The Detroit Tigers Need To Sell At The Deadline, But It's Still Depressing As Hell

I've been a grump throughout this whole process. I struggle with trade deadlines because I don't know the future. I don't do much research on other teams' farm systems. I'm a little bit done with even having to pay attention to that stuff. The truth is most teams don't give a shit about their farm system. The front office does, but fans of good teams don't think about how many pieces they have in their farm system. 

Unfortunately, a team like the Tigers does because that's our only real hope for the future. I've outlined how I feel about this current deadline for the Detroit Tigers. The writing is on the wall. They have no chance of winning an awful American League Central, and they have Michael Lorenzen on an expiring contract and Eduardo Rodriguez, who has an opt-out after this year. Those guys will likely be gone. It is best for the organization's future, but I still hate it. 

I remember back in 2015 when the Tigers were out of the wildcard race and decided to dump David Price, Yoenis Cespedes, and Joakim Soria at the deadline. It was earth-shattering. Detroit fans weren't used to that. We went a decade where even our not-so-great teams were buyers at the deadline. To have a season in which things went sideways felt wrong. Eight years later, selling off assets at the deadline is commonplace. And again, I need to reiterate that the organization is doing the right thing. This group will only compete for something if they return to full health. They could hang around for a bit because the division was so terrible. 

There are a few good pieces but nothing that leads me to believe they can compete in 2023. It's the right decision, but selling isn't fun. It never has been. Trade deadlines are things that a lot of Tigers fans look forward to nowadays, which only depresses me more because it's not something that you should be excited about. Selling at the deadline is your team admitting that your season is a dud. That's all every season has been for this team since 2014. It's glimpses of hope followed by long stretches of ineptitude. It's made all the worse because there are teams like the Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Orioles, who started their rebuild after the Tigers did, and yet find themselves in much better standing than the Tigers are right now. 

I'm always going to hang on to this team. I know many people that will. We're die-hards for a reason. And I didn't expect anything out of the 2023 tigers. They've been more watchable than I expected them to be, but that isn't saying much. Just because I'm not covering my eyes in horror when this team takes the field doesn't exactly fill me with warm, positive emotions. Time does fly by very fast, but next year at this time, it will have been ten years since the Tigers last made a push to the postseason. 

We live in a day and age where it is easier to make it to October than ever. The expanded postseason allows for more teams to be buyers at the deadline. Look at what the Los Angeles Angels are doing this year. From 1988 to 2005, we lost an entire generation of Tigers fans. It took a magical 2006 run to win folks back. Could the Tigers be competitive in a few years? For sure, but Dave Dombrowski isn't walking through that door. Hoarding prospects at the deadline may entice people like me, but it doesn't do anything for the average fan. It's why I do not envy Scott Harris for the job he's tasked with. He hasn't just been asked to rebuild a team. He's been asked to win back a fan base. I hope that happens one day, but until then, we will be left with our yearly unloading of assets. It's a sad time to be a Tigers fan.