Detroit Tigers could conceivably spend more in free agency as a rebuilding team

Prospect cover

The good news with the Detroit Tigers’ rebuild is that the next wave of prospects isn’t that far off.

Young starters Franklin Perez (the centerpiece of the Verlander blockbuster) and Beau Burrows both found success at Double-A Erie this season.

They were joined on the SeaWolves roster by slugging outfielder Christin Stewart, all-around outfielder Mike Gerber, infielder Dawel Lugo (the key player in the Martinez trade) as well as pitchers Sandy Baez, Matt Hall, Gerson Moreno, Adam Ravenelle and Spencer Turnbull.

Grayson Long, the starting pitcher acquired for Upton, fared well for Anaheim’s Double-A squad in 2017 with a 2.52 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 121.2 frames.

It isn’t unreasonable to expect that some of those players will be ready for the Majors at some point next season, if not by 2019.

So in that regard, the Tigers have a number of players who could plug in alongside the likes of Michael Fulmer, Mikie Mahtook, Joe Jimenez and Jeimer Candelario in the relatively near future.

That’s all good.

However, with the exception of perhaps Gerber and Triple-A power reliever Bryan Garcia, the vast majority of the prospects may not be ready for the Majors by Opening Day 2018.

Because of that, the Tigers could look for some veteran fill-ins on the free agent market.

These free agent signings would contribute in Detroit until players like Perez and Stewart are ready to take over in the Majors.

Positons of need

As of now, the positions with the most pressing need for veteran cover for the Detroit Tigers are the starting rotation, the outfield and –to a lesser extent— the bullpen.

The list of positions of need could also expand to include second base if Ian Kinsler is traded.

With Justin Verlander traded and Anibal Sanchez potentially ticketed for free agency, Detroit will have a number of openings to fill in the starting rotation.

According to Spotrac, Sanchez has a $16 million option on his contract for next season that can be bought out for $5 million.

With the team shedding salary and going for a rebuild, it makes sense to move on from the 33-year-old hurler, who owns a -0.4 WAR and a 6.20 FIP in 77.2 innings this season.

Should Sanchez depart, it would leave Detroit with Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris and Jordan Zimmermann in three rotation spots.

Internal candidates to fill the final two slots include Artie Lewicki, Buck Farmer, Myles Jaye, Chad Bell and Warwick Saupold.

Because of this and the struggles of both Boyd (1.692 WHP) and Norris (1.718 WHIP), Detroit could conceivably opt for a steadying presence or two from the free agent market.

Top-end options like Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish and Lance Lynn obviously aren’t fits with the current Tigers roster.

However, signing pitchers like Marco Estrada, Jaime Garcia, Trevor Cahill or Scott Feldman to short-term deals could be beneficial.

These pitchers would act as stand ins for the likes of Perez, Burrows, Long, Hall and Baez, who should all be in the Majors full time by 2020.

The outfield, the bullpen and potentially second base

In terms of the outfield, the Tigers could go a number of different routes until Stewart and Gerber are ready to join Mahtook and JaCoby Jones in the Comerica Park grass.

Alex Presley and Jim Adduci represent two incumbent options.

While both have shown well in limited playing time, both seem more like platoon or bench options given their 2017 production.

Presley owns a 99 wRC+ this season, while Adduci’s currently sits at 91.

Of course, having Nicholas Castellanos establish himself in right field would certainly help things.

The converted infielder hasn’t looked out of place in his first two starts at the position in 2017, and could stick there.

If that’s the case, the Tigers can play the 25-year-old in right, Mahtook in left field and ease Gerber into the Majors in a center field time share with Jones.

This would also allow Stewart to come along at a slower pace as he takes on Triple-A pitching.

The bullpen

Detroit already has a closer in Shane Greene and a useful setup hurler in Alex Wilson.

While the duo could be dealt in the offseason, the Tigers may be better served adding a seventh inning or setup type on a one-year deal who could net a prospect or two at the trade deadline.

Free agents who could be fits on short-term deals for the Tigers include Luke Gregerson, David Hernandez, Joe Smith, Fernando Abad or Oliver Perez.

Ideally, any reliever signed would be able to pitch late in games alongside Greene and Wilson so the likes of Jairo Labourt, Jimenez, Garcia, Zac Reininger and Victor Alcantara aren’t punted into the deep end in the Majors.

Second base

In a perfect world, the Tigers would be able to find a young, Major League ready, middle infielder in any Ian Kinsler trade this winter.

That way, the team can pair said middle infielder with Dixon Machado up the middle.

In that scenario, either the new infielder or Dawel Lugo would be the long-term starter at second base, with the other a potential bench piece.

However, in the event that Detroit can’t find a younger second baseman in a Kinsler swap, there should be a number of veteran options on the free agent market.

Howie Kendrick, Brandon Phillips or Danny Espinosa could be interesting fits on one-year contracts

The beauty of short-term signings like this is that Al Avila can flip them for future assets at the trade deadline or when a top prospect is ready to step in at the Major League level.

Of course, a free agent signing could conceivably develop into a long-term piece, but they hold plenty of value as potential trade chips.

New-found financial flexibility

If the Tigers make free agents signings this offseason, the team will do so with much more financial flexibility than they’ve operated with in the past.

The words “Detroit Tigers” and “financial flexibility” haven’t been uttered in the same sentence for quite some time.

That’s what happens when a team operates with a sky-high payroll and accommodates the acquisitions of some pricey veteran performers.

However, things are starting to come back to earth for Detroit from a financial standpoint.

Traded contracts

The team got out of J.D. Martinez and Alex Avila’s expiring contracts at the July trade deadline.

The same deadline also saw the team move Justin Wilson, who is likely in for a hefty pay raise via arbitration this offseason.

There was also the deals to move Justins Upton and Verlander.

We’ll start with Upton, who per Spotrac can opt out of the final four years of his contract this winter. Four years that will pay him $22.125 million per season.

It remains to be seen whether the outfielder opts out or not. However, that’s not the Tigers’ financial concern any more.

In other money-saving news, the Tigers are reportedly sending some money to Houston in the Verlander trade to help pay down the ace’s salary.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted about deal on September 1:

“The #Tigers, who will pay $8 million a year for the next two seasons to the #Astros, also will send a player back to Houston as part of deal.”

Considering that Verlander is making $28 million per season (according to Spotrac) over the next two years, that’s a savings of $40 million for Detroit.

Throw in Sanchez’s potential buy out to go along with money owed to Mike Pelfrey, Mark Lowe and Francisco Rodriguez coming off the books and the Tigers will have much more cash to work with.

Next: These Tigers could be the next to be traded

That cash will help the team find some short-term veteran fits who can hold down positions until Detroit’s next generation of standout players are ready to take over.