No doubt, Detroit Tiger fans are thrilled that former Tampa Bay Ray pitcher David Price will be joining their club via trade. After all, Price is one of the best starting pitchers in the game and, he's a southpaw -- a lefty -- which the Tigers' normal starting rotation didn't have before.
Added to their current crop of starters, which many already thought was the best staff in baseball, they just became a little more formidable. They now have 5 top-notch starters. No weak spots.
Yes, former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is having a bit of an "average" season, but reigning Cyster Max Scherzer continues to be dominant. Youngster Rick Porcello is near the top in overall wins across both leagues, and Anabel Sanchez remains his reliable, and sometimes terrific self.
An old baseball adage states a team can never have enough pitching. Perhaps that's true, but as Isaac Newton long ago proved, for every action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction. Major league teams are limited as to their roster size, and for every take, there has to be a give.
The Tigers gave up center fielder Austin Jackson and pitcher Drew Smyly to get Price. Was this smart? Maybe. Jackson wasn't having the best of seasons, but Smyly was a sort of 'tweener when it came to their pitching staff. He could spot-start, or come out of the bullpen in a middle to late relief role. Even the Tigers and their fans have acknowledged their bullpen is their Achilles heel at times. Set-up man Joba Chamberlain is hit or miss, no pun intended, and aging close Joe Nathan is a "hold your breath" kind of guy when he comes in attempting to get the last few outs. Recently acquired reliever Joakim Soria has been lit up like the proverbial pin-ball machine since he joined the Tigers.
The point is -- the Tigers didn't need another starting pitcher, especially at the cost of Jackson and Smyly. Those guys filled valuable roles, and now they're gone.
Given the mediocre competition in the AL Central division, it's almost a given the Tigers will win it and advance to the post-season. Price is a great pitcher, but....
Here's the kicker. When the playoffs start -- a team actually has no use for a fifth quality starter -- and perhaps not even a fourth one. With the "travel" and rest days that are built into 5 and 7 game playoff series', most times only the three top starting pitchers are really necessary. In other words, if they advance that far, the Tigers will have a couple very good starting pitchers that will never see a start in the post-season.
Could somebody like a Verlander or a Sanchez be relegated to the bullpen to be used as needed in pressure-packed must-win post-season games? Sure. But then what's the point of having all the other guys in the pen that will never see duty?
Assuming the Tigers cruise into the playoffs, it will be interesting to see which among their "Fab 5" actually gets the starts, and which others find themselves in roles they're not accustomed to, if they have any roles at all.
So yeah, in the short term, the acquisition of Price is a smart move. But it cost the Tigers a fairly good every day player plus a versatile pitcher. Which would come in more handy when the playoffs start?
In that respect, this may have been a dumb move.
Good luck to rookie manager Brad Ausmus sorting all that out in October. When the playoffs start, he'll have to cut back his September "call-ups" and pare his roster back to the same 25 best guys that can help his team win as every other manager does.
With the addition of Price -- that could get interesting.
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