Tigers' key weakness remains painfully clear even after AJ Hinch defends roster moves

Since the trade deadline, the Tigers have made a number of weird roster moves that haven't struck fans as being particularly well thought-out. It started when they optioned Brenan Hanifee to Triple-A to activate Charlie Morton, and continued when they optioned Sawyer Gipson-Long a day after he came off of the IL and pitched a single standout appearance in relief. Brant Hurter went down so the Tigers could bring back Hanifee, even though Hurter hadn't given up an earned run in almost a month.

AJ Hinch explained, "It's depth. The depth and the quality of arms that we have, we literally can configure the bullpen in a lot of different ways and feel equally as comfortable. I don't know that every team can say that. We try to focus on strengths."

In other words, the Tigers are going series-by-series and have the reliever carousel moving based on matchups.

Ultimately, there may not be a lot to complain about when the Tigers are back to their winning ways, but there's still a worrisome underlying issue: the Tigers have quantity with their pitching depth, but maybe not, as Hinch insisted, a lot of quality. At the very least, they don't seem to have much faith in a lot of their options. Because, after all, who is Drew Sommers?!

AJ Hinch explains Tigers’ baffling roster strategy with relievers, but it still reveals key weakness

As good as guys like Hanifee, Hurter, and so on have been as of late, they're still more reliable in earlier innings. Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest are really the only reliable eighth- and ninth-inning arms out of the bullpen. Guys like Tommy Kahnle and Tyler Holton, who the Tigers seem unwilling to dump or demote even though they've turned into two of the bigger disappointments this year, are far from trustworthy. Alex Lange still needs more innings to prove himself after coming back from a year-long absence.

Codi Heuer, Bailey Horn, Gipson-Long, and Hurter will probably resurface in the majors through the last five weeks of the season if the Tigers keep employing this strategy, and it'll help when rosters expand in September. Vest, Finnegan, Kahnle, Holton, and Rafael Montero seem like they're safe (even if some of them shouldn't be), leaving Hanifee, Lange, and Troy Melton's spots fluid.

If the Tigers don't really trust most of their guys, then perhaps that's another sign that not enough was done at the trade deadline. Detroit's relievers and position players alike seem to be supportive of this strategy, but it still doesn't make a ton of sense to fans.