Detroit Tigers News: It’s time to sell

Welp

I thought this was going to be a partially original thought but Cam beat me to it earlier this week. Regardless, the breaking point has been reached with this Detroit Tigers team. When you can’t even win a good start from Anibal Sanchez, it’s time to pack it in.

The hard truth is this is not a championship team. It has neither the starting pitching nor the bullpen to win consistently. I think it is better than its record shows, but making the playoffs is a long shot and winning once they are there is an impossibility.

I am an eternal optimist and was firmly on #TeamBuy last year when it appeared the Tigers could compete. But it is glaringly obvious that they cannot this year. The team has pieces to sell in J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, Shane Greene, Ian Kinsler, and possibly Justin Verlander. The rebuild needs to begin this year while a number of these pieces retain value.

As for who oversees the process, I don’t really care as long as they commit fully. The worst thing that can happen is the team enters into the rut that the Detroit Red Wings have recently perfected: overextend to reach for the playoffs with no realistic end game. The timeline on a full rebuild will not be short. Fan patience will be a virtue. Hopefully, the team can come out the other side with a restocked farm system, fun young talent, and a relieved payroll that has space to add players.

Sure thing

Manager Brad Ausmus has labeled Dixon Machado as “the best hitter in the American League who doesn’t play,” which is basically saying he’s the healthiest man in the emergency room. We all know the reason he doesn’t play more is that he’s not actually that good and his .322 batting average is a mirage.

Prospect update

The Tigers have been very successful signing their draft prospects so far, including signing four of their top 10 below slot value. But they might have trouble with Sam McMillan, their prep fifth round pick from Florida.

“At that point, it’s worth the risk to try. We put enough work in them and we like them, it’s worth drafting them and going through the process.”

It’s always a calculated risk with prep players, which is why the team went extremely college heavy in the draft. We will see how it plays out.

Fan disillusionment grows

In the past week both the Free Press, highlighting Jim Leyland’s observations and the News, with Kurt highlighting fan observations, have run articles underlining the growing frustration and general lack of cares about this baseball team.

And the team is stale. There are no prospects left to come up as saviors — though there seldom were any to begin. There are no upcoming trades to bring in big-name help, because there are no players to offer and no room on the payroll. And it’s average. Not good. Not bad. Just there.

This is what the end of something feels like.

It speaks to the need for a fresh start and the ending of an era of competitive baseball. This was the inevitable result that an aging roster would yield. Also, this post is really dark and I apologize.

I did not know that was an expression/Is that actually an expression?

This really brightened my day. Keith Hernandez was caught on a hot mic saying that Tanner Roark has been “getting his tits lit.” There are some sayings that I hear and pick up immediately. This will be one. Question for the audience: what is your favorite sports related saying? Clearly it does not need to make sense.

For your free time

Clayton Kershaw has developed a home run problem and has looked mortal in his past couple starts. I don’t like it one bit. Red Sox clearly cheat the system, put Pablo Sandoval on 10-day DL with an ear infection. Joe West has umpired 5,000 games. I have been alive for 10,564 days. The top 20 home run hitters include Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, and a whole bunch of random people. This is probably why the league is on pace to crush the home run record.

Baseball is awesome