This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The problem with judging the Tigers’ season is that they’ve played so few games at anywhere close to full strength. They’re just about there now, but just in time for the Trade Deadline to potentially take away some more pieces.
Still, there’s a window out of the All-Star break to see what this team is capable of doing when the pieces are in place.
“We have a lot of areas that we can get better. I’m going to keep preaching that,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “But I’m glad we’re starting to come out of it from a health standpoint, and now we can focus on other things.”
Here’s a look at the first half and what’s ahead:
What we learned in the first half
The Tigers’ retooled bullpen is still very good. The team traded Gregory Soto and Joe Jiménez and watched Andrew Chafin leave in free agency, departures that left Detroit with a slew of young relievers, led by new closer Alex Lange, and some waiver-wire pickups. The group not only has picked up where Soto, Jiménez and Chafin left off, they’ve changed the dynamic of how Hinch uses his bullpen. Detroit went 6-0 in bullpen games — in which relievers covered seven or more innings — from June into early July. Lange and setup man Jason Foley garnered All-Star consideration, and Brendan White joined a group of relievers with nasty stuff who can cover multiple innings.
Likely Trade Deadline strategy
Barring a surge out of the break, the smart move is to sell. Sure, the Tigers’ flirtation with contention in the AL Central has been refreshing, but so far, it’s based more on the struggles of the rest of the division than any meaningful step forward by the team. Still, president of baseball operations Scott Harris told 97.1 The Ticket that the door is open for flexibility.
“If we get hot out of the break, it’s going to change our approach to the Trade Deadline,” Harris said. “We are going to be responsive to the way the team is playing heading into the Deadline. We’re going to try to make the best decisions we can for the organization.”
Detroit must either deal ace Eduardo Rodriguez or risk him opting out of his contract at season’s end and leaving for nothing, a mistake the team made with Chafin last summer. Rodriguez received a qualifying offer from the Red Sox before signing with Detroit, so he cannot be offered another. Barring a surge, Detroit will also likely check the market on All-Star starter Michael Lorenzen and relievers Chasen Shreve and José Cisnero, all of whom will be free agents at season’s end. A bigger-picture debate could happen if the Tigers can get enough prospects in an offer to justify dealing Lange and/or Foley with four years of control left, or if they’re better off building around them.
Key player
Of all the injuries that hampered the Tigers in the first half, none hurt more than Riley Greene. The Tigers had a winning record for May and were flirting with .500 when Greene — who hit .365 with a 1.008 OPS in May — went down with a stress reaction in his left fibula. Detroit struggled mightily without his bat, his glove and especially his energy. He went 4-for-7 with two walks and a homer in two games upon his return last week. If he can build on that going into the second half, he can lift the Tigers with him.
Prospect to watch
Had Colt Keith gone to college, he would’ve been one of the top prospects available in this year’s Draft. Instead, he’s the Tigers’ top prospect, and sitting on Detroit’s doorstep after being promoted to Triple-A Toledo a couple weeks ago. The 21-year-old has always had a sharp eye and plate discipline, and has added power along with weight. The combination sent him into the break batting .335 with 16 homers, 57 RBIs and a .993 OPS between Toledo and Double-A Erie. Several evaluators believe he could hit in Detroit right now. If he keeps up this production, he could get a shot late in the season, if not sooner.
“We pull the trigger when we are convinced that he is going to be ready to perform at this level and perform here for a long time,” Harris told 97.1.