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12 minor league free agents the Detroit Tigers should consider

By Roger Castillo

Feb 26, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Cristian Santana high fives teammates after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Cristian Santana high fives teammates after scoring a run against the Los Angeles Angels during the third inning of a spring training game at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit Tigers
Sep 20, 2020; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Freddy Galvis (3) slides safely into second against Chicago White Sox third baseman Yolmer Sanchez (5) during the fifth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers minor league free agent infielder/catcher ideas

5. Dalton Kelly 1B (Tampa Bay Rays)

Kelly is a lefty bat that isn’t a prospect anymore but Kelly is interesting for two reasons. One, he was drafted in the 38th round by Seattle in 2015, which is always a cool story to see, and two, his home run total from 2019 to 2021 at Triple-A Durham jumped from 7 to 27.  He could be a good bat to have around at Toledo and before you can say “Spencer Torkelson” if Tork gets a call-up, Kelly would be a good fit.

6. Cristian Santana 3B (Los Angeles Dodgers)

The Tigers already have a Cristian Santana in their system who plays short but Santana had a good year in 2021 in which he hit .311/.331/.444 at Triple-A Oklahoma City and according to FanGraphs, “ridiculously gifted from a bat speed and arm strength standpoint” for his position. The only problem is, he fits the Tigers profile players of the past which is no eye at the plate and strikes out too much. Why suggest Santana? He can show he can hit at every level and until the likes of Gage Workman are ready, he could be a good fit at Toledo.

7. Dennis Ortega C (St.Louis Cardinals)

Standing at 6’2, the right-handed batting Ortega was voted the best defensive catcher in the Cardinals system in 2019. His hit tool is rather light and does not have a lot of power but to have a glove first catcher down in Toledo isn’t going to hurt. The Tigers may go in a different direction but his defense skills intrigued me.

8.  Yolmer Sánchez (Atlanta Braves)

If this name sounds familiar to you, it is the same Yolmer Sánchez who won a Gold Glove with the White Sox. He is a switch hitter, can play third and second, and for a team that is one of the worst fielding teams in the league in 2021, having him as a backup option is not bad of an idea as he is a glove-first player, with little pop.

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