5 Reasons Why The Detroit Tigers Aren’t Bringing Back Jhonny Peralta

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5 Reasons Why The Detroit Tigers Aren't Bringing Back Jhonny Peralta

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Andrew Weber- USA TODAY Sports

Today marked the end of the Jhonny Peralta era in Detroit after the Detroit Tigers declined to make a qualifying offer. Peralta will now hit the open market and the Tigers have publicly stated they will allow him to go ahead and find a new place to call home. No question the time Peralta spent in Detroit will still be considered mostly a positive, even with the steroid scandal that came about towards the end of it. Some will want to say that the steroids were the real reason but really there were a lot of issues other than the steroids that were just as much if not more impactful.

No question one of the biggest reasons came about because of the trade for Jose Iglesias which would not have happened if Jhonny had not been suspended for the steroid use. It was mostly accepted however that when the season was over suspension or not the Tigers want to go in a more youthful direction for their infield and this created the perfect opportunity to do so. One part that is going to be hard for the Tigers to replace was the offense Jhonny gave especially toward the bottom of the order which has always been a major issue for the Tigers.

So now Peralta will be looking to land a starting job on another team and potentially another contending team, while the Tigers hit the open market looking for a multitude of things. Many fans will have wanted to keep Peralta but the five reasons I list are big reasons as to why the Tigers decided that going in another direction was the right call.

Brent Smith is a Detroit Tigers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @brentweets or add him to your network on Google

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5. His Defense

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Rick Osentoski- USA TODAY Sports

Jhonny Peralta really worked hard to become a decent outfielder for the playoffs but he cannot be trusted over an entire season in the outfield and his defense is not as quality as other Tigers players on the infield.

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4. Better Free Agents

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Greg M. Cooper- USA TODAY Sports

This offseason is rich with outfield talent and some good infield trade possibilities. Be it Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Shin Soo-Choo or Brandon Philips, the Tigers have lots of better, younger choices.

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3. His Cost

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Steve Mitchell- USA TODAY Sports

This seems silly to a team with the payroll the Tigers have but if the Tigers are going to spend around $10 million a year on a player, it needs to be more consistent producer than what Peralta has been.

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2. Bigger Needs

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Rick Osentoski- USA TODAY Sports

The bullpen is going to be a major focus this offseason for the Tigers and Peralta just isn't a priority to resign. There are bigger focuses right now than Jhonny Peralta.

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1. Jose Iglesias

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Andrew Weber- USA TODAY Sports

The Jose Iglesias trade is the biggest reason and has worked out as good as any Tigers fan could have hoped. Sure he struggles at times with his bat but his defense is one in a generation type.

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