Detroit Tigers: 3 free agent shortstop options they could pursue

Adeiny Hechavarria

If the Tigers aren’t able to re-sign Iglesias, either because he doesn’t want to come back or they get priced out, they could turn to the rest of this year’s free agent market. One of the most practical, affordable options is the poor man’s Iglesias – Adeiny Hechavarria.

Hech has been in the big leagues since 2012, spending four seasons as the primary shortstop for the Miami Marlins before bouncing around to five different teams in the last two seasons. He is a light, light-hitting shortstop with a solid glove and decent speed. For his career, he has a .254/.290/.345 with a 72 wRC+ and a 3.9 fWAR, almost all of his value deriving from his glove.

Hech split 2018 between the Rays, Pirates and Yankees, posting a similar slash line to his career line. He’s been nothing if not consistent, meaning the Tigers know almost exactly what they’d be getting themselves into.

While Hech does have very solid marks for his defense, he’s not on Iggy’s level. Still, he is the second best defensive shortstop on the market, and is considerably better than Rodriguez would be over a full season. Plus, it’s entirely possible he’d contribute more at the plate.

Hech can probably be had on a cheap one-year deal. He will suffer from the same fate as Iglesias, wherein most teams don’t need starting shortstops. If a few jobs do open up, they’ll likely go to other more qualified free agent options, leaving Hech accepting either a utility role or a starting role on a rebuilding team like the Tigers.