Don’t be mistaken by the optics of the Detroit Tigers’ 2016, one that saw the organization miss the playoffs by a mere 2.5 games.
They’re stuck in one of the worse places in today’s win-or-rebuild world of baseball.
The Tigers own MLB’s fourth most expensive roster, but one that isn’t talented enough to be considered a serious World Series contender. While every team in the sport seems to be trying to get younger, Detroit’s key players are just getting older.
So, it came as no surprise on Monday when general manager Al Avila revealed the organization would be pivoting, though he argued the semantics of what to term this era of Tigers baseball, calling it a “retooling.”
"We have to be open-minded to anything," Avila said to Jason Beck of MLB.com. "That doesn't mean that we're dangling Player A out there and seeing what happens, but it does mean that in our conversations with other clubs, we will be open-minded, and if somebody has interest in a certain player, we'll take a look at it. If it makes sense for the Detroit Tigers present and future, then we certainly will consider things that we feel will make us better."
Read: Starting pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera and other Detroit veterans could be traded this offseason.
What was most suggestive of the fact that two Tigers cornerstones and a slew of other high-priced players on the roster could be dealt was that Avila said “this organization has been working way above its means as far as payroll for many, many years.”
Verlander and Cabrera are two of four Detroit players above 30 making at least $18 million a year, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
But they are also still two players who could make a major impact on contending rosters.
Given that baseball’s 2017 free agent class is drier than August in Death Valley, this could be the ideal time to trade them too.
First baseman Edwin Encarnacion and outfielders Jose Bautista, Ian Desmond and potentially Yoenis Cespedes are among the cream of this year’s free agent class in terms of high-impact position players. The market for starting pitchers is without a frontline starter like last year’s class, which included David Price and Zack Greinke, their performances this season notwithstanding.
So, teams may forgo spending money in free agency and instead try to add via the trade market.
While Verlander may not be the top-end ace he was earlier this decade, his 3.04 ERA still suggests he has top-of-the-rotation stuff and could make an impact on a playoff roster.
Teams like the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox, swept out of the playoffs this year, saw the Indians cruise to the World Series with outstanding starting pitching, which each of the aforementioned lacked all season.
Both the Red Sox and Rangers are loaded with young talent they could send to the Tigers to bolster their respective rotations.
Cabrera still swings a Triple Crown-level bat—he hit .316/.393/.563 with 38 homers and 108 RBI—and could immediately become the centerpiece in the lineup of a World Series hopeful.
Though immediate thoughts gravitate to a particular AL playoff team that lost a prolific slugger to retirement. Ahem, the Red Sox.
In fact, Cabrera has better offensive numbers than any potential free agent.
But it seems in their current spots on the Tigers’ hole-filled roster, Verlander and Cabrera are playing useless roles. They’re like unused chops at a high-end steakhouse, thrown away when the restaurant close.
The Tigers appears as if they’ll be closing for business every October.
Without the opportunity to impact a postseason, the Tigers are wasting what few prime years Verlander and Cabrera, both 33, have remaining in their careers.
The Tigers seem pointed toward a rebuild. Or retooling. Or reworking. Or whichever way the organization wants to spin what is to come.
Regardless this much is clear: Detroit may not contend for the next few years.
By then, Veralander and Cabrera will be amidst their twilight years. And though they still may be effective, the Tigers can’t bank on the duo impacting a long-term rebuild.
Simply, the dearth of high-impact free agents could create the highest possible demand for both players. It may be the perfect time to deal them, one that could net the Tigers the highest possible return in younger prospects.
And that is their started goal: Get younger.
So as Avila opens his mind to any and all possibilities, it might be time to open up the phone lines too. Because Detroit is certain to get calls on Verlander and Cabrera.
The demand for them may never be higher.
Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.
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