Detroit Tigers should be aggressive on waiver wire in the offseason

Past examples

Players previously picked up on waivers include Houston relief pitcher Will Harris and starting pitcher Collin McHugh, San Diego closer Brad Hand and Miami starting pitcher Dan Straily.

Harris and McHugh are both vital cogs in Houston for the Astros, a team that finished third in the league in wins behind Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, Hand could very well net a significant trade return this offseason.

Dan Straily

Straily himself has already been traded in the past year.

Claimed off waivers by the Reds from the Padres, the veteran starter turned in a 3.76 ERA and a 1.186 WHIP in 191.1 innings in 2016.

Following the season, Cincinnati flipped him to Miami for a group of three minor league players that included top pitching prospect Luis Castillo as well as Austin Brice and former third-round pick Isaiah White.

Castillo notched a 1.7 WAR, a 3.12 ERA, a 3.41 xFIP, a 3.63 SIERA and a 3.74 FIP in 89.1 innings pitched. The rookie also punched out 9.87 batters per nine innings.

He gives Cincinnati another building block to pair with Eugenio Suarez, Tyler Mahle, Jesse Winker and Tucker Barnhart.

It obviously remains to be seen if the Detroit Tigers will be able to find a player like Straily, who they can flip for a premium return, on the waiver wire.

That being said, the team should be looking to add talent let go by other teams.

It’s not as if Detroit’s 40-man roster is completely set in stone.