These ex-Tigers are proving why Detroit was smart to move on

Sometimes when a team allows a player to move on (or ushers him out the door) you look back and think how much better the club would be if he was still playing for it. Checking in on a couple of players who wore the Tigers uniform in 2023 and are no longer in the organization, there's just not much regret to be felt.

Is that a sign president of baseball operations Scott Harris and the front office correctly identified the talent in front of them, or a sign there were just a number of weaknesses to be found on the 2023 team? Perhaps it's just a fluke of the early season. But hey, with all these early season rainouts we have to write about something.

IF Nick Maton

The Tigers traded Nick Maton to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. Maton's time with his new organization did not start off well.

He went 0-for-23 with six walks for the Orioles in spring training and was designated for assignment as a result. He stuck with the organization, however, and is batting .353 with 1.059 OPS for Triple-A Norfolk, so it seems likely he'll earn his way back to the big leagues at some point.

In 2023 with Detroit, he posted a .593 OPS and -1.5 WAR.

IF Jonathan Schoop

Jonathan Schoop was designate for assignment by the Tigers shortly before the All-Star Game in 2023. He has not made it back to the majors since, and in fact signed with a Mexican League team for the 2024 season.

SP Eduardo Rodriguez

The Tigers were unable (or unwilling) to keep Eduardo Rodriguez from opting out of his contract with the team early following the 2023 season. He signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks for a reported $80 million across four years with the opportunity to push that up to around $100 million.

ERod is yet to pitch in a regular season game for his new club, however, after suffering a left lat strain during spring training. MLB.com reported on April 9 he has began throwing bullpen sessions, but it seems likely he won't return before the end of April.

Even when he does come out healthy, it seems like Tigers fans probably won't miss him much anyway.

RP Jose Cisnero

Jose Cisnero made 63 appearances for the Detroit Tigers last season and finished 18 games. He signed a one-year contract with the Angels worth $1.75 million, but has had rather a poor start for his new club.

In six appearances across 4-2/3 innings, he has allowed seven runs and two home runs, as well as nine hits and two walks. The runs occurred across three games, so it's not as if one bad game has knocked his numbers out of whack, either.