We’re getting closer to Christmas, but thanks to a somewhat slow-moving offseason that was dominated for several weeks by the Shohei Ohtani pursuit, there are still a lot of top free agents available. As a result, there are a lot of teams out there with rosters that are far from finalized. After adding Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty to their rotation options, the Tigers are presumably not pursuing any big-name free agents, but there may still be a chance to add a reliever or find a trade for a bat that can help the Tigers in 2024.
New Tigers GM Jeff Greenberg recently stated on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio following the addition of Flaherty that the club is in good position at this point, but will remain opportunistic throughout the rest of the offseason. That could mean a variety of things or nothing at all, but the underlying tone suggests that the front office believes they have met the majority of their offseason objectives. With their rotational needs met and the additions of Mark Canha and Andrew Chafin to the lineup and bullpen, respectively, they can spend the rest of the offseason looking for opportunities to upgrade elsewhere.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the club added another starting pitcher they’d like to work with, but it’ll almost certainly be a minor league deal with a camp invitation rather than a major league contract.
The inn is fully booked with Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, Jack Flaherty, and Sawyer Gipson-Long all in the mix for the rotation. Keider Montero, Wilmer Flores, Ty Madden, and Brant Hurter will all be in Toledo this season looking to break into the Tigers rotation. Finally, top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe is right on their tail and will look to jump ahead of the competition when he begins the season at Double-A Erie. Depth is good, and injuries happen, but you can’t run a six or seven man rotation out there, and unless the Tigers surprise us with a major rotation upgrade, there’s not much point in adding another depth starter on a major league deal.
So we’re left with the bullpen and the lineup as possible areas where the Tigers can still make a significant move.
Turner, Justin
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Unfortunately, there are few, if any, viable free-agent options to improve the Tigers’ offense. Sure, they could sign Justin Turner, 39, to play third base and designated hitter. Turner led the Boston Red Sox in 2023 with a 114 wRC+ and 23 home runs in 626 plate appearances. His defense appears to be finally crumbling, and you have to wonder how much longer his hitting ability will last. That 114 wRC+ was his lowest since the beginning of his career, prior to his 2014 swing change with private instructor Doug Latta.
Turner certainly has a lot to teach and could be a good mentor for younger batters. However, if he can’t play third base and his bat is in decline, there isn’t much reason for the Tigers to bring in another veteran. If they’re just looking for a regular DH, there’s another option with ties to Detroit.
Martinez, JD
JD Martinez is available after a strong season at the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Tigers are unlikely to offer Martinez full-time ABs, given that Canha and bat first prospects like Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy are nearly ready for the big leagues, but a one-year deal to Martinez isn’t a bad idea if they’re looking for offense.
Unfortunately, there are few, if any, viable free-agent options to improve the Tigers’ offense. Sure, they could sign Justin Turner, 39, to play third base and designated hitter. Turner led the Boston Red Sox in 2023 with a 114 wRC+ and 23 home runs in 626 plate appearances. His defense appears to be finally crumbling, and you have to wonder how much longer his hitting ability will last. That 114 wRC+ was his lowest since the beginning of his career, prior to his 2014 swing change with private instructor Doug Latta.
Turner certainly has a lot to teach and could be a good mentor for younger batters. However, if he can’t play third base and his bat is in decline, there isn’t much reason for the Tigers to bring in another veteran. If they’re just looking for a regular DH, there’s another option with ties to Detroit.
Chapman, Matt
3rd baseman Matt Chapman is obviously still available, and he’s the one who best fits the Tigers’ needs in terms of position. Chapman is still a plus defender at third base and had a 110 wRC+ with the Blue Jays in 2023. The Tigers, on the other hand, aren’t looking to sign a veteran on a multi-year deal, especially at third base, where they’re hoping one of Colt Keith or Jace Jung will be ready to take over as soon as this season. A combination of Zach McKinstry, Matt Vierling, and a dash of Andy Ibanez could be just as effective as Chapman, and with no long-term commitment. It’s difficult to imagine the Tigers signing a veteran like Chapman to a 4-5 year deal, and we’d be surprised if that happened.
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Other possibilities that could arise
Potential trade candidates such as Alex Bregman and Gleyber Torres were thought to be available in trade this offseason, but those rumors have mostly died away. Both would be prohibitively expensive for a single year unless an extension was pre-arranged, so they don’t appear to be viable options at this time. We’d be interested in acquiring and extending either, but neither appears to be available. We’ve also talked about the Reds’ Jonathan India, but while he’s available in trade, I don’t think he’s an upgrade anywhere right now.
Tommy Edman, an excellent and versatile defender for the St. Louis Cardinals who packs speed and plenty of raw power but hasn’t figured it out consistently at the plate despite rarely striking out, was another player who sparked trade speculation. The fact that Edman can handle shortstop and would provide good insurance on Javier Báez’s performance this season makes him more appealing than a somewhat similar player like Vierling.
It’s difficult to see the value in adding a player who isn’t either a legitimate hitter like Martinez or capable of backing up Báez like Edman. However, it appears that the Cardinals have decided to use Edman in center field in 2024, making room for top shortstop prospect Masyn Winn. As a result of Winn’s arrival, Edman is no longer likely to be available for trade.
Former Marlins standout third baseman Brian Anderson is among the other free agent infielders. The 30-year-old has been sidelined by shoulder injuries in recent seasons and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2023 season. His defense at third base is still solid, but signs of his old hitting ability have faded, with an 85 wRC+ for Milwaukee and significant time missed due to a back injury.
There’s also switch-hitting third baseman Eduardo Escobar, whose offensive and defensive production has plummeted to all-time lows at the age of 34. Gio Urshela remained a solid defensive third baseman after moving to Los Angeles, but he also had a down year at the plate at the age of 32, and he has never hit for much power.
Finally, I don’t think any of these potential third base options will pan out. Except for Chapman, none appear to be a clear upgrade, and Chapman isn’t enough of an upgrade for the Tigers to bother paying a declining player in his 30s on a multi-year deal. However, I believe the Tigers would be interested in signing one of these players on a minor league deal with an invite to camp as a way to add veteran depth for spring training. The Tigers aren’t going to give them a major league contract right now.
If JD Martinez’s services aren’t in high demand, the Tigers could pivot there and potentially add some thump and leadership to the offense. If they are willing to carry a one-year DH, options like Brandon Belt and Rhys Hoskins, who both play first base, may make more sense because they are receiving less attention than Martinez. Either could back up Spencer Torkelson and possibly teach him a thing or two while getting the majority of their at-bats in the DH slot. Both are still very good hitters, though Hoskins is recovering from an ACL tear that will keep him out for the entire 2023 season.
However, at the Tigers’ current prices, there is simply nothing to pursue aggressively. Now is the time to relax in the cut and see who still requires pitching in a few weeks. With Ohtani off the board, we should see a lot more movement from teams and a better understanding of where they all stand heading into the spring.
Yoshinobu Yamamato, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Shoto Imanaga, and Marcus Stroman are all still unsigned, so the majority of the top free agent starting pitching talent this offseason is still available. As a result, many of the game’s top rosters are far from finished for the offseason.
Teams are unlikely to panic until all of those players have signed contracts. However, a few teams will undoubtedly lose out and fail to upgrade their rotations this offseason. The Tigers could be in the catbird’s seat at that point, listening to offers for someone like Matt Manning or even Reese Olson. It would be a surprise, but perhaps they can find a deal that improves the offense while not negatively impacting the rotation too much.
Because the Tigers did not sign a top free agent starter, we’ll assume Tarik Skubal is pretty much untouchable this offseason unless a team offers the moon in exchange. However unlikely, until all of the top starting pitchers sign, there’s still a chance the Tigers could sign one of them for a reasonable price, and then trading a starter, even Skubal, becomes a more realistic option. For the time being? We believe the Tigers are finished with position players.
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