The Detroit Tigers cut eight players from the roster this morning. The news was foreshadowed by the clubhouse being ominously closed beforehand.
#Tigers clubhouse is closed. Expect some cuts to be announced. They're at 37 players (a lot) right now and opening day is one week away.
— James Schmehl (@jamesschmehl) March 30, 2015
About one hour later, the following roster subtractions were announced.
The #Tigers today optioned the contracts of C Bryan Holaday and OF Tyler Collins to Triple A Toledo.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 30, 2015
Detroit assigned C Manny Piña, INFs Jordan Lennerton, Jefry Marte & Aaron Westlake, & OFs Xavier Avery & Jason Krizan to minor league camp.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 30, 2015
While many of these cuts were expected, the fallout definitely answers some questions for Tigers fans. James McCann beating out Bryan Holaday for the backup catcher spot is a significant development and goes a long way to explain how the Tigers feel about the health of Alex Avila. In an article with the Free Press, Brad Ausmus discussed one of the least favorable parts of his job.
“I think he wasn’t happy about the news but he was very professional and calm about,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said when asked for Holaday’s reaction. “Nobody enjoys hearing bad news. I certainly don’t enjoy giving bad news to good people.”
After the cuts were announced this morning, MLive was quick to make a prediction about the Opening Day position player depth chart.
Here is how the position players should stack up on opening day:
- Catchers: Alex Avila, James McCann
- Infielders: Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Jose Iglesias, Nick Castellanos
- Outfielders: Yoenis Cespedes, J.D. Martinez, Anthony Gose, Rajai Davis
- Utility: Andrew Romine, Hernan Perez
- Designated hitter: Victor Martinez
The Tigers must cut four more players to reach the limit of 25 by opening day, but, barring any surprises from Lakeland, the roster appears to be set. The final decision for Ausmus and his staff will be rounding out the final selections for the bullpen.
