Detroit Tigers: It remains to be seen if Justin Upton opts out of his contract, if he does, here are some potential replacements

Free Agent Options

While it seems extremely unlikely that the Detroit Tigers hand out another contract similar to Upton’s in free agency this winter, adding an external option still remains a conceivable option.

Detroit could have some extra money to play with.

The team has already unloaded J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila’s expiring contracts this season, saving some cash in the process.

What’s more, the Chicago Cubs are now paying Justin Wilson’s salary, which should rise through arbitration considering the left-hander’s recent success.

The Tigers will also see prior commitments to Mike Pelfrey, Mark Lowe and Francisco Rodriguez come off the books, while Anibal Sanchez (per Spotrac) has a $16 million option for 2018 that can be bought out for $5 million.

Obviously if Upton departs, the amount of available cash increases significantly.

Detroit could use some of that money on a short term contract for a veteran free agent like Jon Jay, Jarrod Dyson, Melky Cabrera, Seth Smith or Andre Ethier.

Former Tigers outfielders Curtis Granderson, Cameron Maybin, Rajai Davis and Austin Jackson are also free agents who could be fits.

In Conclusion

Once again, it remains to be seen if Justin Upton opts out of his contract. It’s still exceedingly early. He could very well stay in the Motor City long-term—which would be fantastic for the Tigers.

Next: Predicting Detroit's September call ups

We won’t know more until the offseason, but if Upton leaves town, the Tigers will have a number of options in terms of replacing him.