Tigers face tough roster decisions as playoffs approach

DETROIT - Which pitchers will the Detroit Tigers' roster for the first round of the playoffs?

Sunday's regular-season finale at Comerica Park should offer clues.

Any Tiger who throws significant innings on Sunday probably won't be on the roster for the best-of-three Wild Card Series, which begins on Tuesday.

Veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda will start the game and manager A.J. Hinch said the Tigers have a couple of other guys lined up to pitch behind him. After that, the flow of the game will dictate how the final innings play out.

"This day is really tricky because you only have one day off and then you start a three-game series in the Wild Card round," Hinch said. "So, we have to be aware of workload. It obviously impacts decisions that are going to come...The longer (Maeda) goes, the more difficult the decision we'll have to make. I'm going to react to today a little bit and get to the finish line."

The Tigers (86-75) are competing for seeding with the Kansas City Royals (85-76).

If the Tigers win, they will face the Orioles in Baltimore.

If the Royals lose, the Tigers also go to Baltimore, regardless of the outcome of their own game.

If the Tigers lose the Royals win, Detroit will travel to Houston to play the Astros.

But Hinch said he has no preference between Baltimore or Houston, where he managed from 2015 to 2019.

"I've been focused on just playing a playoff team in October," he said. "I understand the natural storylines about where I've been and all that. But you have to just play the games and let the schedule play itself out. If you start thinking, 'Oh, it'd be great to go here or there, or play this team or that team,' the other team will kick your ass. Baseball doesn't let you get too greedy. You just want to be in the playoffs, and now you want to choose who to play? Better to just focus on what's in front of you and whatever happens, happens."

Ideally, the Tigers would not end their remarkable finish to the 2024 season with back-to-back losses to the Chicago White Sox, one of the worst teams in baseball history.

"Obviously, we want to recapture some momentum that we didn't have yesterday (in a 4-0 loss) and head into the postseason on a positive note," Hinch said. "But we've also got to be mindful of the toll on the guys we're using today, and how that will impact the three days in Baltimore or Houston."

Win or lose, Sunday's game will fade away as soon as the Tigers boarded the plane.

"From a mojo or vibe standpoint, I'm not sure anything can take away from what these guys are about to feel. Once we get on that plane and head to wherever we're going, the energy and adrenaline will kick in right away," he said.

"Playoff baseball is second to none when it comes to energy and enthusiasm. I want to get through today healthy, and of course, I want to win - that's why we play - but I can't wait to see the reaction of this club in the next 24 hours."

Settling on the roster

All current members of the 28-man roster plus a handful of taxi squad players who have been training in Toledo will fly to Baltimore or Houston on Sunday evening.

After a workout day in the stadium on Monday, the Tigers will release their 26-man postseason roster on Tuesday morning.

"I think the biggest question is going to be, how much pitching do you take into a three-game series?" Hinch said.

The 26-man roster can include a maximum of 13 pitchers. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Tigers dipped down to 12 or even 11.

Rosters can be adjusted each round. So even if someone is left off for the Wild Card Series, they could still play a role in future best-of-five or best-of-seven series.

Starting pitchers might be most vulnerable when it comes to roster cuts. Ace Tarik Skubal will start on Tuesday. The next two games could essentially be all-hands-on-deck bullpen games. That could leave Ty Madden, Keider Montero or Casey Mize on the bubble for the first round.

"Playoff baseball is managed differently, with a sense of urgency that starts from the moment the first runner gets on base," Hinch said. "Managing playoff games, while similar to what we've done the last two months, has that heightened sense of urgency. The way we've been successful these last couple of months is by being able to go to the bullpen whenever we need to. That's going to create more need for pitchers, but we can only take 13. Does that number stay at 13, or is it 12 or 11? We have to have those conversations and map it out."