Tigers Q&A: Answering key questions on trade deadline needs and more

New York Times

a day ago

During a wide-ranging live Q&A with The Athletic subscribers Monday, Cody Stavenhagen discussed the Detroit Tigers' strong first half, the looming trade-deadline decisions and players such as Spencer Torkelson and Javier Báez.
Here are highlights from Tuesday's live discussion. To see answers to many more Tigers questions, read the full Q&A.
Note: Questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Do the Tigers need to get a third baseman on the trade market? — Patrick B.
Colt Keith moving back to third makes the need a lot less urgent. I'd rank the deadline priorities as …
1. A swing-and-miss reliever. Maybe two.
2. A reliable starting pitcher
3. A right-handed bat
With Matt Vierling back and Keith able to play third, there isn't a pressing need to acquire an everyday third-base type. Plus, other than Trey Sweeney (back with Kerry Carpenter going on the injured list), there aren't many candidates to be removed from the roster.
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Jahmai Jones has played well, but the Tigers could seek a more proven right-handed platoon type in his place. I could see them being more interested in someone like Amed Rosario than a player like Eugenio Suárez.
What is your take on Báez's turnaround this year? What are you seeing, and what does the 'eye test' tell you that is different from or better than the last few years? It seems like the hip surgery helped. I'm also wondering about the impact of having his pal Gleyber Torres on the team (it could be mutually beneficial; he's doing well, too). What will it take for Javy's performance improvements to be sustainable? — Patrick B.
So many of the numbers still don't support Báez's play being sustainable. And yet, he just keeps producing.
One number that is encouraging: He's hitting .281 against fastballs. He hit .197 and had a negative run value against four-seamers last year, and he hit .179 with a minus-8 run value against fastballs in 2023.
He's been on time more often, and that has made a big difference, even though he's still chasing at a super-high clip and has a lower barrel rate than last year.
The bat speed has always been there, but it's possible the surgery is allowing him to move better and more comfortably in the box. And yes, Torres has been a great positive influence.
Plus, Báez always thrived on winning teams and big crowds.
We have heard and read various comments from Scott Harris and Tarik Skubal regarding an extension for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. But there doesn't seem to be much coming out about Riley Greene's long-term future in Detroit. Have you heard anything on that front? — Thomas W.
As of this past offseason, there hadn't been any dialogue between the Tigers and Greene's camp about an extension.
Greene is a great player, but his injury history and the fact that he's already getting slower physically (his average sprint speed has declined from the 59th percentile last year to the 34th percentile this season) make it an interesting discussion.
He's a proven All-Star worthy of a nine-figure deal. But if I'm the Tigers, I'd want to see as much of Greene as possible before committing to him long-term.
He's great. But a lot of people are concerned about how he's going to age.
Who would the Tigers build a trade around if they went after a pitcher with years of control left? Other than Sandy Alcantara, is anyone out there? — Zac S.
I like Edward Cabrera, Alcantara's teammate. He's under control through 2028, and Stuff+ models love him, but he's still unproven enough that he wouldn't be enormously expensive.
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(Addendum: We don't know if the Miami Marlins are shopping Cabrera. He's young enough to remain an asset for them. He had a 3.78 ERA with 9.65 strikeouts per nine innings this season entering Tuesday. His overall Stuff+ ranks 22nd among MLB pitchers who have thrown at least 60 innings. Fun to wonder what the Tigers could do with a talent like that. Plus, Jackson Jobe's injury could give them more incentive to think ahead to next year and beyond.)
Is there a starting pitcher the Tigers could conceivably get at the deadline who would be better than a 'fixed' Jack Flaherty? Same for the pen with Tyler Holton and Alex Lange. Fans are fixated on the deadline, but last year the Tigers got more out of Sean Guenther, Brenan Hanifee, Will Vest and Beau Brieske than pretty much any team got out of anyone they traded for. What do you think? Are deadline concerns misplaced? — Robert J.
This is a good point worth mentioning. It sounds exactly like something Harris would say! But it's also not wrong.
An improved Flaherty (or even a healthy Reese Olson) is an addition in itself. Same with someone like Holton getting back to form.
The Tigers are still likely to go after outside upgrades in the bullpen. But they'll also bank on a few of their existing guys getting right.
Torkelson appears to have cooled off after a hot start. Do you have any insight into how he's perceived in the building right now and long term? He's obviously well liked, but what is he viewed as from a team-building perspective? — Dante U.
Yeah, I'd be curious to get unfiltered thoughts from the front office on Tork. I'd guess they are encouraged but not over the moon.
There's a chance the 2023 version of Torkelson — not the guy who struggled last year or the guy who was red-hot to start this season — is the best representation of him as a player. That means a right-handed first baseman with real power but meh average and OBP and some weak points in the field.
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Unless he falls off a cliff in the second half, he has done enough to be the first baseman entering next season. But it's probably more cautious optimism than all-out excitement about him in the long term.
Also, we should still step back and appreciate what Torkelson has done this season. He went from having a 92 wRC+ last season to a career-best 124 wRC+ this year. Even with a cold June, he's been a strong middle-of-the-order bat, and the Tigers need a power hitter like him in the lineup.
(Top photo of Javier Báez: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)