I hear this question more than any other lately: Why is Jim Leyland playing Ryan Raburn? Or, if it's not that, it's this: Why is Jim Leyland playing Brandon Inge?
It's gotten to the point now when I answer those questions, my first response is, "Don't yell at me...."
Because the answer is obvious. They both have multi-year contracts. The Tigers made an organizational decision that they were going to play Raburn and Inge the next two years during the past off season.
As such, they get a lot more slack than a player on a one-year deal, especially a younger player in the first years of his career and there is no concern about the possibility of salary arbitration and a trip to the minor leagues remains an option.
The Tigers choices with Inge and Raburn are either have them on the team - or release them. So Leyland does what is common protocol in the major leagues, he keeps them in the lineup, at least semi-regularly. It's a decision made easier because the Tigers don't have a ready-made replacement for either player.
Donald Kelly is a 25th man on a club - if that. He is a good athlete who does everything OK except hit, which he does below average for a major league player, especially a third baseman. We've seen over and over that Ramon Santiago is good spurts, but not-so-good when he plays continually. As such, it diminishes his value as a solid major league backup to play him every day.
But knowing that, and that the Tigers owe Inge and Raburn about $7 million for the remainder of this season and 2012, and tolerating it for fans, are two different things. At what point is there no return for Inge and Raburn? In other words, when does it get so bad the Tigers just release one or both.
It's doubtful either would have trade value - even if the Tigers were willing to pick up all their salaries other than the pro-rated major league minimum of $400,000.
The bottom line is the Tigers have a fairly formidable lineup, but Inge and Raburn have often been rally killers. At what point should the Tigers stop waiting for the turnaround from two players they have invested heavily in? Would it be the right move? Or will Inge and Raburn be different players in the second half of the season?
They have a similar decision soon to make on Carlos Guillen, a $12.5 million player this season, who has been injured all year, but is likely to return after the All Star break. He is hitting, by the way, just .179 on rehab assignment to the minor leagues.
It's one of the more pertinent questions facing general manager Dave Dombrowski these days - especially from Tiger fans.
Have the Tigers underachieved?