Detroit Tigers Rumors: Kolten Wong

The Detroit Tigers need a second baseman for 2021, and Kolten Wong is available. Let’s see if they make a good match.

Late last month the St. Louis Cardinals announced they would decline their $12.5 million option for second baseman Kolten Wong. It was a mild surprise, as Wong’s fundamentally sound style of play seems to fit the so-called Cardinals Way.

The Cardinals were hoping to re-sign Wong at a more favorable deal, but as Robert Murray reported, Wong apparently turned down a multi-year offer from St. Louis and is receiving interest from multiple teams.

Could the Detroit Tigers be one of the teams after Kolten Wong? Earlier today The Athletic ($) made the connection:

"The Tigers may not take aim at the top of the market, but a multi-year deal for a player like Wong, a reliable former Gold Glover, would bolster the interior of the team’s defense under new manager A.J. Hinch."

It does make some sense. Jonathan Schoop was decent for Detroit last year, playing solid defense and giving a punchless offense some much-needed pop. But if the Tigers ever want to contend again, they need to target a different kind of player. Let’s take a look at what Kolten Wong brings to the table.

Who is Kolten Wong?

A native of Hawaii, the Cardinals selected Kolten Wong in the first round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Hawaii, where he stood out for his hitting ability and versatility. He made quick progress through the minors, establishing himself as a top-100 prospect and getting named to two consecutive Futures Game rosters.

Wong made his MLB debut in August 2013, and though he went just 9-for-59, the Cardinals named him to the postseason roster. Fans may remember the 2013 postseason didn’t work out particularly well for Wong either:

Nevertheless, Kolten Wong became the Cardinals’ starting second baseman in 2014, and he’s held that position ever since, apart from a few short trips back to the minors, and a couple stints on the Injured List.

It’s useful to keep comparing Wong to Schoop, as they play the same position and broke into the league the same year. Here are some relevant career statistics:

So what we have are two average hitters who get to their offense in completely different ways. Kolten Wong is consistently one of the more difficult hitters in baseball to strike out, while Jonathan Schoop is consistently one of the hardest hitters to walk.

Since 2014 Schoop has the 3rd most home runs from a second baseman, while Wong has the 5th most steals and the 2nd best defensive numbers at the keystone. Wong has also taken home a Gold Glove award in each of the last two seasons.

What if we cut out their early seasons and just look at Wong and Schoop since 2016?

Wong seemingly cost himself some power by altering his early approach to get on base more, while Schoop earned most of his defensive value in his first three seasons.

The question for the Detroit Tigers is what they prefer, a second baseman whose value comes from power, or a second baseman whose value is derived mostly from on-base skills, speed, and defense? To answer that properly, we have to look at cost.

The Cost of Kolten Wong

We already know there are multiple suitors for Kolten Wong, and we know he’s looking for a multi-year deal. He’s a 30-year-old with a six-year track record of being a 2-3 WAR player, so Wong is likely to get close to what he wants.

But Kolten Wong is definitely a bit of a throwback. There just aren’t many second baseman like him who have received multi-year deals. If we go back a decade we can compare him to Adam Kennedy, Mark Ellis, or Marco Scutaro, but in recent years we have to stretch a bit.

Back in 2016 the Washington Nationals gave Daniel Murphy a 3-year, $37.5 million deal. Murphy was 30 at the time and a career .288/.331/.424 hitter who was a poor defender, but he had just changed his swing and was coming off a monster postseason.

In 2019 the New York Yankees signed D.J. LeMahieu to a 2-year deal worth $24 million. At the time LeMahieu was 30 and a career .298/.350/.406 hitter with a pair of Gold Gloves.

Again, these aren’t perfect comparisons, but you can bet Wong’s agent will be looking for at least $12 million a year. They probably won’t get that, but something along the lines of 3-years and $32 million, or 4-years and $40 million seems possible.

There are some interesting options out there who will likely be cheaper. Detroit could just re-sign Schoop, take a run at Tommy La Stella, or see if Jurickson Profar can convert back into a full-time second baseman.

But it never hurts to add a bat who could fit at the top of the order and play Gold Glove defense at a position of need. It probably wouldn’t move the needle a ton for Detroit Tigers fans, but Kolten Wong could be a key piece of their next contender.