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

Detroit Tigers fans could conceivably see the team make some veteran free agent additions this offseason despite the current rebuilding effort.

Detroit Tigers fans are used to seeing contending teams that make big splashes in free agency.

This was true as recently as a couple of years ago when the Tigers splashed significant cash on long-term contracts for outfielder Justin Upton and starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann.

The same offseason saw multi-year pacts handed to fellow starter Mike Pelfrey and relief pitcher Mark Lowe.

Considering the mixed bag results of the quartet—not to mention a sky-high payroll—Detroit was nowhere near as active last offseason.

Despite fielding a team that just missed out on a playoff appearances, catcher Alex Avila was the only player signed to a Major League contract.

With Upton, Avila, starting pitcher Justin Verlander, outfielder J.D. Martinez and closer Justin Wilson all having been dealt in the last few months, the Tigers are in full on rebuilding mode.

This is all speculative mind you, but despite this, Detroit could conceivably be more active on the free agent market this winter than in seasons past when the team was in contention.

This doesn’t mean big contracts will be handed out to players like Upton or Martinez.

That being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tigers add some veteran players on short-term deals.

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.

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.