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Another month, another approval poll. The last time we asked your opinion of Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers had dropped to 28-24 after an 8-1 start. As of Thursday afternoon, they had dropped even further, down to 39-39 and six and half games behind the first place Royals. This is the third time in the last month that they've brushed against the .500 barrier, and each of the last two were immediately followed by a three-game winning streak. So there's that, I guess.
We could spend a lot of time and energy going over all of the reasons behind the Tigers' under-performance this season, which certainly include bad luck and injuries among the factors that can be placed on Dombrowski's shoulders. But if you've been following the team very closely, you're probably well aware of many of these details. A lot of things have gone wrong with this team, and a lot of it can be blamed on poor planning.
But it's not all doom and gloom, either. The team is still very much in the playoff hunt, sitting only two games out of the second wild card selection. There are even plenty of reasons to believe that they can close the gap on the Royals with a little luck. Victor Martinez is back and looking like the 2014 version, Justin Verlander is back and showing some good signs, and Alex Avila's return is imminent. Not to mention that J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes might make up the best corner outfield duo in baseball.
Plus, the 2015 seasons isn't the only concern for Dombrowski, and while the farm system has been mostly barren, a few early picks in the recent amateur draft have provided a nice boost to a prospect pool that looked more like a puddle. Plus, there's quite a bit of young talent already on the Tigers' roster, including Jose Iglesias, Nick Castellanos, James McCann, and Bruce Rondon. A large portion of the payroll is scheduled to come off the books this offseason, which should give Dombrowski the flexibility he hasn't had in recent years. Plus Miguel Cabrera is still a Tiger and he's still doing Miguel Cabrera things. Which is nice.