The Tigers’ patience — and Justin Verlander’s resurgence — pays off

By Sep 1, 2017, 7:42 AM EDT
Getty Images
26 Comments

Let’s preface all of what I’m about to say with the disclaimer that the Tigers having to trade Justin Verlander really stinks for them.

It stinks because trading a star at the deadline means that you’ve had a terrible year. It stinks because it means they are now all-in on what is sure to be a long and painful rebuild. It stinks because Tigers fans really, really love Justin Verlander and have grown really, really attached to him over the past 13 seasons. Trust me on that one: I’m married to a Tigers fan and, no matter how much she intellectually accepted the need for Detroit to trade Verlander and no matter how much she appreciates the return the team got in the deal, she’s still pretty grumpy about it this morning.

All that being said: the Tigers did pretty dang well in this deal.

To realize this, just look back to where things stood a month ago, at the non-waiver trade deadline. The Astros were the primary suitor for Verlander’s services. At the time, the Astros were cruising, up 16 games in the division and completing a pretty nice month. This despite having Dallas Keuchel on the disabled list for basically all of July. Houston may have wanted Verlander, but they weren’t desperate and were obviously not willing to give the Tigers what they wanted.

Flash forward a month and a lot has changed. Keuchel has not looked like an ace. Lance McCullers has missed a month. The Astros, overall, floundered in August, going 11-17 and seeing that division lead whittled down to 11.5 games. That’s still safe with a month to play, but the Astros looked like a juggernaut a month ago and, as of yesterday, they looked somewhat lost. In the meantime, Justin Verlander has put his foot on the accelerator, going 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA with 50 strikeouts and seven walks in 42 innings in the month of August.

All of which means that Tigers GM Al Avila got a better deal than he was presented with on July 31. Probably a much better one.

The Tigers got three really nice players for Verlander. Franklin Perez is only 19 but he’s held his own in Double-A, which is populated with guys who are WAY older than him. As Bill mentioned last night, he was the Astros’ No. 3 prospect. Daz Cameron is a center fielder with a lot of promise. Jake Rogers, the catcher, is reputed to have outstanding defensive skills and, while he’s only in A-ball, he’s shown nice plate patience. This is not the return the Dallas Cowboys got for Herschel Walker or anything, but taken all together this is a really nice package, consisting of a top prospect, an intriguing player who could be special and a solid defender at a critical position.

What’s more, the Tigers did not have to eat a ton of money to get that package. They are paying Houston $8 million for each season left on Verlander’s deal, which has $56 million remaining on it overall. That’s basically a buy-down to what a pitcher like Verlander is truly worth right now, not the sort of massive payoff you often see in situations where a guy with a bad deal is moved.

To be sure, this is a good deal for Houston too. They are obviously in win-now mode, have an obvious need for a starting pitcher and got one who, while perhaps not the guy he was a few years ago, is still more than capable of going on runs — like the one he’s on now — which can help carry a contending team over the finish line. The Astros gave up some players they would not need for several years in order to fill their biggest need now. That’s what the trade deadline is all about for contenders. Give them credit for pulling the trigger and going for it when a lot of their fans figured they wouldn’t.

Still, special kudos are in order for Al Avilla and the Tigers, I think. They didn’t commit highway robbery or anything. They didn’t just ensure a successful rebuild. But they did show some patience that I suspect a lot of Tigers fans didn’t think they’d have when the inevitable rebuild fully and finally commenced. Most folks probably thought they’d trade Verlander in a straight salary dump, but they didn’t. They got some nice players in return.

That might not make Tigers fans less grumpy in the short term, but it’s something that will probably make them feel better at some point in the future.

Orioles sign OF Aaron Hicks, put Cedric Mullins on 10-day IL with groin strain

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 11:07 AM EDT
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
0 Comments

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles signed outfielder Aaron Hicks less than 24 hours after Cedric Mullins went down with a strained right groin.

Mullins went on the 10-day injured list, but the Orioles are hoping Hicks can help defensively in the spacious outfield at Camden Yards. Hicks was released last week by the New York Yankees with more than 2 1/2 seasons left on his contract.

“We had noticed that he was a free agent even before the injury,” Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. “When the injury occurred and it became pretty clear this was going to be an IL, it seemed like a good fit even more so at that time.”

The Orioles are responsible for paying Hicks just $483,871, a prorated share of the $720,000 minimum salary. The Yankees owe him the rest of his $10.5 million salary this year, plus $9.5 million in each of the next two seasons and a $1 million buyout of a 2026 team option.

The 33-year-old Hicks hit just .188 in 28 games for the Yankees this year.

“We have stuff that we look at from a scouting and evaluation perspective,” Elias said. “It’s very different from just looking at the back of a baseball card, and we hope that we get a bounceback from anyone we bring here.”

Hicks batted .216 last season.

“Hopefully that’s a good thing for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said of the Baltimore deal. “A lot of time here and a lot of good things happened for him here. I know the last couple of years have been a struggle. But hopefully it’s a good opportunity for him and certainly wish him well. Not too well being in our division and a team we’re chasing, but hopefully it’s a really good fit for him.”

Mullins left a loss to Cleveland after he pulled up while running out an infield grounder. Outfielder Colton Cowser – the fifth pick in the draft two years ago – is hitting .331 at Triple-A Norfolk, but he went on the IL in the past couple weeks.

“Certainly he was building a case towards promotion consideration prior to his injury and prior to Cedric’s injury,” Elias said. “We’ll just see where we’re at.”

Hicks was active for the game but not in the starting lineup. Austin Hays, normally Baltimore’s left field, was in Mullins’ usual spot in center.

When the wall in left at Camden Yards was pushed significantly back before last season, it made left field a bigger challenge defensively.

“In this park … you really need two center fielders,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Aaron’s got a lot of center-field experience. Played left field here before also. Brings the defensive aspect and then the switch-hitting.”