Question Remarks Remain About Who Will Be Starting Shortstop for Detroit Tigers

Who the starting shortstop will be for the Detroit Tigers remains one of the biggest questions heading into next season.

Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers shortstop Trey Sweeney (27) makes a throw for about in the third inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Comerica Park | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

There's a lot of talk right now about the Detroit Tigers potentially reuniting with their former starter Jack Flaherty this winter in free agency even if it doesn't seem likely.

After all, adding him to this rotation to form a one-two punch with Tarik Skubal would almost guarantee they would be AL Central favorites even if they don't sign Alex Bregman.

But, the front office has been a bit hesitant to spend money this winter despite the unexpected playoff run that would suggest they should have become aggressive.

That could still be coming late in the process before Spring Training, but with preseason work getting closer and closer to beginning, there is a lot of thought being put into how this roster might look with so many young players being huge pieces of the second half turnaround last year.

Shortstop is at the top of the list.

Trey Sweeney, who was acquired in the deal that shipped Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers, was an integral part of the Tigers making a late-season run to earn a Wild Card spot and come within one win of reaching the ALCS.

In the first 36 games of his MLB career, he slashed .218/.269/.373 with four homers, nine extra-base hits and 17 RBI for an OPS+ that was 19 points below the league average.

Those aren't head-turning stats by any means, but the rookie was more than solid in the field by being worth two Outs Above Average and having a defensive bWAR of 0.5.

In comparison, Javier Baez, the incumbent who underwent hip surgery on Aug. 26 after playing his last game four days earlier, slashed .184/.221/.294 with six homers, 18 extra-base hits and 37 RBI for an OPS+ of 46 across his 80 games. He also was worth -1 Outs Above Average and had a defensive bWAR of 0.1.

On the surface, this shouldn't be a question about who should be starting, however, the $73 million Baez has remaining over the final three years of his deal makes this a much more complicated situation.

Because of that, it's hard to really know who is going to be the Opening Day starter, especially since the recovery from hip surgery which could limit his availability and productivity.

The spring is going to determine a lot, and there's a chance Sweeney could just take over the position regardless of the amount of money that's still owed to the incumbent.

"With Báez coming back from his surgery, Sweeney will have a chance in Spring Training to stake a claim to at least a share of starts at shortstop, the strong side of a platoon with Báez or maybe the bulk of at-bats, period. Developing a disciplined plate approach to go with his reliable glovework would go a long way," writes Jason Beck of MLB.com.

It will be interesting to see what happens here.

Scott Harris chose the package of Sweeney and Thayron Liranzo over other offers knowing Baez was still on the roster.

How willing the organization is to eat the money owed to the struggling veteran will be seen, but if Sweeney flat out wins the job in Spring Training, they may have no other choice.