Detroit Tigers: Why veteran free agent signings are essential this offseason

Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila is embarking on a full-blown rebuild. Despite this, the Tigers should sign free agents over the course of the offseason.

Detroit Tigers fans have seen the team trade away number of veterans in the past few months.

First there was the J.D. Martinez trade to Arizona in mid-July for a trio of infield prospects.

Then came the Justin Wilson and Alex Avila transaction with the Cubs, netting the Tigers a pair of potential franchise cornerstones in Isaac Paredes and Jeimer Candelario.

As the month of August dwindled down, Detroit traded two more impact players, this time in ace starting pitcher Justin Verlander and left fielder Justin Upton.

All the moves netted the Tigers plenty of promising prospects for the future.

Some of those prospects, as well as some who were already developing in Detroit’s system beforehand, could conceivably make their debuts next season.

However, outside of Candelario—and perhaps Bryan Garcia and Mike Gerber—much of Detroit’s future nucleus is a year or two away from making it to the Majors.

That means relying on the incumbent roster and potential additions until the franchise’s top prospects are ready for action in the Majors.