Five New Free Agents the Detroit Tigers Should Target Immediately

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 17: A general night view of the main entrance of Comerica Park during the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 17, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. The Indians defeated the Tigers 10-3. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 17: A general night view of the main entrance of Comerica Park during the game between the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on September 17, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. The Indians defeated the Tigers 10-3. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Detroit Tigers
Feb 25, 2020; Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Nick Tropeano (35) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Tigers free agent target: Nick Tropeano

Position – RHP

Age on Opening Day – 30

Nick Tropeano has been a nondescript spot starter for most of his career. He showed some promise with the Angels in 2015, but then he sandwiched 27 average starts around a missed year with elbow surgery. He spent most of 2019 in the minors and the Angels released him at the end of the season. Tropeano was signed by the Yankees, but he never played for them, and the Pirates claimed him off waivers a few weeks into the 2020 season. Pittsburgh used Tropeano as a reliever, and while he didn’t throw any harder, he completely changed his pitch mix. He dropped his fastball usage by 15%, and instead threw far more sliders and splitters. Hitters couldn’t touch the slider, and they had just a .264 xwOBA against his splitter. It’s not a sexy profile, and it’s entirely possible this is just good fortune over a small sample, but there’s a chance Tropeano could be a valuable multi-inning reliever in a year when the Detroit Tigers have a lot of innings to cover.

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