The Detroit Tigers entered August of 2024 with little chance of making the postseason. It clearly wasn't part of their development plan, as Scott Harris traded Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Trey Sweeney and Thayron Liranzo, who is rated a top-100 prospect in MLB by some outlets.
The Tigers miraculous run to the postseason will be remembered for a long time in the Motor City. The Gritty Tigs operated without much power in the lineup, and a rotation headlined by AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and little else in the way of dependable innings. None of it matters, as the Tigers defeated the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card round and eventually lost to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS. They fought the good fight.
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Tigers didn't make enough moves this offseason, which spells trouble
This all makes the 2025 Tigers an intriguing storyline in the American League. Are these Tigers the team we watched thrive in August and September, or was that just a mirage? Harris made some wise acquisitions in the front office, such as Gleyber Torres, Flaherty and Alex Cobb (assuming he can stay healthy), but Detroit is missing a big bat alongside Riley Greene and some starting pitching depth.
An important player who didn't play much of a role in the Tigers run was Javier Baez, who has disappointed in his three seasons in Detroit. last year was his worst, as Baez, who is normally a steady enough defensive player to register a positive WAR, had a -1.1 WAR and .516 OPS. He was dreadful.
Will the Tigers give Javier Baez another chance?
If the Tigers had any way out of Baez's contract, they would surely take it. For now, he is dead weight the team seems intent on giving regular playing time to. This is despite the emergence of Sweeney at the end of last season, who was a key piece in the Flaherty trade with the Dodgers. As Brian Murphy of MLB.com wrote this week, don't be surprised if Baez starts the season getting most of the reps at shortstop:
"Báez is still under contract for three more years at $73 million. The Tigers will likely give him as many chances as possible to remain their leader at shortstop in part because of that commitment. But the 24-year-old Sweeney is 'starting to see the game slow down a little bit,' according to Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris," Murphy wrote.
There are 162 regular season games, so what happens on Opening Day is hardly of consequence. However, should Baez struggle, the Tigers must pull the plug, as much as it may hurt watching him rake in cash from the bench.