Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera got Opening Day started off right as he homered in the first inning off Cleveland ace Shane Bieber:

The dinger was even more majestic watching Cabrera's swing in slow motion:

Nothing inspires optimism in baseball fans quite like Opening Day. No matter what a team is expected to do in the season ahead, there remains that slim hope reality will turn out to be different. 

Cabrera turns 38 on April 18, and his performance in recent seasons has been well below the level he enjoyed when he won the most recent of his seven Silver Sluggers in 2016. Perhaps the two-time American League MVP can roll back the clock, and maybe the Tigers can overachieve in the American League Central.

If nothing else, Cabrera gave fans one gorgeous visual Thursday.

Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera is only 13 home runs away from reaching 500 for his career and 134 hits from joining the 3,000 club. With a full 162-game season ahead of him, the 37-year-old wants to clear both marks in 2021. 

“It's one of my goals this year,” Cabrera told MLB.com's Jason Beck. 

In order to do so, he'll have to bounce back from a disappointing 2020 where he slashed .250/.329/.417 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI in 57 games. 

Cabrera hasn't hit more than 12 home runs in a season since he slugged 16 in 2017, though he collected 139 hits over 136 games in 2019.

In order to exceed both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, he'll have to not only put together one of the best seasons of his post-prime years but stay healthy for the duration of it. Cabrera believes that's more possible now than it has been in recent seasons. 

“I feel more like when I was healthy,” Cabrera said. “I feel I can move my legs, move my hips, move my body when I'm hitting. I don't try to do too much. I can do my swing naturally. I think it's going to help me a lot this year to produce more, to hit more for power and try to raise up my average again.”

If that remains true, the 11-time All-Star will become the 33rd player to join the 3,000-hit club and just the second active player to reach that plateau alongside Los Angeles Angels veteran Albert Pujols, who became the 32nd player in MLB history with 3,000 hits in 2018.

Cabrera could also be an overachiever and become the fourth ever player to reach 3,000 hits via home run, following the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Wade Boggs. 

Already finishing off a Hall of Fame career, Cabrera has no doubt he'll get those legendary numbers.

“Right now, at this point in my career, 3,000 [hits] and 500 home runs, I never [thought] about that,” Cabrera said. “You think in the back of your mind, 'I hope someday I can do that.' But right now, to be in this position is really awesome. I feel proud of what I’ve done in my whole career, [but] don't try to stop here, try to keep going and try to keep putting up more numbers, have fun and try to win games. If we're able to win a lot of games, I think the numbers are going to be there at the end of the season.”

Cabrera would become the 28th member of the 500 home run club, the first player to join since David Ortiz in 2015 and—if all goes right—seventh player in MLB history to reach both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits alongside Pujols, Rodriguez, Henry Aaron, Eddie Murray, Willie Mays and Rafael Palmeiro. 

The Detroit Tigers have reportedly shown interest in a reunion with starting pitcher Rick Porcello, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

Beck noted that while there is interest, Porcello and the Tigers "remain apart" on contract terms.

The 32-year-old Porcello spent last season with the New York Mets, but he was a member of the Tigers for his first six MLB seasons from 2009-14 after Detroit took him with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft.

Last season was the worst of Porcello's career, as he went 1-7 with a 5.64 ERA and 1.51 WHIP for the Mets in 12 starts encompassing 59.0 innings.

He was playing on a one-year deal in New York after struggling in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox to the tune of a 14-12 record with a 5.52 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 32 starts.

It marked an unfortunate end to Porcello's tenure with the Red Sox, which included a Cy Young award in 2016 and a World Series title in 2018.

The 2016 season was by far Porcello's best as an MLB pitcher, and he has not come close to matching it ever since.

He won a career-high 22 games that season, going 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 189 strikeouts in 223.0 innings pitched.

Porcello did go on to win 42 more games for the Red Sox over the next three seasons, but his cumulative ERA ballooned to 4.79.

He is now five years removed from the last time he had an ERA under 4.00, but the Tigers are in desperate need of starting pitching help, and they have familiarity with Porcello.

During his six seasons in Detroit, Porcello was a solid pitcher, going 76-63 with a 4.30 ERA. He wasn't much of a strikeout pitcher, though, punching out 5.5 batters per nine innings.

His best season in Detroit was his last one in 2014 when he went 15-13 with a 3.43 ERA, and that helped him land a big contract with Boston.

Porcello had his best year in Boston, upped his strikeout rate to over 8.0 per nine and even had a strong outing in the 2018 World Series, surrendering just one run in 4.2 innings pitched.

Now, Porcello is looking to extend his career, and the Tigers may offer the best option to do so since they are bringing in tons of veteran pitchers in hopes of piecing together a respectable rotation.

The Tigers have already signed Jose Urena to a one-year deal this offseason, and they have also signed Erasmo Ramirez, Derek Holland and Wily Peralta to minor-league contracts.

Holdovers Matthew Boyd, Casey Mize and Michael Fulmer are fairly strong bets to be in the rotation in 2021, but there are question marks beyond that, and general manager Al Avila has even said the team is considering going with a six-man rotation.

That could create a great opportunity for Porcello, and if he signs a short-term deal with the Tigers and pitches well in 2021, it could help him land a more substantial contract next offseason as well.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is back in baseball after serving a year-long suspension for his part in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scheme and it didn't come a moment too soon for the former Astros boss.

As Tigers spring training gets underway in Lakeland, Florida, the opportunity to get back in the dugout has the 46-year-old feeling grateful.

"I hated being out of the game last year," Hinch told Noah Trister of the Associated Press. "I understand why, and I'm not going to take it for granted that I get to put on a major league uniform again and lead a group of guys throughout the season."

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted in his final report on the Astros' scandal that Hinch "neither devised the banging scheme nor participated in it" but suspended him for one season because, Manfred wrote, "as the person with responsibility for managing his players and coaches, there simply is no justification for Hinch's failure to act." 

The commissioner chose not to punish any of the players involved in the scheme, granting immunity for honest testimony. 

That had some of the Astros facing yearlong criticism during last season. Hinch was partially spared the same critiques while he remained suspended. Now that he's back in baseball, he'll still have to show he's grown from the way he handled a plot to cheat MLB teams. 

It's something he's already acknowledging as he gets to work with Detroit.

"This position matters to me, this organization that's given me another opportunity—it matters to me," Hinch said. "And I'm going to take the time and the opportunity to let everybody know it. I did in our coaches meeting. I'm going today in the pitcher-catcher meeting. I'll let everybody know how important it is to stand in front of a team and be the manager, be the voice, and also be the leader that I feel like I can be."

The challenge now is to prove it. 

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Free agent catcher James McCann is one of the most sought-after targets as of late, with multiple teams reportedly pursuing the 30-year-old.

Hours after Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Mets were "getting close" on an expected four-year contract with McCann, MLB Network's Jon Heyman said the Los Angeles Angels "have quietly been in from the beginning" on the 2019 All-Star. 

McCann, who played for five seasons with the Detroit Tigers, joined the Chicago White Sox ahead of the 2019 season. In 2020, he hit .289/.360/.536 with seven home runs and 15 RBI.  

McCann is considered the second-best catcher available in free agency behind former Philadelphia Phillie J.T. Realmuto, who is reportedly looking to earn $200 million on his upcoming contract, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.

The Mets are desperately in need of help behind the plate, with both of their 2020 options—Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos—hitting the free agent market this offseason. 

Similarly, the Angels looked largely to Max Stassi in 2020, who has mostly served as a backup throughout his eight-year career but got the nod after the team dealt Jason Castro to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline in August. If McCann were to join the Angels, his offensive talent could help him take the starting spot from Stassi, or at least split time with 29-year-old—much like McCann has throughout his career.

Yasmani Grandal, who played 46 games behind the plate in Chicago last season while batting .230/.351/.422, will slot into a full-time starting role with the White Sox considering the departure of McCann. 

During his introductory press conference on Friday, new Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch said he was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year. 

Hinch told reporters he contracted the virus in September. 

The 46-year-old explained that his family took a few trips by car and "were very careful with everything," but he wound up being diagnosed with COVID-19. 

The Tigers hired Hinch as their new manager after Ron Gardenhire announced his immediate retirement on September 19 before the end of the season.

Gardenhire went 132-241 in three years with Detroit. The franchise has finished last in the American League Central three times in the past four seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since 2014.

Hinch is taking over the Tigers one year after losing Game 7 of the 2019 World Series as manager of the Houston Astros. That wound up being his final game with the organization. 

Astros owner Jim Crane fired Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow in January for their role in the team's sign-stealing scandal. MLB announced one-year suspensions for Hinch and Luhnow based on its findings from the cheating scandal prior to both men being fired. Their suspensions ended after the conclusion of the World Series on Tuesday. 

Hinch went 481-329 with four playoff appearances and one World Series title in five seasons with the Astros from 2015-19. The Iowa native returns to Detroit, where he spent his penultimate season as a catcher in 2003.  

The Detroit Tigers announced Friday they are hiring A.J. Hinch to replace Ron Gardenhire as the team's manager on a multiyear contract.

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic first reported the deal was done.

The 63-year-old Gardenhire retired Sept. 20 because of health issues.

"It's been wonderful here, but I also know I have to take care of myself," he told reporters. "When you come to the ballpark and you're stressed out all day and your hands are shaking, that's not fun. I've got grandbabies. I've got kids that I need to take care of and my wife."

Gardenhire has had both cancer and diabetes and dealt with stomach issues in the days leading up to his decision.

"This is tough. It's a tough day for me. Didn't expect it, tell you the truth, when I walked in," he added. "But I just know how I've been feeling lately, and I expressed that to Al and elected to just go ahead and step down."

Hinch will take over a Tigers team that is rebuilding after losing 114 games in 2019 before going 23-35 this year. Lloyd McClendon took over for Gardenhire for the remainder of the season as the interim manager and was a candidate to be hired for the full-time gig, though Detroit opted to go with Hinch.

The 46-year-old brings plenty of experience to the position with a background as the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks (2009-10) and Houston Astros (2015-19). His run in Houston included four trips to the postseason, including a World Series title in 2017 and a trip to the World Series in 2019, though it ended in controversy after he was fired for his involvement in the sign-stealing scandal.

He'll be tasked with taking the Tigers from rebuilding to contending. It's no small job, but with exciting pitching prospects like Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal to build around, among others, the team has reason to be excited about the future.

Former Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch may have another opportunity to get back on the bench relatively soon.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, Hinch is in the process of finalizing a deal to become the next manager of the Detroit Tigers.

That should come as no surprise, as Olney reported earlier Thursday evening that Hinch was the favorite for the job, which opened up after the retirement of Ron Gardenhire:

The 46-year-old was thought of as a candidate to land the Chicago White Sox job before the team announced Tony La Russa on Thursday. 

Hinch, who was suspended for the 2020 season and subsequently fired by the Astros following an MLB investigation into electronic sign-stealing, was reinstated following the conclusion of the World Series. He's now free to join any club.

Should he choose the Tigers, he'll have arguably a bigger challenge than when he took over in Houston. 

Hinch won at least 84 games in each of his first two seasons with the Astros. The Tigers haven't won more than 80 games since 2016. What Detroit does have, however, is a stable of young pitchers and position players ready to continue developing in the major leagues.

Led by Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, Matthew Boyd and Matt Manning the Tigers' starting rotation of the future has as much potential as any in baseball. Corner infieldeer Spencer Torkelson is rated the No. 4 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline while outfielder Riley Greene lands at No. 25 on the Top 100. 

Yet the American League Central isn't exactly up for grabs just yet. 

Both the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins have seen their teams develop into strong title contenders while the Cleveland Indians remain a threat even as they continue to retool their roster. 

That would seemingly give Hinch a bit longer of a leash to work with as the Tigers rebuild. Whether or not he's up for the task is the biggest question remaining. 

Atlanta Braves catching instructor Sal Fasano has reportedly interviewed with the Detroit Tigers for their manager vacancy, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

That comes on the same day that Oakland Athletics quality control coach Mark Kotsay interviewed with the team for the manager position, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Per MLBTradeRumors.com, the team has also reportedly interviewed Kansas City Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol; Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach Don Kelly; Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach George Lombard; current interim manager Lloyd McClendon; three New York Yankees coaches (bench coach Carlos Mendoza, third base coach and Phil Nevin and hitting coach Marcus Thames); and Chicago Cubs third base coach Will Venable.

Additionally, former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, Baltimore Orioles bench coach Fredi Gonzalez, former Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch, Colorado Rockies bench coach Mike Redmond and Royals third base coach Vance Wilson are believed to be under consideration.

Suffice to say, the Tigers are casting a wide net.

Fasano, 49, spent 11 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Royals, Athletics, Rockies, Anaheim Angels, Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland, hitting .221 with 47 homers and 140 RBI.

He remained in baseball following his career, serving as a manager in the minor leagues for the Lansing Lugnuts, New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Mobile BayBears, among other positions.

The Detroit Tigers have interviewed Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach George Lombard as part of their search for a new manager, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

Lombard joined the Dodgers' coaching staff ahead of the 2016 season. He spent six seasons in MLB as a player and appeared in 72 games for the Tigers in 2002.

The Tigers are rebuilding. Following a 47-win season in 2019, Detroit finished last in the American League Central at 23-35 this year.

The franchise is well suited to make someone a first-time MLB manager. Lombard's coaching experience makes him a good candidate to lead a roster that will be counting on contributions from younger players.

The 45-year-old worked in a variety of roles within the Boston Red Sox's and Atlanta Braves' minor league organizations.

The Los Angeles Times' Jorge Castillo noted he received an interview with the Pittsburgh Pirates last offseason before they ultimately hired Derek Shelton.

While recognizing Lombard's body of work, the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold wondered whether his inexperience makes him too much of a risk. Nobody would expect Lombard to immediately deliver wins, but the Tigers can ill afford to hire a manager who takes their player development backward.

Between the Pirates' interest in him in 2019 and the Tigers' interest now, it may only be a matter of time before Lombard leaves the Dodgers for a promotion.