Imagine being the Detroit Tigers: you went out and loaded up on a $200 million payroll. You’re paying five players—Jack Flaherty, Framber Valdez, Gleyber Torres, Javier Baez, and Tarik Skubal—$20 million or more. You expect to win the division, or at least grab a playoff spot. And here we are on April 14 and you’re 7-9, with a slim one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for last place in the division.
Now, look, going 7-9 in a 16-game stretch is a thing good teams do all the time. It happens in a 162-game season. But starting 7-9 is not fun, as Kansas City Royals fans know, as the Royals are also 7-9, and in largely the same boat as the Tigers sans a $200 million payroll.
Series like these are as important as they come in April. The Royals have a chance to further sink a key divisional rival into a deeper hole. On the other hand, a poor showing would simultaneously lift the Tigers’ record and spirits while further diminishing the Royals’ spots in the standings.
Is Spencer Torkelson going to get anything more than a one-year contract after he becomes a free agent? He had a breakout 2025 but he has, thus far, regressed to his career trajectory, which is basically just “league average.” Of course, the Royals would welcome “league average” out of their first baseman, so who am I to complain here. Starting for the Tigers is Framber Valdez, a good lefty, leading to a weird lineup Royals lineup.
That’s right folks, Lane Thomas is hitting third! Salvador Perez is hitting cleanup, still, but that bumps Vinnie Pasquantino to sixth. Also making an appearance is Starling Marte, who is still on the team.
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