Chicago White Sox: Detroit Tigers already off and running in offseason

It has been pretty clear for a while now that the Detroit Tigers are going to be a problem pretty soon. They have been rebuilding for a few years now and they are getting close to taking another step. There are plenty of great prospects starting to advance up so they are going to begin supplementing them with other good MLB talent. As a result, they could be a problem for the Chicago White Sox.

That process may have continued for Detroit after making a big trade on Wednesday afternoon. They acquired Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds. Of course, that is an outstanding move for them as they now have a very good defensive catcher for their young pitching staff.

Barnhart would have been an amazing addition for the White Sox as Yasmani Grandal’s backup but he will be in the division playing for the Tigers now. This isn’t the best news for White Sox fans but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Tigers are not done.

Don’t be surprised if big free agents are associated with Detroit before ultimately signing. Carlos Correa has obvious connections to their manager AJ Hinch. Correa and Hinch were also with Justin Verlander in Houston who is also a Detroit Tigers legend. It makes a lot of sense to think of that type of reunion as a possibility as well.

The Chicago White Sox should be scared of the Detroit Tigers going forward.

This needs to be a wake-up call for the White Sox. They are set up for years but the Tigers are coming. This isn’t enough to make them better than the White Sox but it is proof that they are committed to reaching that level. It also suggests that more moves are coming and that they plan on winning more baseball games starting now.

The Tigers were one of the better teams in the American League during the second half of 2021. They came in third place of the AL Central but that is only because of their abysmal April. They were a better baseball team than the Cleveland Indians who came in second. They should be proud of the way that their season went.

A lot of people believe that the White Sox are close to a World Series. They are but they need to get to the playoffs for that to be a possibility. It would be nice for that to happen without having to go through a Wild Card game and Detroit is the team that could cause that to happen. Hopefully, this Tucker Barnhart trade shows the White Sox that the Tigers aren’t messing around.