Detroit Tigers: 3 recently elected free agents the Tigers should pursue

Tommy Joseph

Joseph was originally a second round pick by the Giants way back in 2009. He was a catcher, but injuries and poor defense behind the plate forced a permanent move to first base in 2015. He ended up on the Phillies, and made his big league debut in 2016.

In only 315 at-bats, Joseph mashed 21 home runs and 15 doubles. He posted an excellent .248 ISO and slashed a respectable .257/.308/.505 with a 112 wRC+. He offered power in bunches and decent defense, and looked like Philly’s answer at first.

2017 was a step back for the hulking slugger. While he managed 22 home runs he did it in 495 at-bats, seeing his ISO drop to .192. He only slashed .240/.289/.432, and his defense suffered as well.

Joseph was let go by Philadelphia and found his way to Texas, where he spent all of 2018 between AA/AAA. He posted very solid numbers at Triple-A, hitting 21 home runs with a .284/.353/.549 slash line and a 131 wRC+.

The Detroit Tigers are lacking first base depth more than any other position. Assuming Miguel Cabrera moves to full-time DH, the Tigers have John Hicks, Jim Adduci and Edwin Espinal in the upper minors/majors at first. While Joseph isn’t great, he certainly could contend for Detroit’s starting first base gig at the moment.

Hicks is probably the front-runner, but with how poorly Grayson Greiner looked last season it may make sense to have Hicks split time with James McCann behind the plate, freeing Joseph up to play first base on a regular basis.

Worst case, Joseph would be good depth to have at Toledo, as he has clearly proven he can be a middle of the order bat at that level.

Tyler Lyons

At 30, Lyons might be a tad old for this rebuilding Detroit Tigers team. However, he’s had more big league success than everyone else that became available, and the Tigers could certainly use more left-handed pitching.

Lyons has spent his entire big league career with the Cardinals after getting selected in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his big league debut in 2013. After two average seasons, Lyons really hit his stride in 2015.

From 2015-2017, Lyons posted a 3.33 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP with a 9.7 K/9 across 162 innings. Things really felt apart in 2018 however, as he only mustered an 8.64 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP in 16.2 innings.

Lyons has served in middle relief his entire career, although as one might expect he has fared better against left-handers in his career. He has held lefties to a .201/.286/.320 line, with a 9.46 K/9 and a 1.06 WHIP.

Detroit could certainly consider buying low on Lyons and seeing if he can compete with Daniel Stumpf to be Detroit’s LOOGY. Stumpf didn’t have a great year, although he was similarly effective against fellow left-handers. Still, Lyons has the track record to win that job – or pitch in the bullpen alongside Stumpf if fellow left-hander Blaine Hardy is either let go or added to the starting rotation.

Drew Hutchison

Does anyone else remember when Hutchison went 13-5 with the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays, despite a 5.57 ERA? Good(?) times. Anyway, Hutchison is a pending free agent and while his 2018 numbers weren’t great, he has shown enough in the last few seasons to merit consideration as a minor league free agent who could compete for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He also has the flexibility to be a starter at Triple-A, or a swingman for the big club if needed.

After his odd 2015 season, Hutchison spent 2016 pitching well at Triple-A before he ended up with the Pirates. He spent all of 2017 in Triple-A, earning a 3.56 ERA and a 7.00 K/9. 2018 saw him pitch meaningful big league innings, split between the Dodgers and the Rangers.

All told he threw 42.2 innings in 16 appearances (five starts). His 6.75 ERA was higher than his 6.54 K/9, which is never a good sign.

However, he had a 2.14 ERA in 42 Triple-A innings, so if nothing else Hutchison would be a solid rotation piece at Toledo who could come up in a pinch and provide decent innings. This team dealt with Ryan Carpenter last season, so Hutchison would at least be better than that.

The Detroit Tigers have plenty of ways to improve their roster before the 2019 season. These are just a few options that GM Al Avila and his team could consider.