Detroit Tigers: American League Central Offseason Review

Detroit Tigers fans saw a relatively quiet offseason in which the team predominantly remained the same. Here’s a look at what the rest of Detroit’s American League Central rivals did over the winter.

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila recently completed his second offseason in charge of the club.

While he didn’t make the same kinds of trades as his first offseason, in which Avila brought in Cameron Maybin, Justin Wilson and Francisco Rodriguez, the general manager still made some shrewd moves.

Maybin was traded once again, this time to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for power pitching prospect Victor Alcantara in a cost-cutting move.

The outfielder enjoyed a productive season at the plate in 2016, but Detroit will move forward with cheaper alternatives in JaCoby Jones, Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook.

Speaking of Mahtook, Avila brought in the 26-year-old via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The former first-round pick struggled last season, but showed considerable promise in 2015.

On the pitching side of things, Detroit was active in the Rule 5 draft. The club selected left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf from Kansas City.

Stumpf and Alcantara will both likely be in the mix for bullpen jobs at some point season.

While Avila didn’t make too many additions to the Major League roster, he did improve the team’s overall depth with a bevy of minor league additions.

Among the notable players Detroit inked to minors deals include former Tiger Omar Infante, ex-St. Louis All-Star closer Edward Mujica and Michigan State product A.J. Achter.

While the Detroit Tigers didn’t make too many splashes, the rest of the team’s division rivals were certainly busy.

Here is a look at offseason activity of the other four American League Central teams and how the moves of Detroit’s rivals affect the Tigers.