Tigers Triple-A roster shows how easily they could have solved bullpen malfeasance

As the once far-fetched possibility of missing the playoffs becomes increasingly real for the Detroit Tigers, the "what ifs" grow louder and louder.

What if the Tigers had been more aggressive at the trade deadline, when they were in first place? What if the veteran arms they did acquire in Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton had managed to stick in the starting rotation? What if their pitching staff and key depth players had remained healthy? What if they hadn't cycled their relievers in a series-by-series approach to expand their bullpen?

That last one is really coming back to bite the Tigers now, as they find themselves having lost their grip in their most important season of the series against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians have seven left-handed bats (and three switch-hitters) among their 14 position players – including two of their best hitters in Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo – but the Tigers are limited to just two lefty relievers in their bullpen (Tyler Holton and Brant Hurter) thanks to the "pitching chaos" and poor roster management that are finally catching up with them.

'Pitching chaos' comes back to bite Tigers amid late-season bullpen struggles

Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press) that the Tigers have a "stay-back group" of 15 players who are working out daily at the team's Triple-A ballpark in Toledo to stay ready in case they are called upon to help the big league club in Detroit.

Among those 15 players are Drew Sommers and Bailey Horn, the only other lefty relievers on the Tigers' 40-man roster, who are stuck in the 15-day option cycle after being optioned to Triple-A Toledo. Sommers isn't eligible to return to the Tigers until Friday, while Horn won't be available to the team until the postseason – if they even make it there.

Brenan Hanifee, a right-handed reliever with a 3.00 ERA across 60 innings, is also stuck in the option cycle until the postseason, forcing the Tigers to keep the likes of Tanner Rainey (and his 14.09 ERA) in their bullpen for the remainder of the regular season.

The Tigers thought they could maximize a weakness by implementing a series-by-series approach with their relievers to expand their bullpen beyond just its eight active arms. As a result, they find themselves shorthanded at the most critical point in their season. Their failure wasn’t a total lack of bullpen talent; it was an organizational miscalculation, and now they are paying the price.

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