What are the Detroit Tigers doing?

After coming within two games of a trip to the World Series, the Detroit Tigers might have regressed more than any other contender in the 2013-2014 off-season. They’ve lost important players, suffered injuries, and then haven’t been able to replace those injured players.

The first significant move, the trade of first baseman Prince Fielder to the Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler, was a step in the right direction. With reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in need of a new contract, it was a smart move by the Tigers to dump the remaining seven years of a nine year contract. This move also upgraded a weak middle infield by adding one of the best middle infielders in the game in Kinsler. However, Fielder is likely the better player at this point in his career, so Detroit regressed with this move.

In an off-season of puzzling moves, the Tigers traded starting pitcher Doug Fister to the Washington Nationals for infielder Steve Lombardozzi and two south-paws, Ian Krol and Robbie Ray. If the first move didn’t represent a step back, the Fister trade clearly shows a regression from last season. The strength of the Tigers last year was being able to send out four elite pitchers in Scherzer, Fister, ace Justin Verlander, and regular season ERA leader Anibal Sanchez. Last season, the Tigers had the best pitching staff in the American League.

Now? It’ll be lucky to be elite. I highly doubt that Sanchez will be able to repeat his numbers, and the same goes for Scherzer. Verlander will be the ace that he always has been, but the Detroit pitching staff will take a major step back next season.

Finally, we arrive at what confused me more than any move by the Tigers this winter: the Miguel Cabrera extension. The Detroit third baseman and the club agreed to a 8 year $248 million extension last week. Along with the two remaining years on Cabrera’s contract, the Tigers will owe $292 million to the game’s best slugger over the next ten years.

The reaction among the members of the baseball industry can be summed up by the phrase, “What are the Tigers thinking?”. This is such an outrageous contract that it can’t be overstated how much of a hamstring this will place on Detroit’s funds for the next ten seasons. General Manager Dave Dombrowski has done a terrific job in his Detroit tenure, but it’s hard for me to not shake my head at this signing.

First of all, what was the need to give him this extension right now? Cabrera’s current contract still has two years and $44 million left, and the Tigers have full leverage until the contract expires. Why not wait until next off-season at the least, and then offer him a much more reasonable contract? Indications given off by Cabrera’s camp show that the slugger loves the city and the team, and might have taken a discount to stay in the Motor City.

By extending Cabrera with two years left, the Tigers were bidding against themselves. This wasn’t free agency, where every team has to raise their offer to beat other teams, such as the Mariners’ signing of second baseman Robinson Cano.

What should the Tigers have done? Waited. They should have let Cabrera play this season out, which is the penultimate year on his contract. They should have waited it out, and come to him next off-season with an extension. And if he wasn’t willing to take a discount, they should have traded him. Sure, he is the best hitter in Major League Baseball. But there is no player that is worth paying for ten years for close to $300 million.

With this contract, the Tigers will stay in salary purgatory for a decade. Remember, the Tigers don’t play in New York, Los Angeles, or even Boston. They don’t have the same revenue stream as the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox.

In one off-season, the Tigers traded a very good starting pitcher and a slugger, while acquiring a lesser value second-baseman and two pitching prospects. Steve Lombardozzi? The only position player acquired by the Tigers in the Fister trade was shipped to Baltimore for shortstop Alex Gonzalez. This was done to fill the void left by shortstop Jose Iglesias’ likely season ending injury. Then, they committed ten years to a 30 year old.

The other American League contenders are licking their lips, while I’m bewildered by the Detroit off-season.