Detroit columnist (and Dodgers fan) has worst Tigers playoff take of all time

Every baseball writer covering the Detroit Tigers is pleased that Detroit evaded disaster and qualified for the postseason. Well … not every writer. With Detroit set to send Tarik Skubal to the hill for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series on Tuesday, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press wished — for Detroit's sake (he argues) — that Skubal was already at home on the couch and that the Tigers’ season was already over.

If you think you’ve heard questionable Tigers takes before, buckle up and brace yourself for what Monarrez recently wrote. Spoiler alert: Monarrez is a Los Angeles Dodgers fan.

Tigers would have been better off missing the playoffs, writer argues

Before Detroit overcame its epic collapse and qualified for the playoffs, and with the Tigers desperately seeking a win last week, Monarrez appealed to the most irrational and deranged sector of Detroit fans by arguing that the Tigers would be better off missing the playoffs entirely.

“It’s better if the Tigers miss the playoffs this season,” Monarrez wrote on Friday, sadly without irony. Then came Monarrez’s head-scratching rationale behind the theory.

“This team doesn’t have the kind of pitching that makes a big difference in the playoffs, and it certainly doesn't have the offense, either. What would probably best serve the Tigers – and their fans – in the long term would be to take a different approach to building a playoff team. By that, I mean making sure owner Christopher Ilitch not only gives president of baseball operations Scott Harris the green light to go after elite free agents this offseason and top-shelf players via trade if the team is in clear playoff contention next year – yes, even if they’re rentals that cost gold-plated, can’t-miss prospects – but orders him to do so.”

Right, because making the playoffs this year totally means Detroit can no longer go after big-time free agents this offseason. We’re following Monarrez so far (wink-wink)! But there’s more.

“You simply can’t “moneyball” your way to a World Series title,” Monarrez continued. “The 2021 Atlanta Braves are the only World Series champs since 2011 to come from outside the top 10 in active payroll — and they were 11th. The Tigers are currently 14th in payroll … They only spent significant money on three players this offseason: second baseman Gleyber Torres (one year for $15 million), right-hander Alex Cobb (one year for $15 million) and right-hander Jack Flaherty (two years for $35 million).”

Again, we’re still not seeing how this has anything to do with making or not making the 2025 playoffs, but touché.

Monarrez ended his piece in a way that didn’t do much to strengthen his beyond-absurd point. After asserting that Harris isn’t being aggressive enough to win now (while simultaneously arguing, we remind you, that the Tigers shouldn’t be interested in the 2025 postseason), Monarrez asserted that Detroit would be “awkward” for celebrating a playoff berth.

Ok, so ultimately, Monarrez feels that Harris needs to "learn a lesson" about roster-building, a lesson that would only hit home if the Tigers missed the postseason. Not only that, but Harris learning this lesson is a more important project for the Tigers than actually qualifying for the 2025 postseason.

With all due respect to Monarrez and his beloved Dodgers, is this the worst Tigers take of all time? It's definitely shaping up to be after Skubal dominated the Guardians in the Tigers' Game 1 win. They're now just one win away from the ALDS.