3 Tigers players we'll be glad are gone in 2024 and 2 we wish stayed

Tyler Nevin

Another one that's pretty obvious. Nevin was a puzzling acquisition from the beginning. He was acquired for cash from Baltimore on New Year's Eve 2022. He got his first opportunity with the Tigers pretty early on. He hit a pinch-hit home run to dead center against in old team in April. Sadly, that was his lone highlight of his Tigere career.

Nevin just didn't have what it takes to be a big league hitter. He hit the ball on the ground way too much. He could draw a walk, but that was pretty much it. He could also mash in Triple-A. He was the epitome of a AAAA player.

Nevin took a very similar path out of Detroit as Maton. He was DFA'd, then traded back to the Orioles for cash. Much like Maton, we're not going to miss him. Not only was he pretty bad, he just didn't fit into the fold anymore with all the prospects on the way.

The Tyler Nevin era in Detroit was short, but memorable — but not for the right reasons. He now becomes a pretty solid answer on your Immaculate Grid.

Spencer Turnbull

Oh, Spencer. How we wish things didn't turn out the way they did. He showed so much promise in 2021 before the injuries started to hit. It's a shame how things work out sometimes.

Turnbull's career numbers in Detroit weren't very good. He was 12-29 with a 4.55 ERA and a 4.2 bWAR in 60 starts. But that doesn't really tell the whole story. There were good stretches in there, such as those nine starts in 2021 where he looked like an ace. He had a 2.88 ERA and 2.95 FIP in 50 innings before a forearm injury turned into Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the entire 2022 season.

The shortened 2020 season wasn't bad either, with a 3.97 ERA and 3.49 FIP in 11 starts. His stuff was plenty good enough to pitch in the big leagues. Nowhere was that more evident than his no-hitter against the Mariners in 2021.

But 2023 is where it all fell apart. After a promising spring training, Turnbull looked like a shell of his former self in the regular season. In seven starts, he had a 7.26 ERA, a 5.55 FIP, and struggled with his command. Then, came the drama.

He was sent down to Triple-A. Then it turned out he had a neck injury, so his option was rescinded and he was placed on the IL. Then he switched agents to one Scott Boras. That's when we knew something was fishy. Long story short, he didn't pitch for the Tigers again. He was non-tendered this offseason.

Turnbull would sign with the Phillies on a cheap one-year prove-it deal. Honestly, they can have him. He's their problem now. They can have the injuries, the inconsistency, and the drama. We don't need any of that. Have fun with him, Philly.

2 players we wish stayed: Eduardo Rodriguez

By far the Tigers' biggest loss this offseason was E-rod. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a four-year deal, not all that different than what the Tigers originally signed him for back in 2021.

E-rod was a bit of polarizing figure amongst Tigers fans. On the field, he was pretty consistent. Last year he had a stretch where he looked like a Cy Young contender. He ended up with a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts. We'll take that all day.

Off the field is where some Tigers fans took exception. There was that three-month period he missed in 2022 to tend to some personal matters. Bummer, for sure, but it's not like that team was going anywhere. Plus, from all accounts, it sounds like he was able to fix whatever was going on his personal life, and that's what's important.

Then there was the trade to the Dodgers he vetoed at the trade deadline last year. If you ask me, he's not to blame for that. That was his right. He had the no-trade clause in his contract, and he decided to do exercise it. That debacle was 100% on Scott Harris. He had to have known about the no-trade clause. Not getting a deal done at the deadline is on him for not having a backup plan.

Then the Tigers chose not to pay E-rod after he opted out of his current contract. All they had to do was add another year and $5 million per year to the deal, but they simply didn't do it. Imagine how good the Tigers rotation would liike if they had E-rod instead of Jack Flaherty. That's what happens when you cheap out.

The Tigers are going to miss E-rod. Having a lefty who fills up the strike zone like he does is far better than not having one. Again, imagine a rotation of Skubal, E-rod, Maeda, Mize, and then Manning or Olson. Doesn't that look a lot better than having Flaherty slotted in where E-rod is. It's just very disappointing that they didn't even bother offering him an extension.

Oh, and by the way, quick geography lesson: Arizona is in the southwest, not the west coast. If you know, you know.

Michael Lorenzen

Okay, will the Tigers miss Michael Lorenzen that much? Not at all. He was an innings eater and a No. 5 starter. But he was a good in both of those roles. I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't have minded seeing him come back for another year.

Lorenzen was rock solid in a Tigers uniform. In 105.2 IP, he had a 3.58 ERA, a 3.86 FIP and a solid 3.07 K/BB ratio. He wasn't anything super special, but he got the job done. He even got his first career All-Star nod.

He was traded to the Phillies at the trade deadline for INF Hao-Yu Lee. After throwing a no-hitter in his first with Philly, he struggled to gain traction with them. He had a 5.51 ERA and 5.81 FIP in 47.1 IP. He had almost as many walks in not even half the innings with the Phillies had he did in Detroit.

Knowing that, it makes sense why he's still a free agent. His rough stint as a Phillie has probably scared some teams off. But when he was with the Tigers, he appeared to have figured something out. He was very thankful for the organization for helping him become a better pitcher. The Tigers were able to get the most out of him compared to any other team since he became a starter. Having him back in the fold wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.

Think of it this way: would he have been worse than Jack Flaherty? At least when the Tigers signed Lorenzen last winter, there were signs that he still had something left in the tank, and he did. With Flaherty? I'm not sure what they see. But I've harped on that signing enough. This is about Lorenzen, who I would have been happy to see back in Detroit.