Detroit Tigers 2022 off-season grades have been passed out

The MCB staff gets together and grades out the Detroit Tigers off-season additions.

As a collective here at Motor City Bengals, just like the fans of the Detroit Tigers, we all look at the off-season from completely different points of view.  There are a percentage of Tigers who view not getting Carlos Correa as a “failure”. There also a selective few who believe that Al Avila not making a trade for a starting pitcher (i.e. trading for a Oakland A’s starter) and instead settling in signing a veteran was not the right course of action.

However, the reality of the situation is that the Tigers upgraded their roster significantly. They signed a shortstop in Javier Baez who was a huge upgrade on defense and offense, a top of the rotation starter in Eduardo Rodriguez, another bullpen arm in Andrew Chafin and a starter in Michael Pineda. There is more to this, but I will come back to that later for my off-season grade.

Here are the MCB contributors’ thoughts about the off-season. Some gave a letter grade and others wrote their thoughts down.

Jake: What I did like: they addressed their needs effectively. The Barnhart trade was a win right away and finally did what many had clamored for in taking on a little payroll from a team that was retreating and, in doing so, minimizing the prospect capital necessary to make the acquisition. They got one of the five big shortstops everyone argued they needed, and they acquired enough pitching to help them navigate the season.

What I didn’t like: it’s a minor disappointment, but I really would’ve loved Correa in a Detroit Tigers uniform. It would have made him the biggest star in the city and would have done a lot to quiet the Ilitch detractors.I also would have preferred a more mid-rotation arm over a fifth starter like Michael Pineda, but I’m also glad they didn’t overpay in prospects for someone like Manaea, who is only under contract for one more year himself. For a club not quite ready to make a deep postseason run, Pineda is a fine fill-in and saves my dream of Verlander opting out next year to come home.

Below B average from Yooper (Jon) and Brendan about the Detroit Tigers off-season.

Jon: Grade: C+. On December 1st,  just before the lockout, the Tigers were trending to a much higher grade. They spent November signing two premium free agents and trading for a top-notch defensive catcher at a very reasonable cost. Things were looking up.Eduardo Rodriguez is a high ceiling signing, having once posted a 6+ bWAR season in Boston.

Javier Baez was often Twitter’s fifth most wanted of the five free agent shortstops (you know who you were!) but is still a big upgrade on the Tigers shortstops of the last few years.After the lockout? With several very good players available and with the Tigers still carrying a below league average payroll, the Tigers spent a measly $12M on two pitchers and shut it down. It seems like a missed opportunity and as though Chris Ilitch has never heard the phrase “fortune favors the bold”.Andrew Chafin and Michael Pineda are fine enough signings.

Both can help Detroit compete. But they’re the type of moves that should happen nearly any off-season as teams look to add depth. The Detroit Tigers win ceiling wasn’t moving much in either case.It was an acceptable off-season more than a laudable one.

Brendan: B- here. I would like to another bat off the bench.

Me:  I will give them a B+ and here’s why. They address every position of need this winter, which was a starting shortstop, (Baez), two starting pitchers, (Rodriguez and Pineda) catcher, (Barnhart via a trade) and a bullpen arm (Chafin). But they did something else that seems to me has gone under the radar.

The Detroit Tigers addressed more than just starting 9 and the starting rotation

The Detroit Tigers addressed their minor league pitching depth concerns with resigning starters in Wily Peralta, Drew Hutchison and Ricardo Pinto and adding arms like Chase Anderson, Markus Solbach and bullpen arms in Miguel Diaz (who looked impressive yesterday against Toronto) Jacob Barnes, Alec Powers, drafting Nick Kuzia in the Rule 5 draft and a few other moves that allowed them positional flexibilities.

Last season, when injuries hit the starting rotation, we saw the Tigers get creative with Peralta and Hutchison being called up, but it left both Toledo and Erie rather shorthanded. With that, however, we saw Beau Brieske finishing the year strong in Erie and it allowed Detroit to see what they had in their system from a depth perspective. They address that with arms that have some upside and others, who may be just minor league roster spots.

A case in point that is current is the injury to Kyle Funkhouser. He may miss time to start the season and instead of having one or two or maybe three choices to choose from last season, the Tigers can look at up to five arms to see who is a good fit.

Am I upset they did not get Carlos Correa? Not really, if I am being honest. It would’ve been great but, for all the hot takes on talk radio, the Detroit Tigers were “cheap” this off-season and the narrative that Mike Ilitch is “rolling in his grave” is just ridiculous. They made MOVES. Yes, are some of them fans dislike? Sure, but it allows them some flexibility to make changes again next season should they need to.

While I agree with Chris the Tigers may of panicked when they got Baez instead of Correa, the point is, they got an uprade with Javier, who may have a chip on his shoulder anyways for all the rankings they gave out at shortstop. In certain cases, he was not listed as a top 10 shortstop. 

The Tigers farm system may have a positional drop-off after Greene and Torkelson arrive in 2022 but as long as I have paid attention to the minor leagues, there are some interesting names in the system. They have drafted guys that national publications are talking about like Tanner Kohlhepp, Dylan Smith, Ty Madden, and Dillon Dingler.

The amount of sulking about the Tigers being so bad the last few years has been fair, but it’s one step at a time. They made a huge one this off-season. THEY ACTUALLY MADE MOVES. Rome wasn’t built in a day and yes, perhaps Al Avila likes the farm system too much not to give anyone up but the point I am trying to make is simple. They have the potential to make the playoffs with the upgrades they have under the new MLB playoff format and play over .500 baseball. Could even think to mutter those words two years ago? No.

While these are not player moves, they upgraded their player development staff, which is huge and continues the growth of a system that needs to start producing talent outside of just pitching.

What would’ve made my grade an “A” would’ve been a clever trade for a starter. That’s really it. Look what manager A.J Hinch did with the team he got last season. Now, he has more talent to use. It should be a fun watch.