Detroit Tigers offseason priority should be finding young position players to build around

First Base?

The Tigers may also find it prudent to acquire a first baseman.

While Miguel Cabrera is likely with Detroit for the long haul, Victor Martinez (per Spotrac) will be playing on an expiring contract next season.

If Martinez departs following 2018, if not sooner via trade, the Tigers could move Cabrera to designated hitter to prolong his career.

The only downside (and it’s a small one) to having Cabrera performing at a high level for so long is that Detroit didn’t really need to develop any first base prospects.

If Cabrera moves off the position to designated hitter, the team needs of a long-term fit to eventually take over.

Rey Rivera certainly has the upside to play there, but he just finished 2017 with Low-A Connecticut.

After Rivera and potential utility man Dominic Ficociello, there isn’t much in the minors.

Blueprint

Dan Jennings, who according to Spotrac is only controllable through 2019 netted the White Sox first base prospect Casey Gillaspie.

Gillaspie opened the year as Baseball America’s 74^th-best prospect ahead of players like Kevin Maitan, A.J. Pulk, Willie Calhoun and one Aaron Judge.

Greene is arguably the better reliever and is under team control for an extra year. Detroit should be able to top the haul Chicago received in a potential trade.

Ideally, the Tigers would be able to bring in a well-regarded, position player prospect near the Majors, plus one or two more prospects for Greene.

They should shoot for a similar return for Kinsler.

Next: Four hypothetical Jordan Zimmermann trades

Add those prospects to core of young position players in Jeimer Candelario, Mikie Mahtook, Nicholas Castellanos and James McCann, and the Detroit Tigers will have the makings of a promising base of talent from which to build for the future.