When Al Avila promoted third baseman Isaac Paredes and pitchers Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal on Aug. 17, he made his intentions clear:
He wants the Detroit Tigers to make the playoffs in 2020, and in a shortened MLB season, there never has been a better opportunity for a rebuilding organization to join the hunt.
"We're still trying to win as many games as we can," said Avila, the Tigers' general manager.. "I mean, we'd love to be in the playoffs this year. Obviously, we're going to make some efforts to get there."
Less than a week after those comments, the Tigers already have fallen to the fringes of any realistic playoff conversation.