Detroit Tigers Links: Fields' lack of bat, coffers empty, Mike Maroth moves to Toledo

This morning we take a look at one of the pressing stories of the 2015 Detroit Tigers’ offseason: what will the team do in center field. One thing they are hoping they can do is to have Daniel Fields take over his natural position in center, however his play this season, and into the Arizona Fall League, shows no reason to believe he can hit at the professional level.

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One of the main reasons the Tigers wants Fields to come along is detailed in our second link. That is because the team will likely be unwilling to spend a lot of money this off-season. Last off-season we saw a scale back on the number of large contracts offered. Prince Fielder was shipped out and Doug Fister was traded before he reached several pricy rounds of arbitration. There is no reason to believe something similar will not happen this year.

Lastly we look at the last 20-game loser in baseball, Mike Maroth. The hardluck member of the 2003 Tigers who trotted out there every single day is taking over the hitting coach duties in Toledo for next season.

Can Tigers OF Daniel Fields’ bat catch up with glove? – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

"“I think he’s still searching for it a little bit,” Chadd said. “The bat needs to continue to improve.”And despite playing five seasons professionally already, Fields, 23, is still young.“When you look at his progression,” Chadd said, “He’s pretty much on pace where he needs to be.”Fields hit .219 in 75 games while battling the injury bug at Triple-A Toledo this year. He is a lifetime .248 hitter in the minor leagues."

Tigers don’t seem to have the financial flexibility for free-agency spending spree – Matthew Mowery, Oakland Press

"It’ll be a busy offseason, too, with seven free agents hitting the market, taking a combined $47.05 million off the payroll. Will that send the Tigers on a spending spree, to dish out that money to other waiting hands? Well, no. Probably not. Once you factor in raises, the Tigers don’t have as much left over as you might think, primarily because a top-heavy payroll doesn’t really leave much for the remainder of the 25-man roster.“We are a top-heavy team. But I don’t know how that’s going to change,” Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski said. “We have the most generous owner in baseball you could possibly have in sports. But we’re in a situation where $200 million payrolls aren’t what is common here. We’re very generous in what we have. It’s a situation where we’re really in a spot that if you’re going to have four starters being paid and you’re going to have a couple superstars in the middle of your lineup, that means there’s not as much availability to do some other things. And you have to determine what you’re going to do.”"

Detroit Tigers name former pitcher Mike Maroth new pitching coach at Triple-A Toledo – James Schmehl, MLive

"Maroth, 39, replaces Al Nipper, who served as the pitching coach in Triple-A Toledo last season after spending the previous two seasons as the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator. His contract was not renewed after last season. Maroth, who lives in Orlando, has been the pitching coach for Single-A Lakeland the past three seasons."

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Detroit Tigers Links: Fields’ lack of bat, coffers empty, Mike Maroth moves to Toledo

By Matt Pelc | Oct 30, 2014