The Detroit Tigers are struggling this year. The reigning four-time AL Central champions are at .500, 46-46, through 92 games, and are actually closer to being in last place in the AL Central (three games ahead of the White Sox) than being a playoff team (four games behind the Twins and Astros for the AL Wild Card slots).
Faced with the legitimate possibility of finishing under .500 for the first time since 2008 (when they went 74-88 and finished last in the AL Central), plagued with a bad farm system, and looking at $111 million already committed to 2016’s payroll, the Tigers could end up as sellers. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Detroit is “seriously weighing” the possibility of trading their most important impending free agents, David Price and Yoenis Cespedes.
The Tigers, barring a veto from owner Mike Ilitch, are going to surrender and be sellers within the next 10 days at the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
For the first time since 2008, the Tigers have no choice but to inform teams that two of their marquee commodities will be dealt by the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
The Tigers, according to several people inside and outside the organization familiar with their strategy, plan to put ace David Price and power-hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the trade market.
GM Dave Dombrowski, also an impending free agent after the season, was non-committal about the report and said that “no decision had been finalized”.
Selling *does* make sense for Detroit. After they got off to a hot, 15-8 start, the Tigers are just 31-38 since May 1st – only the Red Sox have a worse record in the American League over that time period. Miguel Cabrera hasn’t played since July 3rd, and he won’t be back until August. The team’s only starter other than Price with an ERA under 4.50 is Kyle Lobstein…who has been on the DL since mid-May.
It especially makes sense in relation to Cespedes, who won’t even bring Detroit back a compensatory draft pick this winter because of a clause in his contract.
So here we are – the Tigers looking more like sellers than buyers. What a world.
