Just a few days after Thanksgiving the first domino has fallen in the free agent market. According to multiple reports, the Tigers are near inking starting pitcher, Jordan Zimmerman, to a deal, in the ballpark, of 5 years and $110 million. Considering that the former Nats starter is going to be guaranteed over $100 million, it does nothing, but up the price on already expensive aces on the market. Zimmerman was rumored to be the “fall back” plan for teams going after aces such as David Price or Greinke. With Zimmerman receiving $110 million, there should be no doubt the top tier guys ink deals worth over $150 million. But, what does Jordan becoming a Tiger mean for the Detroit franchise?
A two year rebuild is the better way to go for the Tigers, as their farm system is weak, but clearly that is not the plan. Dave Dombrowski is out and Al Avila is in, so the question of the franchise’s direction was the first to answer. Avila answered that by acquiring closer Francisco Rodriguez , and now again with the signing of Zimmerman. It is safe to to say that despite a last place AL Central finish along with emotionally trading away Cespedes at the deadline, Detroit is planning on going from bottom to top in 2016. The two main issues that need to be addressed in order for the Tigers to reach the Series is lack of bullpen help (especially at closer) and a clear cut guy atop the starting rotation. It’s not even November and Avila has already fulfilled both needs in style.
Jordan Zimmerman was drafted in the second round of the 2007 draft by the Nats, climbed up the prospect ladder as overall #41 in baseball, and now has an MLB record of 70-50 with an ERA of 3.32. He is a two-time NL all-star who has two top 10 CY Young finishes, and a no hitter on the last day of the 2014 regular season. He may not be a flashy ace such as Price or Kershaw, but he will certainly get the job done. Just like James Shields was the perceived ace in KC for a couple years, Zimmerman was in DC, that is before Scherzer joined the squad. In the past 4 years he has averaged over 91 pitches per appearance while going deep into the 7th. That reveals that he is a relatively quick pitcher. If need be, Zimmerman can strike out an abundance of batters (7.4 K/9 career), but the important stat is that around 70% of his starts have been of quality the past 4 seasons (league average 52%). Yes Jordan is getting overpaid with roughly $22 million a year, but the truth is, in order to get the guy a team wants, they have to overpay.
Now with an elite closer back home in the AL and a nice piece atop the rotation to head Verlander, Sanchez, and Greene, the Tigers are no longer looking like a last place team. The offense had a down year in 2015, but batting .270 as a team with over 150 homers was still impressive. A few more bullpen pieces and a good outfield bat will fill the remaining spots to get the Tigers to an elite level. However, despite the Tigers looking great in the short term, the future 3 years from now doesn’t. With the two biggest shopping items off the list with plenty of offseason time left, hopefully Avila can realize the lack of depth in the farm system, and can start acquiring prospects that will be ready to take over when big contracts come off the books as well as stars get too old.
