The Detroit Tigers finished the 2020 season 23-35 and in last place in the tough American League Central. They will have the third pick in next year’s draft behind the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Texas Rangers as they continue the rebuild. What can the Tigers do to be competitive in their division as well as the AL in general?
Offseason Strategy
Bring in Some Veterans
The Tigers rebuild isn’t going to happen overnight. Next season will be a chance for Detroit to truly evaluate what they have in many of their young players who got a taste of the majors this season. As of now, their whole offense is under 30 years old with the exception of Miguel Cabrera. C.J. Cron, Austin Romine, and Jonathan Schoop are all free agents and will require the Tigers to shuffle around the infield.
A couple of experienced arms would help the staff as well. The Tigers have a few promising young pitchers, including a couple, Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal, who made their debuts last year. Youngsters Alex Faedo and Matt Manning are also poised to break into the majors as soon as next season. Bringing in a couple of solid inning-eaters will take the pressure off of the young guys. It will also give the Tigers another year to take a look at Michael Fulmer and Matthew Boyd, who will both be free agents after the 2022 season.
Keys to the Offseason
Take the Next Step
The Tigers will need to evaluate all of the young talent on their roster. This includes deciding where players like Willi Castro and Jeimer Candelario should be playing every day. The departure of Schoop leaves a hole at second base and Isaac Paredes doesn’t seem like the answer at third. Niko Goodrum had an excellent defensive season last year at shortstop. If the Tigers decide to leave Candelario at first base, as they should, it leaves them some options in free agency as Goodrum and Castro could play anywhere in the infield.
Another spot to fill is catcher. With Romine leaving, Detroit has Grayson Greiner and Eric Haase as their leading candidates to take over behind the plate. Neither has shown to be anything more than a backup in the majors so far. Jake Rogers is a name to keep an eye on. The 2016 third-round pick out of Tulane showed some flashes of talent in his cup of coffee in 2019. While Rogers could be the future behind the dish for the Tigers, he will likely need a full season or two to truly get settled in. An established backstop would go a long way to easing him into his career.
Adding an outfielder could help the club as well. JaCoby Jones and Victor Reyes will be two-thirds of the Tigers outfield in 2021. The other part of the trio may not be on the roster at this point. Christin Stewart has shown glimpses of talent but hasn’t solidified himself as anything other than a fourth outfielder. Daz Cameron needs some work as well. While the Tigers have a couple of promising outfield prospects on the horizon, such as Riley Greene, none of them are ready.
Offseason Targets
Jake Lamb, 30, 3B/1B
The former All-Star is looking to get his career back on track. In 2017 Lamb hit 30 HRs and drove in 105 for the Arizona Diamondbacks and it looked like he would be a mainstay on top-10 hot corner lists for the foreseeable future. Injuries and lack of consistent playing time since then have caused Lamb’s star to drop. The Tigers would be a perfect fit for Lamb as he could prove that he still has the talent. Detroit would be getting an affordable power bat who just turned 30 and is hungry to revive his career. This will likely be a one-year deal at $3-$5 million with a possible team option for 2022.
Jurickson Profar, 27, LF/2B
It’s hard to believe Profar is only 27 years old (he’ll be 28 on February 20). While he had some bumps in the road on his baseball journey, the talent has always been there. He looked like he was back on the right track in 2018 for the Rangers, hitting 20 HRs with a career-high .793 OPS. He took a step back in Oakland in 2019 and bounced back again last year in San Diego. Just like Lamb, Profar is looking for a place to prove he still belongs in the league as an everyday player. Detroit would be perfect and could sign him to a two or three-year deal for $6-$8 million per year.
Rick Porcello, 31, SP
Why not bring back your first-round pick from 2007? Porcello has proven to be a workhorse throughout his career. Since 2011 the right-hander from New Jersey has thrown the seventh-most innings (1,763) and is one of only four pitchers to start 290+ games (Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, Zack Greinke). After being bitten by the HR bug during his time in Boston, Porcello pitched well last year as a New York Met as the 5.64 ERA is deceiving ( 4.38 xFIP, 4.45 SIERA). The Tigers may be able to get their former starter at a decent price for a long-term deal. Look for something in the range of three to five years at $10-$14 million per year.
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
