The mailman has arrived:
Q — What does it take to be a reliever/closer? What type of mentality is needed? Is there an organization in the majors that has a pipeline training system that might be a model? Without thinking to much about the issue, the one pitcher I remember who went from Top Starter to Top Reliever was Lansing’s own and former Tigers farm hand, John Smoltz. But as I recall he needed to work on it with a sports psychologist.
Jim F.
A — Jim: You’re asking a natural question that teams all the time mull. Psychology typically doesn’t factor as much as whether a guy’s stuff might play up in shorter stints. An inning or two innings versus five or six can add 2-or-3 mph to a fastball. Also, if a guy has two quality pitches and lacks a third, the bullpen can be his answer. Mentality can definitely factor in the closer role, but definitely finishes a distant second to raw stuff.
Q — What are the odds this (Wednesday’s bullpen collapse at Pittsburgh) happens to one organization over the course of 20-plus years and several different front offices? It hurt the Tigers in a couple of World Series, and in the ensuing years and during their best chance in 2013. It’s like watching Ground Hog Day. Scott Harris needs to pony up and get some flamethrowers.
On another note, I want to congratulate you and Joe on a fine Substack presentation that keeps this mess of a season fun, in one aspect. Keep up the great reporting.
Dave
A — Dave: Thank you, a bunch, for the nice words — and for your historical reference. Because you’re right: This has been going on a long, long time for the Tigers. It’s why the 2013 team lost a world championship it otherwise was going to win. Bullpens aren’t the easiest to build, we know. It’s why most clubs at the trade deadline are looking for relief help. But some teams just do a better job there, and the Guardians are a prime example. Scott Harris’ principal mission heading into 2027 (if there’s a season, of course) will be to figure out that back end. It was the one big question some of us had coming into 2026 and has obviously been a steady saboteur.
Q — I completely understand the need to trade Skubal, but can you help me understand why I’m not seeing much conversation about signing Mize? Surely with his limited track record he won’t fetch nearly the price of Skubal. Why not try to sign him? Or is the thought that we trade him now and try to sign him anyways, a la Jack Flaherty?
Andrew from Ypsilanti
A — Andrew: Thanks for the question, and sorry for the delay in responding to your question, which preceded the eventual trades. As for the Tigers being involved in the Skubal (or Mize) sweepstakes, I suspect not, and certainly not with respect to Skubal. He’s going to go for a fortune, and given that he turns 30 this autumn, I would be against any team with reasonable payroll limits spending $300 million or more when that cash can be spread much more practically to cover other free-agent investments. The Dodgers and Mets probably can budget for those kinds of bucks. The Tigers? No way, not in this view.
Q — Why do the Tigers continue to “waste” valuable playing time on Javy Baez and Gleyber Torres, two players who are not in the future plans? Down the stretch I’d like to see a standard infield of Torkelson at first, Hao-Yu Lee at second, McGonigle at short, and Keith at third. Let the kids play.
Gary Betz
Ionia, Mich.
A -- Gary, not sure you’re going to find widespread agreement on the Baez-Torres front. The Tigers frankly tend to play better when those guys are in the lineup, at least in the case of Torres. Baez’s advantage at short is defense, even if his throws often leave people properly irked. He isn’t needed as much in center field since Max Clark arrived, but still offers help there. So, I think he’ll stay in the picture, even if his old habits at the plate drive everyone nuts. Torres is here for another six weeks or so. And then, well, Lee looks as if he’ll be the answer. It’s possible Jace Jung becomes a platoon option there next year. Max Anderson’s future is to be considered, as well. A lot to shake out (beginning with the question: Will there be a next season?).
Q — I was one of those at the time who in 2021 couldn’t believe they passed on a franchise shortstop (Marcelo Mayer) for a high school pitcher (Jackson Jobe). Pretty sure we talked about it on Twitter at the time. For now, anyway, credit where it’s due Al Avila — I gotta take the L here.
Jordan Michael Gehrke
A — Jordan: You’re in a long line, myself included. As explained in the column, Al Avila, a terrific scout, could see that Marcelo Mayer was a tad shy on overall sizzle when it came to making a call at three-overall. The Tigers saw that Jackson Jobe was on another level of prep pitcher. It was criticized, for all the reasons drafting high school pitchers has historically been more than risky, but today Avila and the Tigers scouts (David Chadd, Scott Pleis, etc.) definitely have won the duel.
Q — The Tigers draft overview you presented (“Tigers are unveiling their 2026 draft talent at Lakeland, and early reviews are strong — and intriguing”) was very promising. Assuming these prospects stay healthy (always a bold assumption!) and combined with the apparently excellent draft hauls of the White Sox, Twins, and Guardians, is it fair to say the AL Central will finally rise from general mediocrity to an MLB power, top to bottom, within two years?
Garth Banninga
Grand Ledge, Mich. (via St Johns, Mich.)
A — Garth: I think you’re onto it, oh hometown native. The AL Central has had its last season for a while of being MLB’s low-rent district. Everyone is younger and getting better and talent that hasn’t yet blossomed is about to bloom. The White Sox, Guardians, Twins, and even Royals are getting nothing but better. The Tigers have a nice, self-perpetuating farm system going, but they needed the Vitamin B shot they got from those Skubal and Mize trades, particularly on the pitching side. Detroit will be part of the resurgence, for sure.
Q — As covered at length, leverage relievers are hard to come by and difficult to project... and acquire. There seem to be few options on the Tiger farm. At what point does an organization consider conversion from power arm starter to lights out closer? And who should they be considering as we turn the page toward the future? Is it smart to start converting injury-prone arms? River Ryan? Reese Olson? Witherspoon? If not, what other starters could max out as lights out inning-at-a-time?
Rev. D. Lee Andrzejewski
A — Rev. Darryl: Always, great questions from one of my favorite clerics: You ask something every MLB team asks, the Tigers included, when it comes to deciding whether a pitcher is a starter or a reliever. I think you might have hit on a potential answer in River Ryan. They’ll start him, at least initially, but he looks like one of those guys who can throw wipeout late innings. And this team has to get serious about making such arms options for a back end that is killing them, and too often through the years has killed them. Reese Olson would not qualify, based on his fastball velocity and repertoire. Malachi Witherspoon, conceivably, is one of those guys who seemingly could move. You always want to adequately determine a starter’s propensity for giving you quality innings. If it looks like the stuff might play better in shorter stints, bullpen, here they come. Great question, thank you.
Q — This front office has fallen in love with past performances and ignored age and in some cases recent trends. I realize the reliever market is typically thin but I would rather see more chances with younger, less expensive candidates than committing millions to guys like Jansen.
Scott Van Norwick
A — Scott: Again, as referenced in the response to Rev. Darryl, the problem is finding those younger, less expensive guys. A case in point: Tanner Kohlhepp at Erie. He’s a big (6-4) right-hander and a fifth-rounder from Notre Dame who in 2021 looked like one of those eventual back-end options. He missed a year with Tommy John and is back, healthy, and pitching, at times, like a guy who might yet evolve into a fireman. But the numbers are so-so: 4.27 ERA in 38 games, 52.2 innings, 46 hits, 13 walks, 56 strikeouts. Maybe, at some point? But not yet. So many guys like that. The Tigers have had a ton of young pitchers get hurt who might by now have been looking like options. But so far, the pickings have been ultra-lean.
Q — I’m down with these trades for the most part, and the timing. Clearly you can’t work a Casey Mize trade while everyone is waiting for you to trade Skubal. But who starts now for the Tigers? Valdez, Melton, Montero? Then who? Ty Madden? Jackson Jobe? Jack Flaherty? What if we have another injury? I’m not in the least upset, I’m just wondering how many bullpen games Hinch is going to have to negotiate from here to the end of the season. Does A. J. have hazard pay included in his contract?
David Hunsicker
A — Thanks for hanging on, David, to my tardy response to your pre-Jobe question, and ah, I think you’ve had a glimpse at how they can fill in this rotation. It’s the bullpen, obviously, that creates so many issues. And that’s got to change ahead of next season. So many would-be deep playoff years, and even World Series parades, have been sunk by these relievers. Their rotation gets them into games their bullpen can’t finish. Such a waste of so many games.
Q — Why hasn’t Cris Rodriguez been promoted to Low-A Lakeland? Interesting to see Angel De Los Santos promoted, but not Rodriguez.
Kyle
A — Kyle: Proper question, given that both De Los Santos and Rodriguez are 18. But it comes down to developmental maturity (and sometimes position) when these guys are promoted. It’s uncommon to have a kid 18 playing Low-A. De Los Santos is a bit more advanced, while Rodriguez has some swing-and-miss challenges that would be exploited. It’s probably not a long-term deal-killer for him, but at this point he’s better off on the back fields, with Low-A a near-certainty in 2027. Excellent question.
Q — I seem to recall always trading arms for bats during Dave Dombrowski’s time trying to get the team over the top. How many of those young arms panned out for other teams?
Robert
A — Robert: Terrific question, begging for some research, and the short answer is: Dave usually knew what he was dealing. Not a lot of heavy regrets on the Tigers’ end during his tenure when so many young arms were dealt.
As for more recent times (let’s go with 2025), guarantee you the Orioles love parting last year with Charlie Morton and getting a guy I really liked, Micah Ashman, a lefty reliever. Here’s Ashman’s combined numbers this year at High-A and Double-A: 28 games, 1.74 ERA, 41.1 innings, 33 hits, 11 hits, 65 strikeouts. Josh Randall, who was part of the Kyle Finnegan deal, has been just OK at High-A and Double-A: 4.97 ERA, 1.30 WHIP. R.J. Sales: He was also in the Finnegan deal and has pitched in only two games this season with an upper-body injury.
On other fronts: Jim Jarvis, who was sent to the Braves for Rafael Montero, is a sound gloveman and shortstop who this season made it to the big leagues. Enrique Jimenez, a good-hitting catcher the Tigers shipped to the Twins for two pitchers who didn’t work out (Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak), has been hurt most of 2026 with a broken finger and hamstring issues. This was a necessary update. Thank you for asking.
Q — The team surely knew two years ago that Skubal would test the market. And they (rightly in the opinion of this fan) judged that it would be insanity to commit to $300 million for a (phenomenal) pitcher who already had two major arm surgeries. So in retrospect, they probably should have traded him two years ago to maximize overall value even though they appear to have done a great job this month, considering the circumstances.
So, Riley Greene, who at season’s end will have two seasons left of team control. Do you sign him to a long-term deal entering his age 29 season, given that (1) he has an injury history and (2) he has already had a noticeable decline in his athleticism. I’m not so sure the answer is an automatic yes. And if the answer is no, well, if we’ve learned anything from the Skubal saga, it’s that the incredible return you’d get to trade Greene this offseason will rapidly diminish over time. With a young (and controllable) core as good as anything since the group that made me fall in love with baseball way back in 1978, well, the Tigers could sure use some more pitching.
Marc S.
Q — Strong questions, Marc, with thoughts in this order: Skubal would have been sold for less in 2024 than his ensuing two Cy Young seasons likely could have fetched. And with his loss, you’d have seen two very different 2025 and 2026 seasons in Detroit. I think they hung onto him properly and did well with their deadline trade return.
As for Riley Greene: I, and some others, believe you might be onto something. It would depend, obviously, on a trade package meeting the Tigers’ needs. But I could see such a deal happening two years ahead of free agency (Greene and Skubal obviously are totally different talents and examples). The Tigers would need some fortification in the outfield (and a right-hand bat), but with Max Clark, Brett Callahan (he’s going to be a keeper), and Parker Meadows likely to make it back next season with odds saying he’ll finally be healthy, the Tigers, for a proper price, might be willing to make just such a deal for Greene.
Q — What about Jack Flaherty as a high-leverage reliever when he gets back? He has a good strikeout rate, and experience in pressure situations.
Mike
A — Mike: It’s a logical move, I understand. But some guys and their repertoires are either definitively more aligned with a starter (or long relief) role, or they have the capacity to tick up in shorter stints and be stronger. Flaherty is a starter. Short relief? I think you’d probably agree that, yeah, he’s a starter.
Q — “The Tigers rank sixth in baseball in bullpen ERA. Their relievers have also blown the second most saves in baseball …”
That statistic is incredible.
Ray McConnell
A — (Joe Rampe’s answer): Saves tend to be a bit of an underrated stat in my opinion. They’re not as highly valued as they used to be, but we’re seeing with this year’s Tigers the downside of not being able to convert those save opportunities consistently.
A — (Lynn Henning’s thought): You nailed it, Ray. It’s a prime example of being defined by the weakest link. And the weak link, or blown gasket, or whatever metaphor might be chosen, shows up time and time again, and mostly, I would submit, because age and the inability to consistently overpower hitters is absent from a back-end Tigers bullpen that gets exposed by so few lockdown innings.
Q — I vividly remember all the hype on the return for Verlander in 2017. All three -- Franklin Perez, Jake Rogers, Daz Cameron — would soon be stars wearing a Tigers uniform. We all know how that worked out. I see your point in trading Skubal and Mize, but you can never be sure about lower-level minor leaguers in return, even if they are highly touted. Perez could have been the real deal but injuries derailed his career. And Cameron and Rogers never panned out. I could also mention the return when we traded Justin Upton to the Diamondbacks, but it’s too painful to recount. My point is that getting High-A or Double-A players in return for Skubal or Mize is very risky. Of course, I would rather see the Tigers get major-league ready Triple-A players and pitchers who are tearing up their league but can’t crack their MLB teams. Still risky, I understand, but perhaps not as much. I just hope Scott Harris doesn’t adopt the attitude of “beggars can’t be choosers.”
Lance Littlejohn
A — Lance: Agree with parts of your overall assessment, but in this case I think the Tigers did very well with their Skubal/Mize trades. I think it was smart to hang onto them, and smart to deal, given that they were going to be gone in a few weeks, and the bullpen would remain in peril (without many practical moves available to make it better). The talent they got back is certified Grade A, for the most part, even though injuries always can change matters. But in this case, I really believed the Tigers acted prudently. As for the thoughts on the Verlander deal: Franklin Perez was the prize in that swap. Had never been injured, then, it all crashed. Daz Cameron had a chance and, in fact, is still in the big leagues. Jake Rogers has had quite a career as a back-up. But it was the Perez sequence of injuries that turned that trade upside down.
Q — Given that River Ryan (trade package for Skubal) was likely under an innings limit this year coming back from TJ surgery and his hamstring issues, might he make his debut in relief for the Tigers this year and then aim to stretch him out next year?
Josh
A — I believe you have their blueprint down, Josh. There’s a chance Ryan could yet throw some big-league bullpens. The question: Will it be too late? Great question. I suspect we’ll see a possible answer, along the lines you’ve detailed, even next month.
Thanks, everyone, for a hearty and vibrant series of questions and thoughts.
Email: lhenning@tigersintelligence report.com
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