Detroit Tigers: Salary Relief and Sustainability Are Coming, Regardless of Trades

Looking Even Farther Into the Future

Victor Martinez and his annual $18 million salary will come off the books following 2018, as will Ian Kinsler’s contract should his option for that season be picked up.

Detroit will still have a host of core players under contract at that point. These include the likes of Fulmer, Norris, Rondon, Castellanos Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and potentially Upton.

While the days of the Detroit Tigers being major players on the free agent market are likely over, the team’s ability to develop players could provide just as beneficial.

High-upside prospects will provide the Tigers with promising and affordable talent to build the roster around. These prospects will provide a boost to the team while also saving Detroit significant cash.

Top Position Player Prospects

One of the team’s more promising minor league talents, Christin Stewart’s ability to hit for raw power and draw a high number of walks make him a potential franchise cornerstone.

Additionally, fellow position-player prospects like Mike Gerber, Derek Hill, Jose Azocar and Will Maddox hold plenty of intrigue.

Gerber fills up the stat sheet over the course of a season. Just last year in 132 games split between Lakeland and Erie, the outfielder accumulated 80 RBI, 69 runs scored, 30 doubles, 18 home runs, eight stolen bases and six triples.

Elsewhere, Hill’s elite speed and defense make him a near-lock for the Major Leagues.

Azocar, who has shown nothing but upside since joining the professional ranks, just finished his first season in the Midwest League. The 20-year-old batted .281 with 51 RBI for West Michigan. Overall, he’s a .289 career hitter in the minors and has the upside of a plus defender in center.

Rounding out the list of position players is Maddox, who has been extremely productive since being drafted in the 18^th round of the 2014 draft.

The infielder is a career .325 hitter in the minors and recently finished in the top 25 in the Midwestern league in sacrifice hits (14^th), on-base percentage (15^th), RBI (18^th), runs scored (22^nd) and doubles (23^rd).

High-Upside Pitchers

Over on the pitching side of things, Matt Manning and Beau Burrows both feature blazing fastballs, and could very well become frontline starters in the Majors.

Manning could team with Fulmer to give Detroit two true aces at the top of the rotation.

There’s also Kyle Funkhouser, a former first-round pick who didn’t sign and fell to the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Funkhouser may very well join Manning and Burrows in the Detroit rotation down the line.

Speaking of the 2016 draft, Al Avila did a tremendous job of adding relievers with excellent upside.

Mark Ecker (0.98 ERA, 10.1 K/9), Zac Houston (0.30 ERA, 14.9 K/9) and Bryan Garcia (2.41 ERA, 10.6 K/9) have all posted excellent numbers so far in their respective minor league careers.

It is obviously still early, but if they can continue that success, Detroit will have some exciting bullpen depth in the coming years.

This is all without mentioning Jimenez, who has the upside to be an impact closer the Majors.

In addition to the 2016 draftees and Jimenez, Drew Smith (1.92 career ERA, 11.3 K/9) and Gerson Moreno (3.48 career ERA, 8.1 K/9) are two other names to watch.

Victor Alcantara, the prospect acquired for Cameron Maybin, is another potential power reliever at the Major League level.

Next: Tigers Bring Back a Familiar Face

Not only is the future bright for the Detroit Tigers, but, it is looking more and more financially sustainable.