Kuzul

When the Detroit Tigers gave Jordan Zimmermann a $110 million contract over the winter, they could have imagined his spearheading a charge into the postseason when September came around.

Now they must worry about whether he’ll contribute anything at all, and how many chips that stacks against them in an American League wild-card race that’s getting tighter by the day.

This kind of hand-wringing can’t be avoided after the loss Zimmermann and the Tigers endured at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park on Saturday. Making his first start since Aug. 4 and only his second start since June 30, Zimmermann doomed the Tigers to an 11-3 defeat by collecting only three outs and surrendering six runs on four hits and three walks. Three of the hits left the park.

In other words, he was somehow even worse than he was in his last start back in early August. Zimmermann lasted only an inning and two-thirds in that one, giving up six runs on six hits and two walks to the Chicago White Sox. That’s a 49.09 ERA in his last two outings, a mark that makes only Allan Travers look good by comparison.

Zimmermann was obviously rusty in each of these starts. The veteran right-hander apparently wasn’t fully recovered from a nagging neck injury in the first one, as it put him right back on the disabled list afterward. He may not be fully recovered now, either.

“I have no expectations,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said beforehand, via Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. “I want him to pitch well, but he’s been hurt.”

This situation is similar to what the Los Angeles Dodgers are going through with Clayton Kershaw, save for one major difference. He at least showed good stuff in his return from a long DL stint Friday, so he only needs to find his command to reestablish himself as an ace in the coming weeks. Zimmermann showed neither of these key components Saturday.

“Zimmermann threw 42 pitches. He did not look particularly sharp, or crisp, on any of them,” Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press wrote.

The data bears this out. Per Brooks Baseball, Zimmermann sat at 91.8 miles per hour with his fastball, thus continuing a downward trend that hit a nadir in his last outing:

To boot, Zimmermann threw most of his low-velo fastballs right down the heart of the plate. It’s a trend that predates even his last two stinkers. His usual hard-high, slow-low approach has been compromised.

Metrics like FIP and xFIP suggested Zimmermann was lucky to have started the season out with a 2.58 ERA through his first 10 starts. If he were due for a regression no matter what, all his neck woes did was hasten its arrival. Now it’s fair to wonder if this regression is permanent.

If nothing else, it’s a bummer the first year of the Tigers’ big investment would go into the books as a bust. It would be an even bigger bummer if not having a vintage Zimmermann for the stretch run proves to be the difference between the Tigers going to the postseason and them going home.

The latter would be their fate if the season ended today. At 76-65, the Tigers are six games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central race and one game behind the Orioles for the AL’s second wild-card spot. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees are also 76-65 after winning their seventh in a row Saturday. The Houston Astros also won, putting them just a game-and-a-half behind Detroit and New York.

Point being: The Tigers aren’t going to be able to stumble into the postseason. The time is now.

According to Katie Strang of ESPN.com, Ausmus would not commit to starting Zimmermann again when asked after Saturday’s game. As Jason Beck covered at MLB.com, the choice is between sitting him or running him out there again so super-rookie Michael Fulmer can have extra rest. Either choice puts more pressure on Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd to get their jobs done. The only one that inspires real confidence is Verlander.

With their starting rotation not well set up for crunch time, the Tigers’ best hope is that they’ll be able to downplay their starting pitching question marks. And this is not a fool’s hope.

One thing they have is an offense that’s been clicking since a July slump, and which is due to get another weapon back when Nick Castellanos returns to the lineup. It’s easy to imagine a lineup with Castellanos, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Justin Upton doing some damage.

The Tigers also have a semi-favorable schedule down the stretch. They’re due to play 12 of their final 21 games at home. They also have seven more games against the lowly Minnesota Twins, and they end the season with a trio of games at the lowly Atlanta Braves.

Compare that to what will be happening in the AL East in the next few weeks. The Orioles, Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, who are just a game ahead of Toronto in the division race, are going to be beating up on each other. That could prevent any of the four from taking off.

What are the odds the Tigers make it? Pretty good, actually. FanGraphs gives them a 40.4 percent chance of earning a wild-card spot. That’s higher than the Orioles, Yankees and Astros have.

A tad optimistic, maybe. But also believable. As much as getting Zimmermann back at full strength would have helped the Tigers, not having him hasn’t slowed them down in the last two months. While their rotation is in a modest state of disarray with him in its plans, at least the Tigers don’t need to risk letting him drag them down.

There are no promises to make. Not in this year’s AL wild-card race. No, sir. But for a team that’s not getting an ace it paid for, the Tigers could be in a worse spot.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann went on the 15-day disabled list Monday due to a strained neck.

Continue for updates. 

Anibal Sanchez to Start for Zimmermann

Monday, July 4

MLB.com’s Jason Beck reported the news on Zimmermann and stated Sanchez would fill in for him against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday evening.

This is another setback for Zimmermann, who suffered a groin injury earlier in the season. He also underwent Tommy John surgery in 2009, although he made at least 32 starts in every season from 2012 through 2015.

Thus far this season, Zimmermann has posted a solid 9-4 record with a 3.95 ERA.

The Tigers signed the 30-year-old before the 2016 campaign after he spent the first seven years of his career with the Washington Nationals.

He has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in every season since 2011 and was particularly spectacular in 2014 with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP and 182 strikeouts in 199.2 innings. He also finished with a 2.94 ERA in 2012.

Detroit will be hard-pressed to replace the two-time All-Star, who also finished in the top 10 in National League Cy Young voting in 2013 and 2014. Fortunately for the Tigers, they have Michael Fulmer, Justin Verlander, Mike Pelfrey and Sanchez to turn to as they chase a postseason spot.

Still, the Tigers are a strong contender in the American League Central partially because of the dynamic Verlander-Zimmermann combination at the top of the rotation. They will miss Zimmermann’s production while he recovers.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann suffered a Grade 1 right groin strain Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, and it’s uncertain when he’ll return to action.

Continue for updates.

Zimmermann Diagnosis Revealed

Monday, May 23

Jason Beck of MLB.com reported an MRI revealed a Grade 1 groin strain, adding that the team expects to skip his start this coming weekend against the Oakland Athletics, but noted he’s “day-to-day” after that.

Injury Sidelines Tigers’ Top Starter

After spending the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Washington Nationals, Zimmermann signed a free-agent deal with Detroit prior to the 2016 season. He is dominating this year—to the tune of a 6-2 record and 2.52 ERA.

The Tigers brought in the 29-year-old to join the top of the rotation after they dealt David Price at last year’s trade deadline. The team’s pitch in free agency appealed to him, per Shawn Windsor of the Detroit Free Press.

“The Tigers made me their No. 1 priority,” he said. “That felt good.”

While Zimmermann enjoyed a solid 2015, going 13-10 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, it was a down year by his standards. In 2014, he went 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 182 strikeouts in 199.2 innings. In his first five seasons, he had compiled a 3.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 692.2 innings.

One thing Detroit likely didn’t expect when it signed Zimmermann was injury concerns, as he has been one of the majors’ most consistent and reliable starters over the past handful of seasons. From 2012 through 2015, he made at least 32 starts each year.

One of Zimmermann’s greatest strengths is his durability. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2009, he has largely been healthy. The Tigers are undoubtedly hoping that will continue despite this injury. Unlike the Nats, Detroit may not have the pitching depth needed to make up for the long-term loss of one of its best starters, as the pressure will now shift to the likes of Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Mike Pelfrey and Michael Fulmer.

Pitching was the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel in 2015, as they ranked 28th in ERA (4.64) and 27th in WHIP (1.37). If Zimmermann is on the shelf for an extended period of time, those issues could crop up again.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann has already made history during his inaugural season in Motown, becoming the first starting pitcher in 43 years to begin his tenure with a new team by throwing 20-plus scoreless innings, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

The last pitcher to accomplish the feat was Fred Norman, who was traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1973 season and subsequently introduced himself as a newfound member of the dominant Big Red Machine by logging 26 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

Zimmermann himself threw 24.1 innings for the Tigers before finally allowing his first run in the sixth frame of Monday’s 7-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. He could have extended his streak even longer had Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins not lost sight of a fly ball off the bat of Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien.

After Collins misplayed the fly, fellow outfielder Justin Upton went to scoop up the loose ball, only to have it drop out of his glove, which allowed Semien to reach third base.

Oakland’s Billy Burns recorded an RBI single on the next at-bat, and just like that, Zimmermann‘s historic streak had come to a close.

Though he didn’t quite match Norman’s run from 1973, Zimmermann‘s 24.1 scoreless innings represent the longest streak by any player at the beginning of his tenure with the Tigers, per Elias Sports Bureau (via Baseball Tonight on Twitter).

Rightfully, he received a standing ovation when he left the mound at the end of the sixth inning.

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The Detroit Tigers‘ response to a last-place finish in the AL Central last year was to cast a wide net in the offseason. A few trades and $270 million in free-agent contracts later, it brought back many new toys.

And now, the Tigers can breathe easy knowing at least one of them is panning out even better than they could have hoped.

Signing Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110 million contract was one of Detroit’s first big offseason moves, and it looks like easily their best in the early going of 2016. For his latest act, the veteran right-hander fired six-and-a-third scoreless frames in a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday.

So it goes for Zimmermann. He debuted with seven scoreless innings against the New York Yankees and followed that up with six scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

That makes 19.1 scoreless innings for the former Washington National. If you’re guessing there’s some kind of tidbit in play here, congratulations! Here’s MLB Stat of the Day with your prize:

It’s up to you to care about this, citizen—because Zimmermann sure doesn’t.

“It’s just a number,” the 29-year-old said of his scoreless streak, via Jeffrey Flanagan and Jason Beck of MLB.com. “I just try to go out there and put up zeros and keep the game close. I try to go with a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, and I’ve been able to do that the last few games.”

Zimmermann can play coy all he wants, but the truth is, his 0.00 ERA has been a godsend to the Tigers. It stands in stark contrast to what they’re getting out of $132.75 million left fielder Justin Upton—hitting just .241 with a .624 OPS through 13 games—and it’s also buoyed a starting rotation that’s otherwise been less than ferocious.

Zimmermann, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez looked like a potentially elite trio on paper, but the latter two have combined for a 5.91 ERA in six starts. Overall, the 4.67 ERA the Tigers are getting out of their starters through the first couple of weeks in 2016 rises to 5.60 if Zimmermann and his 0.00 ERA are stricken from the record.

Obviously, Zimmermann won’t sustain a 0.00 ERA forever. But whatever he’s doing, it’s definitely working.

Coming into 2016, I pegged Zimmermann as one of the offseason’s likeliest busts. Though he was coming to Detroit off a five-year stretch highlighted by a 3.14 ERA, a no-hitter and two top-10 finishes in the National League Cy Young voting, his most recent season was littered with red flags.

Among those was a decline in Zimmermann’s fastball velocity, which contributed to a decrease in strikeouts and an increase in home runs. Dave Cameron of FanGraphs saw that last part as being especially concerning, writing, “Without home run suppression, Zimmermann is merely an above-average starter.”

Though Zimmermann ended up with good results, he didn’t silence such fears his first two times out. After dipping to about 93 miles per hour last season, his average fastball velocity dipped to 92 miles per hour. That played a part in striking out only seven batters in 13 innings. And in walking five batters, Zimmermann also lost his typically excellent control.

However, the twist is that Zimmermann didn’t pitch 13 scoreless innings entirely by accident. Hitters just plain couldn’t square him up, as Baseball Savant put the average exit velocity off him at 84.13 miles per hour. Entering Wednesday, that ranked seventh-best among qualified pitchers.

That’s a notable improvement over the 87.9 miles per hour Zimmermann averaged with his exit velocity last year. A search for answers points in the direction of Zimmermann’s slider, which he used for over 30 percent of his pitches. That’s much more often than he’s used to, and the pitch itself has been sharp enough to warrant the extra usage.

According to Brooks Baseball, that trend continued with 41 more sliders out of Zimmermann’s 105 total pitches against the Royals. He also continued to collect soft contact. Per MLB.com, his overall exit velocity is now down to 83.18 miles per hour.

And there’s even more good news. According to Brooks Baseball, Zimmermann’s average fastball velocity spiked to 93.5 miles per hour Wednesday. That helps explain his eight strikeouts. And in throwing 75 of his 105 pitches for strikes, he walked only one.

Though he may not care about his scoreless streak, even Zimmermann had to admit he was bringing it against the Royals.

“I was a little better tonight,” he said, via Katie Strang of ESPN.com. “My stuff was real good tonight. I was in a few jams, was able to get lucky and got out of them. But I had pretty good stuff tonight. It was fun to be out there.”

It’s hard to say what this all adds up to for the time being. Three starts is an awfully small sample size, and Zimmermann hasn’t been the same pitcher in all three of them.

But Zimmermann’s 0.00 ERA obviously looks good, and it’s just as important that he’s not skating wholly on good luck. He’s been incredibly tough for hitters to square up, and now he may have his usual velocity and command working again.

Early though it is, so far it’s all added up to a darn good return on investment for the Tigers. If he can keep it up, it’ll stay that way.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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What was once a sputtering offseason jump-started into high gear over the last week.

Two blockbuster free-agent signings are now in the books since Sunday. Jordan Zimmermann’s agreement with the Detroit Tigers whet the appetite and David Price’s monster deal with the Boston Red Sox put the rest of the market in a post-Thanksgiving contract coma.

Things have cooled in the following days, but only to a simmer since they are expected to boil again next week at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Then we might have a ton to talk about.

For now, this past week provided enough fodder for reflection and projection.

Teams Will Never Stop Offering Mega-Contracts

The examples of nine-figure and $200-plus million contracts that have gone bad, or surely will, are abundant. Even incredibly recent ones like Robinson Cano, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are looking destined to become massive burdens. 

Owners and front offices know this. They see the numbers. They’ve done the research. They have the data. This is not news. It’s not surprising and nobody was caught off guard by how those deals are looking, or will eventually look.

Yet year after year we are seeing a team cave into better judgment to land the player they covet. This year it was the Red Sox handing Price $217 million over seven seasons, the largest contract ever given to a pitcher.

It is a contract that could turn ugly if Price does not exercise his opt-out clause after the third season, and we’ve already seen a comparable player—CC Sabathia—decline quickly after his huge payday. And Price is older at the time of his signing than Sabathia was at the time of his.

Just to chew on: Sabathia and Price had roughly same IP over first 7 full seasons. But Price is 3 years older than CC was at that point.

— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) December 1, 2015

Despite all the history, near future and data that warns against such contracts that take players—pitchers and hitters alike—deep into their 30s, teams cannot help themselves to. They want to win now, and in the now, those deals get you the player in his prime. The ugly consequences come later.

Dave Dombrowski Is Not Ben Cherington

Consecutive last-place finishes, and three in four years, have a way of shifting—or completely demolishing—organizational philosophies.

The Red Sox are the latest proof of that. Signing Price to that kind of deal was pretty much unfathomable under former general manager Ben Cherington’s reign. He opted to make signings like Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Rick Porcello to complement the young talent he helped stockpile, which helped the Red Sox rate No. 2 in Baseball America’s farm system rankings entering last season. While those deals look awful, none went into the ninth figure. 

Dombrowski, new president of baseball operations, works in a very different manner. When he ran the Detroit Tigers, he gave veterans like Fielder, Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera gobs of money while gutting the farm system, which is why the team was dead last in the Baseball America rankings.

But Dombrowski was brought in to win now. And to do that, he needed Price. And to get him, he/ownership had to pay what he/ownership paid. Period.

Jordan Zimmermann Took Less Than His Market Value

The names of the pitchers who, in 2016, will make about the same annual salary that Zimmermann will make is a who’s who of current mediocrity, at best—Homer Bailey, Porcello, Matt Cain, James Shields, C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver.

Zimmermann will make slightly less than those pitchers next season, but we can attribute that to a back-loaded salary structure. However, we cannot attribute it to the fact that the Tigers’ new right-hander threatens to be head and shoulders better than every single one of those pitchers in 2016. At five years and $110 million, Zimmermann likely left years and cash on the table.

Sure, Zimmermann had a down 2015, by his standards. And he has had a Tommy John surgery, making him a likelier candidate for another in the future. But when he is proper, he is among the best starters in the game. And had he become a free agent last winter following a stellar 2014 season, he would have gotten $200 million.

That is why Tyler Kepner of The New York Times calls Zimmermann’s deal a “relative bargain” against the market. Had he waited until after Price’s deal was announced, Zimmermann could have easily—easily!—milked another $15 million out of the Tigers, or more had he added another year to the deal.

As it is, if Zimmermann gets back to close to the ace he was in 2014, the Tigers are going to have one of the biggest bargains of 2016 in their rotation.

Shelby Miller Won’t Pitch for Contender, But Cliff Lee Might

Shelby Miller, the Atlanta Braves’ top starting pitcher last season, is the highly coveted prize of the current trade winds, but it appears the Braves are content with keeping him unless they get a sky-high return. So, he might not be going anywhere to the disappointment of Hot Stove cooks and interested teams.

It’s looking more and more like #Braves will hang onto Shelby Miller. They’ve received a ton of hits, but are not shopping him.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 3, 2015

Miller might be on the back burner now, but Cliff Lee is a new name on the surface. He missed all of last season with a partially torn flexor tendon and is 37 years old. Typically there is not a market for a guy like that, but Lee was one of the very best starters in the majors very recently when he put up a 2.87 ERA in 2013 and had a 2.96 FIP in 13 starts in 2014. As of now, reports say he is healthy.

Cliff Lee has been throwing and he’s received medical clearance. If he finds the right fit, he will pitch in 2016.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2015

Because Lee will not command an ace’s salary, or even a back-end salary, there will be interest. Lee might have to settle for a small one-year deal, or even a minor league deal, but he will certainly get a shot to make a rotation going into spring training.

If he can give a team decent production over 22-26 starts, he could end up being a surprising steal.

The Twins Contending for Biggest Bargain of the Offseason

While a guy like Zimmermann is the front-runner to be the best value of free agency, the Minnesota Twins are vying to put their new slugger in the mix.

The team agreed to a four-year, $12 million contract with Korean power hitter Byung Ho Park this past week. This is after posting the winning $12.85 million bid for his negotiating rights.

“Because of our situation of having a scout over there,” Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff told reporters at Park’s introductory press conference, “we have a lot of conviction that Byung Ho is going to be able to integrate into our organization and be a very productive player.”

Park hit 105 home runs over the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization and batted .343/.436/.714 with a 1.150 OPS last season. While the KBO certainly is not on the level of Major League Baseball, the success of Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang in 2015 shows that KBO success can somewhat translate to the majors.

Assuming Park’s power and impressive exit velocities travel with him, the Twins are carrying one of the nicer team-friendly contracts of this offseason.

All quotes, unless otherwise specified, have been acquired first-hand by Anthony Witrado. Follow Anthony on Twitter @awitrado and talk baseball here.

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1. The Budding Red Sox-Tigers Rivalry

The beautiful thing about sports is that the landscape is ever-changing and the competition is ever fiercer, and a couple of years after Torii Hunter lands upside-down in a bullpen in Boston in October, things between the Tigers and Red Sox can get even stranger.

Before Boston eclipsed them Tuesday by agreeing to terms with David Price on a record (for a pitcher) $217 million deal, the Tigers signed the first big free agent of the winter, handing Jordan Zimmermann a six-year, $110 million contract this week. Key takeaway: With Al Avila in charge of the front office, so far the Tigers don’t look much different than they did with Dave Dombrowski in charge.

Dombrowski, now running the Red Sox, was fired in August. Well, Detroit owner Mike Ilitch doesn’t use the word “fired.” But when your contract is running out and you are not asked back, what else do you call it?

“He knew he wasn’t getting a contract,” Ilitch told the media in Detroit on Monday as the Tigers introduced Zimmermann, via MLB.com’s Jason Beck. “That’s all there was to it, because I didn’t win with him. We were close. He’s a great guy. But you know, there’s times you’ve got to change. If you’re not winning, you’ve got to change.

“So I made up my mind: I’ve got to change. So I called him and told him like a gentleman.”

Combined with their acquisition of Francisco Rodriguez two weeks ago, the Tigers are leaping out of the gate this winter. Avila, highly respected in the industry, is off to a flying start.

Now, here’s the interesting part:

“This year, I like the way Al and [manager Brad Ausmus] are going after everything,” Ilitch said. “I’m telling them, ‘You have to go out and get me the best players. I don’t care about the money. I want the best players, and that’s it.”

Dombrowski brought Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. Also Max Scherzer. Victor Martinez. Prince Fielder. David Price. One after another, like an assembly line. With him in charge, the Tigers won four consecutive AL Central titles from 2011-14. They played in two World Series (’06 and ’10) and just missed two more (losing the ALCS in ’11 and ’13).

Maybe Ilitch, 86, will get his long-awaited World Series title with Avila in charge. Could happen. But it is nearly humanly impossible for Avila to acquire players with greater marquee value than Dombrowski did.

Meanwhile, in Price, Dombrowski hauled in the ace the Red Sox couldn’t get last winter when they whiffed on Jon Lester. Dombrowski, of course, traded Price away from Detroit last July with the Tigers out of the postseason running, because an aging organization was desperate for an infusion of young talent.

Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, the young pitchers Dombrowski obtained from Toronto in the Price deal, figure into Detroit’s 2016 rotation behind Justin Verlander, Zimmermann and Anibal Sanchez.

While it would have been even more interesting were the Tigers pursuing Price as well, the fact that Avila is operating in Detroit with nearly all of Dombrowski’s staff working under him while Dombrowski continues chasing a World Series title in Boston adds one more early layer of intrigue to 2016.

Maybe it was just time for the proverbial fresh start for both sides. But you can bet that of the many things now driving Dombrowski in Boston, sticking it to Ilitch and the Tigers is one of them. He’s got too much class to ever say that himself, but it is a natural human emotion, isn’t it? Someone tells you adios, no matter how friendly it is, and you still want to prove the other guy wrong.   

There was some thought in Detroit at the time that maybe the Tigers would shift philosophy and embark on a retooling program. But Ilitch, speaking publicly for the first time since cutting Dombrowski loose, said he plans to continue spending toward that elusive World Series win. He made it clear that if the Tigers payroll passes the luxury-tax threshold of $189 million, it’s fine with him.

“I’m supposed to be a good boy and not go over [the threshold],” Ilitch said, via the Detroit News‘ Bob Wojnowski. “If I’m going to get certain players that can help us a lot, I’ll go over it.

“Oops, I shouldn’t have said that.”

The Tigers still need an outfielder, another starter and some bullpen help. The Red Sox have added Price and star closer Craig Kimbrel. Stay tuned.

2. The Dodgers, Dave Roberts and “Collaboration”

The reason Gabe Kapler emerged as an early favorite for the Dodgers’ managerial job is because it is clear that the front office wanted a man who is willing to play ball and employ the front office’s ideas. Congenial as Don Mattingly is, he was never fully that guy.

So call new manager Dave Roberts a compromise.

When Los Angeles ownership worried that Kapler could not be sold to the players because they would view him simply as an extension of the front office, GM Andrew Friedman and his front-office partners, Farhan Zaidi and Josh Byrnes, turned to Roberts. And any question regarding how much autonomy Roberts will have was answered in the first few minutes of Tuesday’s news conference.

“He’s got intellectual curiosity, he’s been around a lot of front offices with different philosophies, he understands the collaborative process of how to put a team together and how he’s going to run a team,” Zaidi said.

“I’m definitely open to it,” Roberts said, noting that the Dodgers have “the brightest people in this organization in research and development and baseball operations. … All great organizations in any industry depend on collaboration.”

Translation: When Friedman, Zaidi or Byrnes think the Dodgers lineup should tilt a particular way on a given night, Roberts will be fully open to implementing their thoughts.

In today’s world, it’s the way more and more clubs are doing business: collaboratively.

There’s always been a “collaboration” between the manager’s office and the front office, in that the general manager’s job always has been to construct a team. Tommy Lasorda had to “collaborate” with Al Campanis and Fred Claire to a degree, as well.

It’s just that the old way of doing business was that the GM would assemble a team and then turn it over to the manager. And a manager like Lasorda—or Sparky Anderson or Dick Williams—could have an outsized personality and was clearly in charge on the field.

Those days are gone. Fewer and fewer managers anymore come with dominant personalities. The job description now is to run the clubhouse, get along with the players and accept input when it comes to lineups, rotations and how to manage a bullpen.

Whether the pendulum ever swings back the other way, we’ll see.

Roberts is a terrific baseball man and a good guy who still gets mail from Red Sox fans after his epic stolen base in the 2004 ALCS against the Yankees. He becomes the first minority manager in Dodgers history, no small thing in an organization that hired Jackie Robinson to break baseball’s color line in 1947.

He is the right man at the right time, as long as the Dodgers get the pitching he needs.

3. Yasiel Puig Gets Smaller

Last week’s reported brawl and the fact that MLB is expected to investigate Puig under its new domestic violence policy only clouds Puig’s future even further.

We already know that the Dodgers have asked him to lose weight this winter following an injury-plagued season during which he played only 79 games. Maybe you’ve heard trade rumors attached to his name, but it is difficult to see Los Angeles trading him this winter, because right now the Dodgers would be selling low. Puig’s current trade value has never been lower.

One of Roberts’ biggest challenges as the new Dodgers manager, clearly, will be handling Puig. Roberts said he has never spoken a word to Puig, of whom he said, “From the other side, he is ultra-talented, a special player, feared, tough to compete against.”

“Feared” and “tough to compete with” could describe playing alongside Puig as well.

“This is an opportunity for me to embrace him,” Roberts said.

Biggest question is whether Puig ever will allow that to happen. It takes two to embrace.

 4. Barry Bonds and Miami is No Fish Story

The easy joke is that Barry Bonds just might be a better hitter at 51 than Ichiro Suzuki is at 42.

How might Bonds work out as the Miami Marlins’ co-hitting coach?

And can he be of any aid to Ichiro, who hit .229/.282/.279 in 153 games last summer?

And should Bonds even be welcomed as a full-time coach with any team?

Colleague Danny Knobler examined this issue the other day, so I won’t go deep here. Bonds generally got good reviews during his brief spring training stint as a San Francisco Giants hitting coach a couple of years ago and in working with Alex Rodriguez and others over the winter.

Whether or not Miami or any other team wants to hire Bonds is its own business. The man enveloped by one of the biggest steroids clouds in history has never acknowledged his cheating, nor is he expected to. Several years ago, it was made clear to Mark McGwire that if he wanted to leave exile to become Tony La Russa’s hitting coach with the Cardinals, he would have to cop to using steroids and apologize for it.

Granted, years have passed, and we live in a different day and age now. But it sure seems hypocritical to press McGwire for an apology and give Bonds a free pass.

5. Free-Agent Power Rankings

1. David Price: OK, $217 million in Boston, baby. Can y’all top that?

2. Zack Greinke: Working on it, owner of Astro the dog, who will eat very, very well now.

3. Jordan Zimmermann: Signs five-year, $110 deal with Detroit. He ain’t David Price, but he’s a start for the Tigers.

4. Ben Zobrist: Chatter surrounding him is increasing as next week’s winter meetings in Nashville draw near. Mets fans are dreaming of a Zobrist Christmas.

5. Johnny Cueto: Reportedly spit at a six-year, $120 million offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks. What does he want, water included with his desert?

6. Reviewing Instant Replay Reviews

Ever wonder which managers are the best at challenging umpires’ calls? You’re in luck: David Vincent of the Society for American Baseball Research has doggedly tracked this for the first two years of replay, and here’s what he found.

The list below includes, alphabetically, all managers and interim managers, with totals at the end. The “Total” category represents how many instant-replay challenges a manager has asked for, the “Over” category lists how many of those umpire calls were overturned, and the “Over %” category lists by percentage how many of that manager’s challenges have been overturned.

With a small sample size of only two years, as Vincent notes, “Any manager within five percent of the 52 percent average is average as far as I’m concerned.” One other note: Remember, while the names listed are the managers, their success rates also include the video guys assigned to watch replays in the clubhouse and individual team philosophies regarding replay. Some teams challenge far more often than others.

7. Reviewing Instant Replays Part II

So, breaking down the above list per Vincent’s information, we have two more charts. The first lists managers with the most challenges, the second lists managers by success rate:

8. The Evolution of Pitching

Here are some interesting complete-game and relief stats, courtesy of friend Tim Kurkjian. It’s why the market for a reliever like Darren O’Day is so hot, and why the Reds are taking so many calls on Aroldis Chapman:

9. How Many Sluggers Has Your State Produced?

Scott Miller covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Last winter, the Washington Nationals signed a front-line starter away from the Detroit Tigers. On Sunday, the Tigers returned the favor—and kicked off their latest revamp in earnest.

Last year it was Max Scherzer who went from the Motor City to the nation’s capital. Now, Jordan Zimmermann is leaving D.C. for Detroit after reportedly reaching an agreement for a five-year, $110 million deal, per ESPN:

And so, after weeks of waiting, the first big free-agent domino has fallen. At last, we’ve got something more than whispers and speculation to fuel the hot stove.

To be fair, this isn’t the first move the Tigers have made. The club has already signaled its intent to be active under new general manager Al Avila, swinging trades for reliever Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron Maybin.

Inking Zimmermann, though, is a clear signal the Tigers intend to restock and take aim at an immediate return to relevance after suffering through their first losing season since 2008.

The 29-year-old right-hander isn’t the shiniest pitcher on the market; that title belongs to either David Price or Zack Greinke, depending on your persuasion. But he’s an ace-level talent and has been one of the game’s most durable, reliable arms in recent years.

Zimmermann’s ERA climbed to 3.66 in 2015 from a career-best 2.66 mark in 2014. But he eclipsed 200 innings for the second time in three seasons. Indeed, as ESPN.com‘s Jerry Crasnick noted, he’s tossed more frames over the past four seasons than any National League pitcher not named Madison Bumgarner or Clayton Kershaw. 

And he ended last season on a strong note, pitching at least into the sixth inning in 13 of his final 14 starts, though he did yield six earned runs in two games over that stretch.

In seven seasons, all with the Nats, Zimmermann owns a 3.32 ERA with 903 strikeouts in 1,094 innings and has made two All-Star teams.

Now, he joins a rotation that desperately needed a boost. After losing Scherzer last winter and Price at the July trade deadline, Detroit’s starters finished with the worst ERA in the American League last year.

Justin Verlander, whose declining velocity and effectiveness have knocked him off the ace perch, gave the Zimmermann signing his stamp of approval:

Detroit can cross its fingers for a rebound from Verlander and fellow fallen stud Anibal Sanchez and the emergence of young left-hander Daniel Norris (age 22). But Zimmermann adds a needed piece. He alone won’t get the Tigers back to the top of the AL Central, a position now owned by the reigning World Series champion Kansas City Royals. But it’s a good start.

Assuming the offensive core of Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez has something left in the tank, the Tigers aren’t far from relevance. 

And while the Zimmermann deal could well be the biggest splash of the offseason for Detroit, it’s reasonable enough to allow for more moves. As CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman noted, “Tigers owner Mike Ilitch never has been afraid to spend.”

In fact, while still plenty robust, the five years and $110 million Zimmermann got fall short of the six years and $126 million predicted by MLB Trade Rumors’ Tim Dierkes. And Dierkes’ projection didn’t feel like a reach. 

The biggest worry with Zimmermann, besides his slight dip in performance, is the Tommy John surgery he underwent in 2009. Despite his recent durability, there was concern on Washington’s end, as Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post outlined:

The life expectancy of a “second elbow” after Tommy John surgery is thought by some in baseball to be about eight years. One of the teams that believes it, not as dogma but as an important rule of thumb, is the Washington Nationals. …

[Fear] of “TJS2” is part of why Zimmermann is leaving after 2015. He’s starting his sixth season of pitching with his “new” elbow.

It’s all guesswork, of course. Injuries are an inexact science. But it’s possible questions about his elbow cost Zimmermann that additional year and/or a few million bucks.

Either way, he’s signed. He’s well-paid. Free-agent season is officially (finally!) in swing. And the Tigers are back on the road to contention. 

“My only regret is that we were not able to bring a championship to the fans of this great city this season,” Zimmermann wrote in a farewell message to Nats fans, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.

It won’t come easy. It never does. But he’ll get another chance in a new locale as the revamp continues in Detroit.

All statistics current as of Nov. 29 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Detroit Tigers’ first major move of the offseason is upon us. The Tigers and starter Jordan Zimmermann have reportedly agreed to a contract expected to be for five years and in the range of $110 million, according to Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi and CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman on Sunday.  

Detroit went on to confirm the deal Monday. Heyman noted Tuesday that Zimmermann received a full no-trade clause for three years, which will have a list of 10 teams that he can be traded to. Heyman added the clause was “key” for Zimmerman, who wants to settle down with his family.

On Tuesday, Heyman provided a full financial breakdown of Zimmermann’s deal:

An All-Star two of the past three seasons, Zimmermann went 13-10 with a 3.66 ERA and 1.205 WHIP in 2015. While he was expected to command a long-term deal heading into free agency, Zimmermann remained underrated enough that his deal was never expected to rise to Max Scherzer levels. He spent each of his first seven MLB seasons with the Nationals, emerging as a beloved figure in the nation’s capital.

“It’s difficult putting into words the feelings of appreciation I have for the love and support I’ve felt over the past seven years,” Zimmermann said in a tweet by his agent, Mark Pieper. “The same level of commitment and passion that you fans showed me every game I took the ball is what I placed in every pitch I tossed wearing a Nationals uniform.”

The Tigers were also attracted to Zimmermann’s consistency. Since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2009, he’s bounced back with stellar results. He has made at least 32 starts each of the previous four seasons, coming back a much stronger overall pitcher.

Detroit will hope he can continue that trajectory going forward. After taking four straight American League Central crowns, the Tigers nosedived to last place and a 74-87 record. The pitching staff fell apart without Scherzer, ranking 28th in earned run average, 27th in WHIP and tied for 21st in quality starts. Justin Verlander and David Price, the latter of whom was traded midseason, were the only Tigers starters (min. 20 starts) with ERAs under 4.99.

All of that made Zimmermann an attractive candidate, especially given the club’s desire to get back in the division race.

The Nationals were always unlikely to re-sign Zimmermann because they have a glut of arms and were eventually going to make a difficult decision about one of their stars. Even with a large spending budget, inking long-term deals for Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister seemed infeasible. Zimmermann especially seemed to be a likely target to move when the Nats shocked the baseball world by signing Scherzer to a seven-year deal. 

Allowing Zimmermann to walk frees some long-term cash and allows the Nationals to plot their course going forward. We’ll just have to see if the risk of losing his consistency comes with a reward.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

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Free-agent starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann looks to be the first domino to fall in the free-agent market, as he reportedly has found a new home in Detroit.

Continue for updates.

Tigers Reportedly Reach Deal with Zimmermann

Sunday, Nov. 29

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the two sides have agreed to terms, which were not disclosed.

On Saturday, Jon Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported talks between the team and Zimmerman had “become serious.”

The Tigers housed elite arms such as Max Scherzer and David Price as recently as 2014 and 2015, respectively, and have seen a falloff from Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander.

They missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010 and will need to improve at the top of the rotation if they want to play meaningful baseball in October next year.

The Tigers fired general manager Dave Dombrowski in August, and his replacement, Al Avila, may be inclined to make a big splash in the offseason to help vault the Tigers back into contention.

Dodgers Reportedly Considered Zimmermann

Sunday, Nov. 29

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Zimmermann “is drawing healthy interest from the Dodgers.” He added, “The Dodgers may lose Zack Greinke, so Zimmermann would be a decent replacement as a No. 2. But there could be another free agent on their minds, as well as a mid-to-end rotation guy.”

Zimmermann, 29, is expected to command more than $100 million, per Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors.

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