Frustrating Tigers have no plans to spend but at least they're honest about it

Detroit Tigers fans who are frustrated with the pace of a seemingly endless rebuild and lack of spending aren't going to feel any better about things after reading the words of Scott Harris, the team's president of baseball operations.

Speaking with MLB Network on Tuesday, Harris said, "Chris Ilitch said that we would have the resources we need to build a really competitive club and to build a club that can sustain winning over a long period of time. We’re not quite there yet as far as spending at that level because we need to build the foundation of this team to put us in a position to supplement it with some free-agent signings in the upcoming winters."

Detroit Tigers are not looking to be big spenders any time soon, PoBO says

Some signings in the upcoming winters. Not what you want to hear from a .500 team build on strong young pitching.

A team can't spend its way to a World Series title. Under Mike Ilitch, the Tigers routinely had some of the highest payrolls in MLB and had no trophy to show for it. They depleted the farm system and had little choice but to rebuild as the roster aged and the results faltered. No one is asking them to return to those days (though they were pretty fun at the time.)

But that isn't what's required right now either. Just a little spending to take a team playing .500 ball and frustrating fans to a team that can make it into the playoffs and see what it can do.

The Tigers' pitching staff is ninth in MLB (and first in the AL Central) in wOBA allowed. They have the favorite for the Cy Young Award in the American League (Tarik Skubal). The Tigers have rights to him in 2025 and 2026 before he becomes a free agent.

If they're not serious about competing during his time in Detroit, maybe they really should just trade him. Sure, it would disappoint fans, but Harris' quote all but points toward extending the rebuild window.

Add to that that the future is strong. This is already a young team, and the minor leagues are filled with top prospect. ESPN ranked three of them among the top 50 in the minors last week.

The worst part in all of this is that the Tigers already have such a low payroll that filling in some of the holes on the roster isn't going to break the bank.

They rank 23rd in MLB in active payroll, 27th in competitive balance payroll, per Spotrac, which includes player benefits and minor league contracts. That is the least in the AL Central, ahead of only the Orioles, Rays, and A's. The 15th-ranked team in MLB, the Angels, have a figure nearly $80 million higher.

That's the kind of thing that frustrates fans. The team already has a rather solid foundation, while not even bothering to try to compete. A rebuild arguably dating back to 2016 has included multiple busts and one of the worst seasons in American League history in 2019. Meanwhile the Royals won a World Series in 2015, rebuilt, and rocketed right past them again. The Royals!

When, exactly, should Tigers fans expect the team to give them a season to be excited about?

"I have confidence that the resources will be here," Harris said.

That makes one of us at least.