This Detroit Tigers rookie doesn't deserve a road block with no detour

The Detroit Tigers were a pleasant surprise in the American League, making the playoffs as a Wild Card team and knocking out the Houston Astros in the first round. They were one of the hottest teams in the league after the All-Star break, mostly due to a huge youth movement. Players like Jace Jung, Trey Sweeney, Dillon Dingler, and Jackson Jobe played roles late in the season and in the playoffs.

But the organization needs to keep that momentum going instead of stalling it. Unfortunately, Scott Harris' recent comments suggest Detroit might take a step back.

Harris told the media last week that Kenta Maeda will be given "every opportunity" to return to the starting rotation and Javier Baez is expected to contribute to the team next season. Maeda's original signing was blasphemous, let alone letting him returning to the rotation. The good news is that this probably isn't true and the Tigers can easily find a replacement here.

As for Baez, he's been benched multiple times in Detroit, but his replacements have never seemed permanent.

That was until Trey Sweeney broke onto the scene late in 2023. Sweeney was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Jack Flaherty trade at the deadline. With the entire youth movement, the feeling was that Sweeney may have been here to stay, even though he displayed some obvious rookie struggles. That was until Harris shot every Tigers fan in the heart, promising a Baez return.

Sweeney posted a solid defensive campaign with a .972 fielding percentage and 20 double plays turned. As for his hitting, it was a bit slow, with him slashing .214/.269/.373. He did come through clutch a few times during the playoff push and the Wild Card Series, though. Sweeney seemingly understood situational baseball and his assignment to help his team succeed. A few times in particular, he slapped a ball up the middle or the other way, when a normal rookie may try to hit it to the next area code.

Trey Sweeney should be the starting shortstop for the Detroit Tigers in 2025

Though that performance may not have usually been enough to earn a starting shortstop role, the alternative is so drastically bad that there needs to be some serious contemplation on this role for next year. Baez is overpaid, lazy, unaware on the basepaths, and extremely undisciplined at the plate. The fact that a 24-year-old kid came up and instantly looked more composed than a 10-year vet is eye-opening. The results, despite not being fantastic, were still better than wet-noodle-swinging Baez, who hit just .184/.221/.294 in 2024. He has become the laughingstock of the league and needs to stop being catered to just because of his contract.

Sweeney would also benefit from staying in the starting role and building chemistry with the other guys who will be here for a while. If Sweeney weren't the starter, he would presumably be optioned to Triple-A Toledo, which would signify a step back for the franchise and a lack of commitment to the young players who got them to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Motor City Bengals has already touched on the contractual abuse that Casey Mize has had to deal with, and if they were to send Sweeney back to the minors, it would only be a matter of time before something like that could happen with a much more valued piece of the roster.