Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are the Cinderella of the 2024 MLB season. Preseason projections pegged them for around 75 wins this year, but they've blown that out of the water, and they'll make the postseason as a Wild Card team to boot.
On July 30th, the Tigers had a 52-57 record. They saw the writing on the wall, and they traded away starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, catcher Carson Kelly, and reliever Andrew Chafin. You'll notice two of those three players are former Cardinals themselves. The Tigers organization wisely sold on the season, and they were hoping for success in future years on the backs of ace Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene, and Colt Keith -- a rookie whom the Tigers signed to a huge extension (are you listening, John Mozeliak?).
Since the trade deadline, the Tigers are 34-18, one of the best records in baseball. On September 1st, the Tigers were five games behind the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins for the final Wild Card spot. Only a few teams have faced deficits greater than this and still made the playoffs.
Fans of the Cardinals will remember fondly the 2011 team. The Tigers have had a run nearly as magical as the Cardinals did over a decade ago, and the hope for Detroit is that this run continues for a few more weeks.
There are no former Cardinals on the Tigers, and the beloved Miguel Cabrera is no longer on the team, but due to their ridiculous second half that is reminiscent of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, fans should root for this team to make a deep run in the postseason. Besides, it's always fun to root for the underdog.