the club is more like four or five games back in the wild card standings in the context of a full 162-game schedule.

Some of these observations feel a little like a “Monday Morning Quarterback” and it is entirely possible there is more to each of these situations than I could possibly know about, but regardless of the circumstances, they are putting the Tigers further from their ultimate goal of the postseason.