3 needs for the Detroit Tigers to address immediately after the lockout

1. The Bullpen

Bullpen arms are becoming more valuable in today’s game. It is luxurious to have an arm capable of handling leverage spots throughout a game. Additionally, starting pitchers have not been going as deep into games, leaving teams to require 4-5 reliable arms to get through contests while keeping their guys fresh.

The Detroit Tigers got a taste of what a quality bullpen is like in 2021 with their four-headed monster of Gregory Soto, Michael Fulmer, Jose Cisnero, and Kyle Funkhouser. Each will be back for 2022, but can each be relied upon in the same capacity? Tough to know, but odds are that one or two arms will regress due to injury or just lack of performance. There aren’t any specific indicators for this–it’s just the reality of the position group.

Each of those arms is coming off of a breakout campaign–that lack of experience should be concerning to the front office. Gregory Soto put up a combined 0.4 bWAR before his 1.4 WAR campaign in 2021. Kyle Funkhouser was a -0.3 WAR player in 2020 before his 1.0 WAR season last year. Fulmer was a combined 0.2 WAR over his previous two seasons before his 1.9 WAR season. Cisnero, meanwhile, actually regressed a bit year-over-year, with a 0.3 WAR campaign following his 0.7 WAR 2020.

In short, they should seek help despite their success. As for options, Kenley Jansen remains the top reliever on the market, with Collin McHugh and Joe Kelly as other options.

2. Starting Pitching

AJ Hinch talked about getting the pitching right to have a shot at a successful rebuild. To a large extent, they have executed that plan. Casey Mize has emerged as a #2 starter with some upside remaining while Tarik Skubal has established himself as a mid-rotation arm too.

The Detroit Tigers did sign Eduardo Rodriguez before the MLB work stoppage, but his presence essentially replaces Boyd’s spot in the rotation. So, then, assuming Mize, Skubal, and Rodriguez are penciled into the rotation, they have a couple of slots yet to fill.

One of those spots may go to Matt Manning, who showed well toward the end of the season; but writing his name in pen on the roster card wouldn’t be prudent. Likewise, perhaps Joey Wentz or Alex Faedo could win a rotation job out of spring–but that is asking a lot of a player who is fresh off of Tommy John and another who has struggled since his return from the same surgery.

Their best route would be to look at external options to address those needs. Today’s game is showing more and more that seven or eight starters are necessary to sustain a season, and I’d assume the organization would not like to have to count on someone like Wily Peralta to fill that void (although he performed well).

I’d assume their next addition will be a tier under Rodriguez; someone like Danny Duffy or Michael Pineda are possibilities.

3. Depth

One of the marks of a successful organization is its ability to deal with injuries. The World Series Champion Atlanta Braves won a World Series without one of the five best players in the sport last season. It speaks to their depth.

It isn’t flashy or fun, but having players waiting in the wings ready to step in when injuries happen (and they always do) is not only valuable, but vital. Thanks to the ability to still sign minor league players, the Detroit Tigers have gotten a bit of a headstart on this front, agreeing to terms with infielder Jack Lopez, second baseman Luis Carpio, and right-hander Carlos Canabria, according to multiple reports.

It will be interesting to see if the Tigers opt for finding a major league deal for some of their depth desires following the lockout. On the position player side, the Tigers are well-stocked with talent: Victor Reyes, Daz Cameron, Derek Hill, Isaac Paredes, Kody Clemens, Eric Haase, Harold Castro, and Willi Castro among their in-house options.

My gut says that financial resources could be better allocated elsewhere than finding a bench bat, but as we alluded to previously, the organization can never have enough pitching. That might be an area where the organization can continue to fill out that Mud Hens rotation.