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New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Are the Tigers legit? Plus, remembering Octavio Dotel
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. You can only be a surprise winner one year in a row. This year, the Tigers are just living up to expectations. Plus: The end of a short and bizarre era in Houston, Ken on the Orioles and Corbin Burnes, and we say goodbye to Octavio Dotel after a tragedy in the Dominican Republic. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup! From 2017-2023, the Detroit Tigers didn't have a single winning season. Their playoff drought was even longer, stretching back two additional years. If not for the Royals (who went 56-106 in 2023), the Tigers (86-76, advanced to ALDS) would have been the Cinderella story of the 2024 season. But along the way, Tarik Skubal won the Cy Young award last year. Riley Greene hit 24 home runs and made the All-Star game. Tyler Holton got an MVP vote. (No, really). So they're not surprising anyone this year. Advertisement Not with the addition of Jackson Jobe and resurrections of Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson (plus the return of Jack Flaherty). Kerry Carpenter — aka 'Kerry Bonds' — hit his fourth home run yesterday. After a slow start, it's coming together; they're on a five-game win streak. And yes. The first three were against the White Sox, so let's levitate our foot over that brake pedal just in case. But the last two (including yesterday's 5-0 shutout) came against the mighty torpedo-swingin' Yankees. The Tigers are now 7-4. So, are they really this good? Actually … there's a chance they're even better. See, the rain cloud somewhere amid all this silver lining is that injuries are starting to pile up a bit — Manuel Margot and Jake Rogers both hit the IL this week. But they've already been doing all of this without injured players like Alex Cobb, Parker Meadows, José Urquidy and Matt Vierling. Reinforcements are on the way. From my latest column: PHOENIX — The Baltimore Orioles' offer to right-hander Corbin Burnes in free agency was not at all embarrassing. But general manager Mike Elias had to know it was never going to win the day. He also had to know the void created by Burnes' departure would warrant an urgent response. None was forthcoming, raising questions that will persist until at least the trade deadline and possibly beyond. Elias maneuvered deftly in February 2024 to acquire Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers. He has failed to adequately address his rotation since. The offer to Burnes — first reported by Orioles beat writers yesterday and confirmed by two sources in Burnes' camp — was four years, $180 million. The $45 million average annual value would have set a record for a pitcher not named Shohei Ohtani. But Burnes, 30, last went on the injured list for arm trouble in July 2019. He was the healthiest domestic ace to hit the market since Gerrit Cole. It was not unreasonable for him to want more than four years. Advertisement The six-year, $210 million deal Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks included deferrals and an opt out after two years. It is not known whether the Orioles' proposal also included deferrals, but in total value the guarantee was $30 million lower, even with an AAV $10 million higher. The state income tax rate is lower in Arizona than it is in Maryland, giving the Diamondbacks another edge. And the Diamondbacks offered something the Orioles and every other team could not — the chance for Burnes, a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz., to enjoy spring training and play regular-season games at home. To get Burnes, the Orioles would have needed to go above and beyond the Diamondbacks, something they clearly, and rationally, were unwilling to do. The Boston Red Sox, according to a source briefed on their interest, also tried to woo Burnes with a short-term, high-dollar offer, to no avail. The difference was, the Red Sox traded for an ace, left-hander Garrett Crochet, and signed a former ace, Walker Buehler. The Orioles added to their collection of mid- to back-of-the-rotation starters by signing right-handers Charlie Morton, 41, and Tomoyuki Sugano, 35. And after a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks last night, manager Brandon Hyde announced the latest blow to his starting staff, saying Zach Eflin would be shut down a week with a low-grade lat strain. Read more. There are four words in Tyler Kepner's tribute to Octavio Dotel that I think sum up the reliever's career really well: 'the pitcher everybody wanted.' It's a nod to the fact that Dotel pitched for 13 different big-league teams (a record later broken by Edwin Jackson, at 14). But it wasn't because teams were eager to get rid of him. As former Mets GM Steve Phillips told Kepner: 'He got traded a lot because everybody always vouched for him.' Advertisement Having endured the death of his father when Octavio was early in his baseball career, he became known as a bright spot in any clubhouse or bullpen in which he found himself — including those of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he won his lone World Series. He was a high-strikeout reliever before that became de rigueur. Dotel was at a concert at the Jet Set Club in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, early yesterday morning when the roof collapsed. He was one of at least 79 who died as a result of the tragedy. He was 51. At least 160 more were injured in the accident, and Dotel was not the only former big-leaguer who passed away. Tony Blanco, 43, played in 56 games for the Washington Nationals in 2005. MLB insider Hector Gómez reported that former MLB journeyman Esteban Germán told him that Blanco had saved his life by pushing him out of the way. La Nación also reports (article in Spanish) that former big-leaguer Henry Blanco had also been at the concert, but was not injured. Nelsy Cruz — sister of former big-league slugger Nelson Cruz — also passed away. There was a brief moment after the Astros won the World Series when GM James Click's job was in limbo. And then it wasn't — the Astros and Click parted ways. And that was when Astros owner Jim Crane embarked on an experiment best described as: 'What if Jerry Jones, but baseball??' He signed two players that winter: José Abreu: Three years, $58 million. 176 games. .217 average, .625 OPS, 20 home runs. He was released last June and is being paid $19.5 million this year. Rafael Montero: Three years, $34.5 million. 109 2/3 innings pitched, 107 strikeouts, 50 walks, 4.92 ERA and 1.477 WHIP. He was designated for assignment last August, but opted to accept a minor-league assignment rather than become a free agent. Advertisement Montero has now been traded to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later. The Astros will cover a chunk of Montero's salary, but it will help them step back from the luxury-tax ledge and give them a little space to maneuver at the trade deadline, if they are contending. For Atlanta, it's a low-risk trade. Their bullpen entered play last night with a 4.71 ERA — 21st out of 30 teams — and they needed an affordable big-league reliever. Jackson Merrill has been placed on the IL with a strained right hamstring. It's not expected to be a long stint, but Merrill has been central to the Padres' early success. Well … before last night, anyway. The Dodgers and Padres can't stop losing these days! After a(nother) loss in Washington, D.C., (8-2 to the Nationals), the Dodgers are now 9-4. The Padres lost 10-4 to the A's and are 9-3. While we're at it, the Giants lost 1-0 to the Reds; they're 8-3. Speaking of the Giants, I am of the opinion that they are 0-for-2 in City Connect uniforms. Grant Brisbee does his best to remind us that it doesn't really matter and anyway, at least they're better than the last ones. It was Jarren Duran's own words in a Netflix documentary that started the conversation about the battle for his mental health. Yesterday, he spoke to the media. Chipper Jones was on the Starkville podcast, talking Braves, Vlad Jr., and how Barry Bonds is the best player he's ever seen (but Ohtani is close). Whether you've seen the post about striking out Timotheé Chalamet or not, this video from Bailey at Foolish Baseball is both very dumb and also very clever and funny. Most-clicked in our last newsletter: The Baseball Savant swing speed leaderboard. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where the Yankees' current rotation ranks in the AL East
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images The month of March was devastating for the Yankees' starting rotation. Early injuries to Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are enough to immediately put the pitching depth to the test, and that's without the added nightmare of Gerrit Cole undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Bombers aren't the only AL East team to suffer early losses to their rotation however, as the Rays, Red Sox, and Orioles have all lost key pitchers before Opening Day as well. No other injuries within the division have matched the devastation of Gerrit Cole's elbow surgery, but nearly everyone has been forced to adjust their expectations before the regular season even begins. Here's the current state of all five AL East rotations, and how they stack up against each other: Tampa Bay Rays Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz, Zack Littell, Drew Rasmussen Stop me if you've heard this one before: the Rays have the best rotation on paper going into the regular season. This is a rock-solid group of right-handed arms, and it was much better a few days ago when it still featured its sole southpaw, Shane McClanahan. It appears McClanahan and the Rays got pretty lucky after a nasty-looking injury turned out to be an inflamed nerve in his left tricep. He's not expected to miss a significant amount of time. Advertisement This kind of thing has been the story of Tampa's rotation for a few years now though, as the group of talented pitchers has been devastated by injury after injury. McClanahan missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Baz and Rasmussen have undergone TJS as well. Baz had the surgery in late 2022, missed all of 2023 and ramped back up in the second half of last year. Rasmussen had it way back in 2017, but also had an internal brace procedure on his elbow in 2023. Taj Bradley started last season on the IL and had a rollercoaster year, showing flashes of brilliance but leaving far too many fastballs over the middle of the plate and getting hit hard consistently. They traded Jeffrey Springs (also a Tommy John recipient) to the Athletics this offseason for a package centered around Joe Boyle, who will start the season in Triple-A. The Rays have a great group of starters, but as has been the case for a few years now, their real test will be staying on the field. Boston Red Sox Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Richard Fitts, Sean Newcomb Boston doesn't have the most inspiring rotation in the world, but they rank second here because Garrett Crochet is unbelievably good. He had a 35-percent strikeout rate and 209 K's in 146 innings last year, and that was with the White Sox going out of their way to suppress his workload. He could throw 180 innings this year in Boston, and if that happens he's a favorite to win the American League Cy Young award. He has a case for being the best pitcher in baseball right now. Advertisement Behind Crochet, no one in this rotation is particularly daunting. Tanner Houck had a nice season last year, but his results were considerably better than the metrics suggested and his strikeout rate has declined every year. Houck is talented, but he's not necessarily the guy you want starting Game 2 of a potential playoff series. The same goes for Walker Buehler, who had a few big moments in last year's World Series, but before that was in the midst of a disastrous season in LA coming back from Tommy John surgery. He still has a lot to prove before he can be held in the regard as he was three year ago. Then Boston has two question marks in Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb, the latter of whom hasn't thrown more than 35 innings in a season since 2019. The Sox have suffered their share of injuries so far in 2025, with Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, and Lucas Giolito all starting the season on the IL. Boston has an impressive amount of pitching depth, but Crochet might be the only one teams really need to watch out for. Toronto Blue Jays José Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis, Max Scherzer With the acquisition of 40-year-old Max Scherzer, the Blue Jays have fully leaned into staffing their rotation with veteran right-handers who no longer possess overpowering stuff (or in some cases, never did). Scherzer was one of the game's very best pitchers for a decade, and even in his twilight years he should be able to produce solid numbers even if he's no longer the menacing ace of his youth. He joins a rotation with 30-year-old José Berrios, 34-year-old Kevin Gausman, and 36-year-old Chris Bassitt, none of whom have a fastball velocity over 95 MPH and all of whom have seen their strikeout numbers decrease over the past few years. Advertisement This group won't dominate many lineups in 2025, but if healthy they should be able to eat a lot of innings and keep the Blue Jays competitive. The dark horse to be the best pitcher on this staff is Bowden Francis, who joined the rotation last summer and impressed immediately. From August 12th on, Francis recorded five starts that went at least seven innings and never allowed more than three runs in any given start. This might be the last year with so many older pitchers in the rotation, depending on the development of prospect arms Trey Yesavage, Ricky Tiedemann, and Khal Stephen, but the 2025 Blue Jays will live or die by these veteran starters. New York Yankees Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Will Warren, Carlos Carrasco Here we are. The Yankees would have been at the top of this list a month ago, and now they find themselves toward the bottom. The injuries to Cole, Gil, and Schmidt are no joke. Gil will be out until around June, and Schmidt will hopefully only have to miss limited time, but shoulder injuries for pitchers are frightening to say the least. Advertisement In the meantime, 60 percent of this rotation will have to be held down by a trio of question marks: Marcus Stroman, who was the odd man out and actively being shopped in the trade market just a month ago, Will Warren, who shined all throughout spring training but struggled mightily in the big leagues last season, and Carlos Carrasco, who came to camp as a non-roster invitee and might have had to settle for a Triple-A assignment. As of the morning of March 24th, the Yankees just signed Ryan Yarbrough to a big-league contract, and while he'll certainly begin in the bullpen he could be a decent rotation option if Warren or Carrasco don't work out. I wrote last week about the added pressure on Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, who the Yankees suddenly need more than ever. While this ranking is not what Yankees fans want to see, it's not quite time to hit the panic button yet. This team is deep enough and talented enough to return to the playoffs despite the injuries, and the gap between them and the other teams on this list is small enough that healthy returns from Gil and Schmidt and/or the acquisition of a pitcher on the trade market would send them right back up to the top. It may just be a shaky first couple months. Baltimore Orioles Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich The closest any other AL East fanbase has come to the misery of losing Gerrit Cole this spring was in early March, when the Orioles announced Grayson Rodriguez would start the season on the IL with elbow inflammation. This doesn't necessarily mean Rodriguez will miss most of the 2025 season, but given the nature of the injury, it does leave the possibility on the table that he'll be Tommy John's next victim. Rodriguez has all the skills he needs to be an ace and many analysts predicted 2025 to be the year he puts it all together, so it goes without saying that this outcome would be devastating for the Orioles playoff chances. Advertisement Baltimore won 91 games last year before a disastrous playoff performance, so the fact that they let Corbin Burnes walk in free agency without pursuing another top-end starter is a bit of a head-scratcher. This team should be pushing all their chips in to open their championship window as wide as possible, but with Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish on the shelf they're left with a number of question marks to start the season. Zach Eflin has turned into a rock-solid arm over the past two seasons, but behind him it's not too inspiring. Charlie Morton is 41 years old and not the pitcher he once was. Tomoyuki Sugano was signed out of Japan at 35, and it remains to be seen how his stuff will play in Major League Baseball. Dean Kremer is just not that good of a pitcher, and he belongs closer to the back of a rotation than as its No. 3 starter. There is reason for optimism with Cade Povich, who has multiple plus secondaries and a pretty deep arsenal, but even the best-case scenario for this group is not fit for a championship contender. Baltimore needs Grayson Rodriguez to make a healthy return and be the best version of himself if they want to compete for a pennant in 2025. More from
