Five Free Agents The Detroit Tigers Should Pursue

When Al Avila took over for Dave Dombrowski this week as the General Manager of the Detroit Tigers, he made it clear that the focus in the Motor City was still on winning, and that Mike Ilitch has let it be known that “the foot is on the pedal, hard.”

If that truly is the case, and it likely is, considering Ilitch’s affinity for loyalty and honesty, expect Detroit to be active in free agency, despite a disappointing 2015 season.

The short-list of free agents that Detroit should pursue are as follows:

1. Jordan Zimmerman:

Last offseason, Ilitch made it clear that he was not going to give Max Scherzer the lucrative deal that he expected. Similarly, it appeared that sort of offer would not be extended to David Price either. Which makes it unlikely that the Tigers’ owner would allow those two to walk out the door only to extend an offer of that nature to Johnny Cueto.

Zimmerman, however, may be more affordable for Detroit. The Nationals’ right-hander has not done himself any huge favors in a contract year, with a 3.44 ERA and a 8-7 record. However, in 2014 he was 14-5 with a 2.66 ERA, and the year before that, he was nearly a 20 game winner. A rotation with Zimmerman, Anibal Sanchez, Justin Verlander, Daniel Norris, and Matt Boyd could vault the Tigers back into relevancy at a price they prefer.

2. Yoenis Cespedes:

Trading Cespedes at the 2015 deadline was, without question, the right move for Detroit. However, by no means does that mean that he should not be a Tiger in 2016.

In, to this point, his lone year at Comerica Park, Cespedes enjoyed his best season since his rookie year, and Detroit enjoyed his elite talent, and youth. In 102 games with the team, the left-fielder hit .293, hit 18 home-runs, drove in 61, and additionally provided elite defense.

Now, Cespedes has recently made statements about his desire to remain a Met, but it was also reported that he had serious interest in returning to Detroit. If that proves to be true, Al Avila should certainly come calling.

3. Darren O’Day:

Losing Dombrowski dealt a big blow to the Detroit faithful, but it is hard to argue against the fact that his negligence in regards to his bullpen was costly. In his first offseason at the helm, Al Avila should avoid making the same mistake.

As soon as free agency begins, O’Day should have an offer from the Tigers. The 32 year-old has a 1.31 ERA in 2015, and has not posted an ERA above 2.50 since 2011. Beyond that, he pitches in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in Major League Baseball.

Signing O’Day will not require the deal that it took the Yankees to sign Andrew Miller, and he will immediately stabilize the back end of the bullpen.