I don't know who could have predicted that everyone except Greene, Dingler and Torres would be significantly worse than previous years. McKinstry, Perez and Jones provided good value last year. Vierling provided value the year before. Why wouldn't a GM stick with them? Every team needs those cost controlled bench players to be successful.
That's the problem though. They are bench players forced into starting roles so their weaknesses have been more exposed. I don't think opposing GMs are lining up to bail the Tigers out of their predicament. They are going to ask for the moon because the Tigers are in a desperate situation. I don't think it's realistic to expect a trade at this point. They tried to fill gaps with their own guys whose track records they liked. It just hasn't worked out for the best.