Tigers fans knew the club’s contention window was likely over at the end of the 2016 season, but letting go is never easy. Ownership tried to keep the hope alive in the 2015-16 offseason by signing Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmermann to nine-figure contracts over five-plus years, moves that looked somewhat questionable even at the time, but not surprising for the Mike Ilitch-led Tigers.
It would be an overreaction to pin the finality of the Tigers’ collapse on Zimmermann, as it probably occurred before he even joined the team, but there may not be a better representative of this ending.