Detroit Tigers: Five Ways to Improve the Team in 2017

Protecting the Rotation from Another Bad Contract

The Detroit Tigers rotation for next year is pretty well-set. Justin Verlander has resumed his rightful place as the team’s ace, and rookie Michael Fulmer is a strong #2 starter behind him. Daniel Norris also made a good impression this season, posting a 3.38 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 69 innings.

From there, there are some question marks. Jordan Zimmermann missed a considerable portion of the 2016 season with a variety of injuries. He was also ineffective later in the season, resulting in a 4.87 ERA. Considering that he is slated to make $18 million next season, he’ll definitely be in the rotation come Opening Day.

Trading Zimmermann might seem like an overreaction, given that he was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014, and was in the running for the Cy Young Award as recently as 2014. But the Tigers already have Anibal Sanchez, who went from being the AL ERA leader to a starter who barely belongs at the back-end of their rotation. They can’t afford to make that mistake twice.

That’s why dealing Zimmermann now, when his ineffectiveness can be explained by injury, is smarter than waiting to see if he turns it around next year. Beginning in 2018, his salary jumps up to $24 million. At that point, he will be just as untradeable as Sanchez.

If the Tigers deal him now, they can slot Matt Boyd or another inexpensive option into their rotation instead. Since the front office has stressed that they are aiming for a cheaper, younger team, this would fit in well with their plans.

With Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey signed to contracts that will be nearly impossible to get rid of, it’s imperative that the Tigers consider protecting themselves from the same issue with Zimmermann.