Detroit Tigers: There is renewed purpose in the Motor City

Akil Baddoo rips a round-tripper off Blue Jays stalwart Hyun-Jin Ryu on a beautiful Friday afternoon giving another sign the multi-year rebuild phase for the Detroit Tigers is drawing to a close. It’s time to acknowledge the renewed purpose of winning in the Motor City.

There seems to be an energy among the players, the media, and the fans. Another wildcard slot is available and the Tigers seem on the upswing to make a run at a spot. New talent is bubbling up from the now viable farm system and management did commit the fourth highest amount of money of any club in this off-season.

Does the front office in Detroit share the optimism? Again, they did spend. They addressed needs. But they also tapped the brakes at a time where opportunities looked abundant immediately after the lockout. Is Chris Ilitch ready to win? Let’s also point out Forbes Magazine’s news of the Tigers making a tidy $31M profit in 2021.

There is no guarantee when a rebuild effort actually ends but there can be a definite read on when a team should attempt to shed the cloak of losing they’ve been hiding under. The Tigers, despite coming out of the lockout with only a whisper of talent acquisition during a hyper period of MLB moves, are now positioned to try to win.

The manager to lead them, AJ Hinch, is solidly in place with both hands on the wheel. Hinch has an air of leadership and intelligence around him that seems to permeate the organization. The days of some belittling him, allowing the trash can shenanigans to take place in Houston, seem well behind him.

The Minnesota Wild are not just a hockey team

While the Detroit Tigers were acting in responsible fashion last week, their division rivals were taking a little walk on the wild side with Lou Reed.

The Minnesota Twins pulled off three significant trades and made two free agent signings, including one Carlos Correa.

They acquired and dealt away Isiah Kiner-Falefa. They traded away  Josh Donaldson and Mitch Garver. Major pieces came back in the forms of Gio Urshela, Gary Sánchez, and Sonny Gray. In terms of the Avila method of being careful with prospects, the Twins showed some skin at the beach and put last year’s top draft pick Chase Petty in play for the Reds to get Gray in the fold.

But it’s the late Friday night Zoom call with Twins execs and Scott Boras on Friday that stunned the baseball world putting Correa in Minneapolis for at least the next season at a steep $35M per year for 3 seasons. Correa can opt-out each season but until he does, the Twins have added the best talent on the market and their competitors did not.

They are missing starting pitching depth, but it may not even matter in the suddenly tougher AL Central.

Minnesota has come to play in 2022 and put their commitment and cash where their mouth is.

A Commitment in Detroit is growing

It should be no shock to Detroit the Twins dipped into Jim Pohlad’s reserves. The division isn’t a powerhouse yet. The Twins sensed an opening and committed to squeezing through it last week.

Is Detroit trying to wedge through the same gap to challenge the White Sox in the AL Central? The Tigers took their big swings in November. Detroit added at the margins after the lockout. They appear committed to plugging their best producers in the lineup. They’ve also refurbished their front office and scouting staffs with multiple hirings all winter.

Payroll has gone up from “embarrassing” to “middle of the pack”…and while they aren’t playing “PayrollBall” in MLB, the Tigers upping their payroll is a positive sign of commitment.

It’s a bit nagging though to hear Avila shut it down and preach care. If fortune favors the bold, the Tigers will need a different mindset at some point. It’s easier to go from terrible to average than it will be to go from average to elite. I know my counterpart on the podcast Rogelio Castillo, said on Thursday that he is happy they spent money to make the team competitive in 2022.

Soon it will require adding the extra millions to get a Correa-type signing done. Putting precious prospects in play for trades to get a Montas. Turning over every leaf for talent is the recipe for success.

In the end, the Detroit Tigers had a very acceptable off-season. They’re on the road back. Energy is high. Setbacks will happen, but they appear ready for some issues from a depth perspective.

Greene, Torkelson, Baddoo, Mize, Skubal, Jeimer Candelario, Baez, Jonathan Schoop, Miguel Cabrera, Rodriguez, Gregory Soto, Robbie Grossman, Michael Fulmer…these are names that feel like big leaguers are on the scene. That hasn’t been the case in Detroit in some time. It’s time for the Tigers to ascend the mountain. If they take another step forward in the first half, hopefully the aggression of Al Avila will come out at the deadline instead of the caretaker version.

It’s going to be a fun season in Detroit. All the more if front office remains nimble and flexible in making aggressive moves on available talent.