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AL Central: A mid-season front office assessment of the division

By Bill Felber

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 21: Minnesota Twins senior vice president and general manager Thad Levine looks on before the start of the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 21, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Reds 7-5 in twelve innings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 21: Minnesota Twins senior vice president and general manager Thad Levine looks on before the start of the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 21, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Reds 7-5 in twelve innings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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Spencer Torkelson: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Spencer Torkelson: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers front office, -5.1

The Avila-led Tiger front office was aggressive over the winter, signing free agent Javier Baez to a long-term deal, and adding veteran pitchers Michael Pineda, Eduardo Rodriguez and Wily Peralta.

The impact of that churn has been less than hoped-for. Baez has produced modestly negative, almost insignificant, performance, and while Pineda has been good the sum total of Tiger front office actions still amounts to a division-worst -5.1 games. That encompasses 27 player moves, 12 of them positive, 12 negative and two neutral. Here are the five most impactful.

April 6. Since being drafted No. 1 a couple of years ago, stardom has been predicted for first baseman Spencer Torkelson. That may happen, but so far he’s had the predictable rocky rookie entry. In 70 games, Torkelson is off to a .194 start with 64 whiffs and a .586 OPS. His defensive work further contributes to a -2.1 WAA. Given his skill set, the Tigers are certain to give Torkelson more time to adapt to the major leagues.

April 7: Rookie Elvin Rodriguez made the opening day roster, the idea being to try him out as a rotation piece. He wasn’t ready. In four starts, Rodriguez was shelled to the tune of an 11.51 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP. They optioned him out April 16, brought him back May 22, and sent him back to Toledo June 11.  Rodriguez will hope for a second callup, but if it comes he’ll have to do better than the -1.3 WAA he has produced to date.

Nov. 3: The Tigers landed Tucker Barnhart in a deal with Cincinnati that cost them only a minor leaguer. Barnhart has not yet found his groove in Detroit. He’s hitting .213 with no homers and just seven RBIs , and his defensive work has been modestly negative. By the numbers, his impact equates to -1.1 WAA.

April 5: The deal with Tampa Bay was a straightforward done: backup infielder Isaac Paredes to the Rays for outfielder Austin Meadows. The modest benefit brought by Meadows has been more than offset by the loss of Paredes, who has found himself in St. Pete.  He’s hitting .254 with 13 home runs, a .911 OPS and a 1.1 WAA for the Rays.

dark. Next. Where the AL Central teams fit into our latest MLB Power Rankings

Nov. 16: When Eduardo Rodriguez hit free agency in November coming off a 13-8 season with the Red Sox, the Tigers made a hard play for him. A five-year, $77 million offer got the deal signed. To date Rodriguez has been underwhelming. In eight starts he’s 1-3 with a 4.38 ERA, which is actually not far off his career level. It adds up to -0.7 WAA.

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