Tigers Rumors

GM Nick Krall: Reds “Must Align Our Payroll To Our Resources”

By Mark Polishuk | November 3, 2021 at 9:55pm CDT

Less than 16 hours after the last out of the World Series, the Reds and Tigers got a quick start to their offseason by swinging a trade that sent catcher Tucker Barnhart to Detroit for infield prospect Nick Quintana. It was “a very difficult decision” for Reds GM Nick Krall, yet Barnhart’s $7.5MM club option for 2022 proved to be a major factor in determining the end of Barnhart’s long tenure in Cincinnati.

“Having been drafted and developed by the Reds, our entire organization has a connection to [Barnhart], and our fans love him,” Krall told reporters, including Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “But going into 2022, we must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system.”

These words surely won’t be welcomed by Reds fans, and yet Krall’s statement merely vocalizes what has been pretty apparent for the last year-plus — the Reds are cutting back on their spending. Last winter’s trade of Raisel Iglesias and non-tender of Archie Bradley were the early signs that the Reds’ payroll increases in 2018 and 2019 hit their peak with the 2020 season, as the team made the postseason but quickly bowed out in the wild card round.

There was some baseball logic to the Barnhart trade, however, as the Reds do have a ready-made catching replacement in Tyler Stephenson, who has hit well in 422 MLB plate appearances and looks deserving of a larger role. With a quality younger (and cheaper) player waiting in the wings, retaining Barnhart may have been less crucial than committing his $7.5MM to other roster needs. “I think it’s something that this move did not make sense from where we were with payroll. We had to make sure we made the adjustment,” Krall said.

This doesn’t mean that the Reds will be going into fire sale mode, the GM noted. “It’s going to be more of a wait-and-see, but I don’t think we’re not going to sign players on the free-agent market,” Krall said. What isn’t yet clear is just what Cincinnati’s payroll will look like in 2022. As per Roster Resource, the Reds have just under $128MM on the books for next season, a notable step down from the record $149MM they were prepared to spend in 2020 before the pandemic led to prorated salaries.

It doesn’t seem as though the Reds will spend much beyond that $128MM mark, which is a concern given the number of areas that have to be addressed. Standing pat isn’t really an option for team with this many needs, and it could be that the Reds might try to unload another of their current higher-priced players in order to either free up more money, or perhaps to take on another pricier player that better fits what Cincinnati needs on the roster.

Tigers Acquire Tucker Barnhart From Reds

By Anthony Franco | November 3, 2021 at 2:10pm CDT

The Tigers have a new catcher, announcing a deal this afternoon to acquire veteran Tucker Barnhart from the Reds. Infield prospect Nick Quintana is headed back to Cincinnati in return.

Barnhart had been a career-long member of the Reds, who selected him in the 2009 draft. The switch-hitting backstop made his MLB debut in 2014 and has served as Cincinnati’s primary catcher for much of the past seven seasons. Barnhart has established himself as a capable backstop on both sides of the ball, combining nearly league average offense for the position with well-regarded defense.

The 2021 season was generally par for the course for Barnhart, who hit .247/.317/.368 with seven homers over 388 plate appearances. That’s right in line with his career offensive marks, with his 81 wRC+ a few points shy of the leaguewide mark (89) for catchers. Barhnart’s greater value lies on the other side of the ball. Generally well-regarded as a game manager, he’s also posted above-average pitch framing metrics over the past few seasons after rating poorly in that regard early in his career. He’s also done well at controlling the running game, cutting down a strong 32.1% of base-stealers over the course of his career — although his 28.3% rate this past season was closer to average.

That kind of steady but unspectacular production on both sides of the ball holds value, but the Reds have looked likely to move on from Barnhart this winter for quite some time. 25-year-old backstop Tyler Stephenson hit .286/.366/.431 over 402 trips to the plate in 2021, and it’s apparent the Reds would like to give Stephenson everyday run. Barnhart remains controllable next season via a $7.75MM club option, but that seemed a bit higher than the Reds would be willing to pay for a #2 backstop. It stands to reason Cincinnati will look for a cheaper veteran option to complement Stephenson this winter.

Detroit, on the other hand, didn’t enter the offseason with an obvious answer behind the plate. Tigers’ general manager Al Avila acknowledged as much last month, and the front office struck on the first day of the offseason to address that need. The Tigers will certainly exercise that option, and he now looks likely to receive the bulk of playing time behind the plate in 2022. Dustin Garneau, Grayson Greiner, Eric Haase and Jake Rogers (when he returns from September Tommy John surgery) are also on hand as potential depth options, although it’s likely at least one of that group gets bumped from the roster now that Barnhart is in the fold.

Exercising Barnhart’s option will bring Detroit’s payroll up to around $94MM, including arbitration projections, in the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource. That’s already north of the club’s season-opening mark in 2021 but nowhere near the franchise record levels of spending. Avila and CEO Christopher Ilitch have already suggested the club would expand payroll this winter, and the Barnhart acquisition shouldn’t have much of an effect on Detroit’s pursuit of further upgrades around the diamond. The Tigers are widely expected to look for help at shortstop and in the starting rotation, and they’ve been often speculated upon as a landing spot for one of the top free agent shortstops hitting the market.

In exchange for parting ways with their longtime catcher, the Reds will pick up a 24-year-old third base prospect. The Tigers selected Quintana in the second round of the 2019 draft. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs called him a potential everyday third baseman over the 2020-21 offseason, but he’s since stumbled to a .196/.329/.346 line over 347 plate appearances in Low-A. The Reds will take a shot on a hopeful turnaround with a change of scenery, but the seemingly light return suggests that Cincinnati was likely to decline Barnhart’s option within the next few days had they not found a trade partner.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network first reported the sides were nearing agreement on a trade. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reported the deal was completed and Quintana’s inclusion.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Injury Notes: Sawamura, Tigers, Chirinos

By Darragh McDonald | October 22, 2021 at 5:24pm CDT

In pregame scrum before tonight’s ALCS game six, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that reliever Hirokazu Sawamura is dealing with a hamstring injury was potentially going to be removed from the roster. (Twitter links from Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.) However, Ian Browne of MLB.com later relayed word from Cora that Sawamura will be sticking around.

The Red Sox have their backs against the wall, as they are down 3-2 in the ALCS and will have to win in Houston tonight and tomorrow in order to survive. The health and effectiveness of every pitcher on the staff will be integral to their success in that regard. News of this hamstring issue is certainly concerning, though the fact that Sawamura has held his roster spot implies that the club still feels he’s a better option than bringing in a fresh arm, such as Matt Barnes. Sawamura has been a solid contributor out of the pen this year, as he had an ERA of 3.06 over 53 innings in the regular season, with a strikeout rate of 26.2% and 13.7% walk rate. He wasn’t on the team roster for the ALDS but has appeared three times in the ALCS so far, logging two innings in total.

Other injury notes…

Chris McCosky of The Detroit News relays some updates on a few Tigers prospects from the Arizona Fall League. Infielders Spencer Torkelson and Ryan Kreidler will both miss the remainder of the league due to an ankle injury and calf injury, respectively. Meanwhile, outfielder Riley Greene has completed his concussion protocol. It had already been announced last week that Greene would miss the AFL because of a concussion sustained at the end of the Triple-A season. For a Tigers club that has been rebuilding in recent seasons, their prospects are incredibly important to turning the corner into being competitive, and that includes these three. MLB Pipeline has Torkelson, Greene and Kreidler as the club’s first-, second- and tenth-best prospects. Baseball America has the same 1-2 punch at the top but has Kreidler at 12th. FanGraphs also starts out with Torkelson and Greene at the top but has Kreidler at 25th. All three players reached Triple-A this season for at least 40 games, meaning they are right on the doorstep and knocking on the door of the majors.
Rays’ righty Yonny Chirinos won’t be ready for next year’s opening day, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Chirinos has been out of action for more than year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2020, but has suffered a setback that will keep him out even longer. Topkin’s report says that the hurler fractured his elbow last month and that the best case scenario for his recovery would be for him to be on a rehab assignment in April or May. Before this extended absence, Chirinos was looking like he could be a foundational piece for the Rays. From 2018 to 2020, he threw 234 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.65. Even without Chirinos, the rotation should be in decent shape, with the presence of arms such as Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Yarbrough, Luis Patino, Shane Baz, Josh Fleming, Brendan McKay and Dietrich Enns. The Rays have never had an opening day payroll higher than $77MM, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, and Jason Martinez of Roster Resource estimates their payroll for next year to already be above $70MM. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for reinforcements, though they will surely non-tender a few of their arbitration-eligible players and bring that down a tad. The Rays are also always a candidate to figure out a way to move some money around, such as the contract of Kevin Kiermaier, whose name has been floated in trade talks for years and is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, valued just over $12MM.

Tigers Notes: Goodrum, Greene, TV Deal

By Keith Salkowski | October 13, 2021 at 2:14pm CDT

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Niko Goodrum looks like a strong candidate to be non-tendered this off-season. That’s notable in that Goodrum has spent the past four seasons in Detroit, taking on a prominent role around the diamond. He delivered a decent 95 wRC+ and 1.9 fWAR in 2019, his second full year in the majors, but has struggled since then. This past season he appeared in just 90 games, largely due to three stints on the 10-day IL. And when he was on the field, he only managed a paltry .214/.292/.359 line, good for just a 79 wRC+. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Goodrum to land an arbitration salary around $2.9MM if tendered a contract. He’d remain under team control for the 2023 campaign in that scenario as well.

In other news out of Motown:

The Tigers’ top outfield prospect, Riley Greene, won’t be playing in the Arizona Fall League as he had been slated to do. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News revealed earlier this week that Greene suffered a concussion when he dove for a ball in the second-to-last game of the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens’ season. It’s an unfortunate end to what was a terrific season for Greene, who hit for a .921 OPS in 124 games across the Double- and Triple-A levels.
The Tigers and Bally Sports Detroit have reached agreement on a new multi-year contract for the latter to continue broadcasting Detroit’s games, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Bally is part of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Financial terms of the deal remain unknown, and it’s not clear if the new agreement will have any direct impact on Detroit’s payroll. Regardless of the terms of the TV contract, the Tigers look likely to increase player payroll in the coming years as they emerge from their recent rebuild.

Blue Jays Tried To Acquire Jose Ramirez, Robbie Grossman At Deadline

By Darragh McDonald | October 7, 2021 at 10:49pm CDT

In an article about the Blue Jays’ upcoming offseason, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet says that the club tried to acquire Cleveland infielder Jose Ramirez and Detroit outfielder Robbie Grossman at the trade deadline.

This comment came within the context of a discussion he had with general manager Ross Atkins about the lack of diversity in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season. Atkins stated that the righty-heavy lineup was better when left-handed hitters Cavan Biggio and Corey Dickerson were present. “It’s not just that they’re left-handed, but how we are attacked and potentially the pitchers that are used is different,” Atkins said. “Secondarily, we feel it’s important to have balance and not just the same type of hitters up and down your lineup. So some players that are more batting average driven and some players that are more on-base driven with plate discipline. Having both is exceptionally powerful.”

In the end, the Blue Jays only added pitching at the deadline, with Jose Berrios being the headline move. In the season’s final months, the club finished strong and ended up 91-71, just one game away behind the eventual Wild Card participants, the Red Sox and Yankees.

Ramirez and Grossman are both excellent hitters, making it hardly surprising that Toronto, or any club, would be interested in their services. Both certainly would have helped with the righty-heavy situation, as they are both switch hitters. Grossman is usually better as a righty but still above-average from the left side. For his career, his slash line as a righty is .273/.367/.409, wRC+ of 116, whereas the lefty line is .241/.346/.378, wRC+ of 102. This year, his production as a lefty was slightly better, coming in at 105 in terms of wRC+. But his production as a righty was significantly better, coming in at 135 by the same measure. Ramirez, however, is equally excellent from both sides. His career line as a righty is .292/.351/.500 for a wRC+ of 125. As a lefty in his career, he’s hit .272/.356/.502 for a wRC+ of 127. This year, his wRC+ was 139 as a lefty and 135 as a righty.

It is perhaps worth nothing that both players are still controlled by their respective clubs, making it possible that whatever trade scenarios were discussed could be revisited in the offseason, especially considering that the Jays are losing the aforementioned Dickerson to free agency, weakening their already-thin pool of lefty bats. Grossman and the Tigers agreed to a two-year deal before this season, leaving one year remaining at a salary of $5MM. The Tigers have been rebuilding in recent years, making it somewhat logical that they would consider parting with a veteran player who is approaching free agency. But on the other hand, after an awful showing in April, they went 69-66 over the season’s final months and could be looking to add rather than subtract this offseason. And the Jays aren’t especially desperate for outfield help, given they have George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk on hand.

Ramirez, for his part, is controlled through for two more seasons via a pair of club options as part of the extension he signed prior to the 2017 season. The $11MM and $13MM salaries for 2022 and 2023 are both absolute bargains for a player of his caliber, meaning they’re guaranteed to be picked up. However, that also means it will be difficult to pry him loose from Cleveland, even if it’s unclear how aggressive the team plans to be this winter. They finished the season with a lackluster 80-82 record, meaning there could be an argument for selling. But on the other hand, they suffered a large number of injuries to key players, especially in their rotation, and could expect better results in 2022. According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, they also had an opening day payroll of under $50MM this season, lower than it’s been in a decade, meaning there shouldn’t be too much desire to strip it down even further. As much as he would slot nicely into a Toronto lineup that has Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal as its best third base options, it should take a tremendous trade package to make it happen.

The Blue Jays, for their part, should be able to take on some salary. When asked if the payroll could increase from this year’s $140MM range, Atkins tells Davidi, “That is our desire and that is our understanding.” That wouldn’t be unprecedented for the Toronto club, as their budget was over $160MM in both 2017 and 2018, before dipping as their recent rebuild picked up steam. Now that they’ve returned to contention over the past two seasons, it stands to reason that they would return to that level, if not surpass it. They only have about $65MM committed to next year, according to Jason Martinez of Roster Resource, though that’s before accounting for arbitration raises for players like Berrios, Hernández and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Atkins tells Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet that the Jays are looking to add to the infield and rotation, which makes sense given they are losing Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien to free agency in a few weeks. As to whether they have the cash to pull it off, Atkins told Davidi that the Jays could give out a “very significant deal with a lot of term to it, maybe more than one,” but also tried to tamp down expectations by saying that teams “need to have that five- and six-year understanding for what that means for the team and the organization.”

Tigers’ GM Al Avila Discuses Offseason Priorities

By Anthony Franco | October 5, 2021 at 6:11pm CDT

The Tigers are slated to enter the 2022 campaign with more hope than they’ve had in a long while. Detroit’s rebuild has begun to bear fruit, with the team’s above .500 showing from May 1 onwards suggesting the roster has at least progressed to respectable after a four-season stretch in which the Tigers were among the worst teams in the league.

Detroit dipped into free agency a bit last offseason, picking up Robbie Grossman and bringing back Jonathan Schoop. Those low-cost additions paid off, and both Grossman and Schoop will return in 2022 (the latter on a midseason, two-year extension). Owner Christopher Illitch suggested in August the club could make some “high-impact” additions to the roster this winter. Speaking with reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News and Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press) this afternoon, general manager Al Avila shined some light on more specific target areas for the club.

Bolstering the starting pitching is a primary goal, with Avila bluntly noting that “an established starter would be a necessity, yes. … If you can add an established starter that can give you those type of innings, that’ll be a big plus for us. If we can’t, for whatever reason, then again, we’re going to have to mix and match more often. If we could come in and sign a good, established starter to be part of that rotation, it’s a big plus. We can’t guarantee that, because I don’t know how the market is going to play out.”

Detroit has broken in young pitchers like Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning over the past couple years, but they’re lacking in veteran certainty at the moment. Excepting Mize, Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd were the Tigers’ best starters this past season. Turnbull will miss most or all of next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, and Boyd himself underwent a late-season elbow procedure that puts his future with the organization in question.

Boyd is expected to pitch at some point in 2022, but it’s not clear that’ll be in Detroit. The southpaw is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and would be entitled to a raise on this year’s $6.5MM salary if tendered a contract. It’s possible Detroit non-tenders Boyd in hopes of re-signing him to a lesser salary. Doing that would give Boyd an opportunity to hear from other clubs, though, and Avila acknowledged such a scenario would involve “a decision to be made on his part, if it gets to that point.”

Regardless of whether the club tenders Boyd a contract, the season-opening rotation needs to be addressed. Manning himself struggled and could require some additional Triple-A time. Tyler Alexander had a nice season but has worked in a swing capacity throughout his career. Last offseason’s José Ureña pickup didn’t work out, while Wily Peralta quietly posted a 3.12 ERA over 92 1/3 innings but only struck out 14.4% of opposing hitters. Both Ureña and Peralta are slated to reach free agency this offseason. Reuniting with either player wouldn’t be costly, but both hurlers are better fits for the back-end of a rotation anyhow.

As always, free agency offers a wide variety of starting pitchers. Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Marcus Stroman and former Tiger Max Scherzer are top-of-the-rotation arms who’ll land significant deals this winter. Jon Gray and Steven Matz are among the mid-rotation options, while there are a host of veteran innings-eater types who figure to land lower-cost one or two-year deals. Given the Tigers’ needs throughout the rotation, it seems likely Avila and his staff will try to land multiple additions, perhaps one higher-tier option and a more affordable back-end piece.

On the position player side, Avila pointed to shortstop and catcher as the most likely target areas. Niko Goodrum and Willi Castro are each coming off disappointing years, contributing to the Tigers’ cumulative .201/.275/.321 line from the shortstop position. The upcoming free agent class is loaded, and there’s already been speculation about the possibility of Astros star Carlos Correa reuniting with former Houston skipper A.J. Hinch in the Motor City. Correa’s just one of numerous options who’ll be available.

Any investment in the top of the shortstop market would certainly count as “high-impact,” but it’d require a significant expenditure. Avila didn’t rule out that possibility, telling reporters he’d have “no fear factor in signing a big contract” but cautioning that the front office doesn’t feel obligated to land a superstar in free agency.

The Tigers’ payroll outlook could certainly support such an investment, should Avila and his group zero in on Correa or any other top-of-the-market player. Detroit has just under $45MM on the books in guaranteed money for next season, in the estimation of Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez. That’s before accounting for an arbitration class that includes Turnbull, Michael Fulmer and Jeimer Candelario, but there’ll still be plenty of room if Illitch is willing to sign off on a payroll anywhere near the $160+MM range at which the franchise perennially spent before embarking on the rebuild.

With the rotation, shortstop and catching situation taking precedence, Avila downplayed the possibility of making significant alterations in the outfield. Grossman will return in a corner spot, while Akil Baddoo earned a season-opening job with an impressive performance as a Rule 5 draftee. Avila suggested top prospect Riley Greene could make an impact at some point, not surprising considering he’s begun his Triple-A career with a .308/.400/.553 line over 185 plate appearances. And the club still has Víctor Reyes and Derek Hill as in-house options capable of manning center field.

Hill, whose season ended early because of a meniscus tear in his left knee, will undergo surgery in the coming days, Hinch informed reporters. The manager downplayed the severity of the procedure, and it seems he’s expected to be ready for Spring Training. Hill’s one of numerous young players likely to take on key roles with next year’s club, but Avila’s comments unsurprisingly suggest the franchise anticipates taking further steps towards contention this winter.

Free Agent Notes: Correa, Iglesias, Rodriguez

By TC Zencka | October 2, 2021 at 11:30am CDT

The upcoming free agent shortstop market has been talked about for awhile now, and we’re still a few months off from seeing how the whole thing plays out. Perhaps the most coveted of the soon-to-be available shortstops is the Astros’ Carlos Correa. One potential match for Correa’s services will be the Tigers, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

The Tigers are an up-and-coming team with plenty of financial flexibility, and it’s certainly interesting to think about Correa once again teaming up with his former skipper A.J. Hinch. As hard as it is to imagine Correa leaving Houston, they do have prospect Jeremy Pena waiting in the wings, making an exit at least feasible. The Tigers, meanwhile, have one of the most open shortstop situations in the game, with incumbent Niko Goodrum easily able to shift into a super-utility role.

Angels’ closer Raisel Iglesias figures to be another in-demand free agent this winter. His priority, however, is re-signing with the Angels, writes Jeff Fletcher of the Orange-County Register. Iglesias made the most of his first season with the Angels, tossing 69 innings in 64 appearances with a 2.61 ERA/2.87 FIP. He has notched 34 saves, a mark that will look attractive to contenders this offseason.

In terms of rotations arms, there are few with the upside of the Red Sox’ Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez and the Red Sox spoke about a possible extension earlier in the year, but there wasn’t much progress made and the two sides ultimately decided to table talks until the offseason, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. After complications from COVID-19 cost Rodriguez all of 2020, he has returned to his usual stable workload, making 31 starts for the playoff hopefuls.

Rodriguez hasn’t quite pitched to his pre-2020 level, though his 4.77 ERA may be a touch inflated. A 3.33 FIP suggests the 28-year-old hasn’t lost a step. He’s tossed 156 2/3 innings with an above-average 27.4 percent strikeout rate, 7.0 percent walk rate, 44.2 percent groundball rate, all numbers that will look good on Rodriguez’s free agent resume this winter.

Tigers Place Victor Reyes On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Zack Short

By TC Zencka | September 26, 2021 at 8:44am CDT

The Tigers placed Victor Reyes on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, the team announced. Given the amount of time left in the season, Reyes’ year is done. In a corresponding move, Zack Short has been recalled from Triple-A.

Reyes, 26, has played well enough in the second half to put himself in the conversation for an outfield spot next year. Reyes has just an 88 wRC+ on the year, but he hit .325/.348/.516 across 134 plate appearances in the second half. He doesn’t walk enough (3.6 percent walk rate), nor does he offer much pop (.158 ISO), but he saw some growth in the latter category this season, and if he continues on that upward trajectory, he could find regular at-bats for a Detroit team on the rise.

Short has been back and forth from Toledo to Detroit a couple of times this season. The 26-year-old right-handed infielder hit .147/.239/.293 in 176 plate appearances with the Tigers. That’s not enough bat, obviously, though his positional flexibility and ability to handle shortstop will make him a roster candidate next season.

AL Notes: Avila, Tigers, Angels, Vazquez

By Mark Polishuk | September 25, 2021 at 10:18pm CDT

Tigers president/CEO Christopher Ilitch said in August that his team was willing to go after “high-impact players” this offseason, and spend as necessary (or if necessary) to obtain such talent. Ilitch reiterated those comments again speaking with The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters recently, while GM Al Avila made further remarks hinting at a busy offseason, if not necessarily an all-in push for the 2022 season in particular. “Just rest assured we’re going to try to improve this team for next year and make a big push,” Avila said. “We feel we are very close to being in the playoffs. We’re not too far away.”

Detroit improved to 75-79 with today’s 5-1 victory over the Royals, so the Tigers still have a shot at their first winning season since 2016. The Tigers essentially sunk their season by starting out with only nine wins in their first 33 games, yet they’ve quietly been one of baseball’s better teams every since, going 66-55 since that ugly 33-game start. With the Twins and Indians taking a step backwards in 2021, the Royals still waiting for their latest rebuild to bear fruit, and the White Sox playing well but hardly dominating on their way to the AL Central title, the Tigers may feel the opportunity is ripe to return to contention. It remains to be seen how extensive the Tigers’ shopping spree will be this winter, but after several years of rebuilding, Detroit fans are surely excited to see what headlines their club can generate in the offseason.

Injury Notes: Cousins, Andrus, Loaisiga, Taillon, Cisnero

By Mark Polishuk | September 25, 2021 at 6:37pm CDT

The Brewers placed righty Jake Cousins on the 10-day injured list due to a right biceps strain, as right-hander Miguel Sanchez was called up from Triple-A to take Cousins’ spot on the active roster. Speaking with The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak and other reporters, Brewers GM Matt Arnold described Cousins’ injury as “nothing major,” adding that “We just want to be careful. It’s that time of year where we want to make sure he’s available in a playoff capacity.”

Considering that Cousins didn’t even make his MLB debut until June 21, his status as a potential postseason weapon is a sign of how well he has performed during his rookie season. Cousins has a 2.70 ERA over 30 relief innings, along with an eye-popping 35.2% strikeout rate — not far off his minor league numbers since joining the Milwaukee organization in 2019. While Cousins’ control hasn’t been nearly as impressive (15.2% walk rate), opponents haven’t been able to take much advantage, as Cousins has been carving up batters with his wipeout slider.

More on other injury situations around baseball…

While scoring the game-winning run in the Athletics’ 2-1 walkoff win over the Astros today, Elvis Andrus suffered a left ankle injury and had to be helped off the field. A’s manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos and other reporters that Andrus is getting x-rays after “feeling a pop” in his ankle. More will be known after Andrus has been tested, but it certainly looks like the 33-year-old’s season could be over, as the shortstop could be facing a serious injury. It has been a tough year overall for Andrus, as he has hit only .243/.294/.320 over 541 plate appearances in his first season in Oakland.
The Yankees could have Jonathan Loaisiga and Jameson Taillon back from the injured list during the club’s upcoming series against the Blue Jays, manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including ESPN’s Marly Rivera and Newsday’s Erik Boland). Loaisiga was sidelined on September 5 with a strained right rotator cuff, but the reliever has already thrown one bullpen session and will throw another soon, Boone said. Taillon has missed close to the game amount of time with an ankle injury, though he has been on a minor league rehab assignment and threw a bullpen today.
Jose Cisnero’s IL stint has lasted beyond the minimum 10 days, and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that while Cisnero hasn’t yet been shut down, a return this season is “improbable.” Cisnero has been hampered by swelling around the right elbow laceration that first sent him to the injured list back on September 14. If this is it for the right-hander in 2021, Cisnero will finish with a 3.65 ERA over 61 2/3 innings, marking his third consecutive year of solid work out of Detroit’s bullpen.

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