Detroit Tigers Haven’t Made a Third Base Decision Yet

Sep 1, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Nick Castellanos (30) makes a catch of a fly ball hit by Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (not pictured) in the eighth inning at Comerica Park. Cleveland won 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Dave Dombrowski says the team didn’t consider Jhonny Peralta as an option at third base following the big Prince Fielder trade, according to a quote in a Jason Beck piece on MLB.com.

“We had no further discussion on Peralta’s situation when the Fielder trade was made,” Dombrowski said Monday. “We still think of him as a shortstop and that’s what he’s looking to play, so we did not revisit that situation. And we really couldn’t revisit it until we decided upon Cabrera and [Nick] Castellanos and what we were going to do there, and we still have not made any final decision on that at all.”

Miguel Cabrera has since come out saying that he would be just fine with a move back to first base, leaving Nick Castellanos as the only good internal option, but Dombrowski’s implication here is that no final decisions have been made.

But really, why would they have a final decision already? Unless a monster first base-only power hitter falls into their lap (something they’re probably not pursuing), they’re not likely to be looking at Cabrera as a third base option, but Castellanos is unproven both (1) as a major league hitter and (2) as a defensive third baseman, so the thought is that they’d be looking to add a veteran third base option who could provide a reliable level of production in the event Casty isn’t ready.

That could be a trade — Rick Porcello looks to still be on the market — or free agency, but either way, it’s unlikely to be a an All-Star caliber player (though Dave Dombrowski has an uncanny ability to surprise us). I think the only thing we know right now is that the Tigers aren’t done making moves this offseason, and it looks like third base is one of the positions they’re looking to solidify.