DETROIT — For all the flak the Detroit Tigers have taken for their decisions over the past year, here is a good one: They did not trade Troy Melton.Melton was thought to be in demand from other teams last season. He might have been the cost it took to acquire the sort of rental, right-handed hitter fans craved. The Tigers’ short-term plan, for the record, crashed. This time one year ago, they were 50-31 but finished with only a wild-card berth and a heartbreaking ALDS loss to show for it.So far in 2026, the season has been a disaster. The Tigers are 34-47 at the midway point. Their latest loss was a deflating 2-1 defeat against the Houston Astros. The mood afterward was somber, perhaps because the Tigers let another one get away. Their young, blossoming right-hander was perfect through 5 1/3 innings. Melton acknowledged after the fact he began thinking of a perfect game after a pair of 1-2-3 innings to start the night.“I thought about it, honestly, before the third inning,” the 25-year-old said.Why MLB's draft proposal would be bad for baseball's futureKeith LawIn all, Melton surrendered only one run, via a Taylor Trammell homer, in six innings of work. The Tigers mustered almost nothing in response.Tatsuya Imai, a pitcher who entered the game with a 6.15 ERA, teased them with his varying slider. Sometimes it would have depth. Sometimes it would cut. Sometimes it backed up. No matter the shape, the Tigers were hapless.“You never really knew where he was going with it and where it was going to end up,” third baseman Colt Keith said.And so even a 12-9 record in June and improved play across the board have not been enough. We are at a point where the weight of each loss is palpable for this team. Especially the ones they let slip.