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Raiding the AL Central for new Detroit Tigers

By Brendan Burke |
Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) makes a throw to first base for an out during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) makes a throw to first base for an out during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
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Major League Baseball is filled with players who would look great in a Detroit Tigers uniform.

Most of these players aren’t available for the Detroit Tigers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream a little bit. So for the next few weeks we will choose a division and take one player from each team to place them on the Detroit Tigers. We start close to home, in the American League Central.

Detroit Tigers Target: Cleveland Guardians RP Emmanuel Clase

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

One could argue José Ramírez would be an excellent fit for the Detroit Tigers. He’s one of the best players in baseball, and he could easily take over second base or third base when Jeimer Candelario and Jonathan Schoop depart. But he’s not going anywhere now, so I decided to choose Emmanuel Clase, the Guardians’ closer.

Clase just turned 24 in March, and he offers plenty of velocity and strikeouts. Last season, Clase appeared in 71 games and posted a 1.29 ERA. In 69.2 innings pitched, he struck out 74 and walked 16. His cutter averaged 99 MPH, and he also has a slider that averages 88 MPHl. With those two pitches, he has the tools to be a dominant closer.

Clase would fit well in the Detroit Tigers bullpen with injuries from José Cisnero, Kyle Funkhouser, and Andrew Chafin to start the season. Chafin just returned, but Cisnero and Funkhouser are currently on the 60-day IL and might be out for the season.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers Target: Chicago White Sox SP Dylan Cease

This was the most challenging team to choose from, because the White Sox roster is filled with talented players, including Tim Anderson and Luis Robert. But I decided to select Dylan Cease because he is still just 26 and would provide a great deal of help to the Detroit Tigers rotation. He could instantly step in and be a number 3 or 4 starter, with the potential to front the rotation if he keeps developing.

Dylan Cease offers a full arsenal of quality pitches, including a curve, a changeup, a fastball, and a slider. With this mix of pitches he gets a lot of strikeouts and regularly pitches into the 6th inning. In 36 starts over the last two seasons, Cease owns 3.84 ERA with 254 strikeouts in 187.2 innings.

With no clear number 5 starter for the Tigers, and injuries to Matt Manning and Casey Mize to start the year, the Tigers could use Cease in their rotation. Even when Mize and Manning are healthy enough to play again, they could use Cease as a starter. A rotation of Rodriguez, Mize, Cease, Skubal, and Manning would make the Tigers a real threat in the American League.

Detroit Tigers Target: Minnesota Twins IF Jorge Polanco

Minnesota Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco (11) fields a ball and throws to first base for a double play against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco (11) fields a ball and throws to first base for a double play against the Kansas City Royals in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Byron Buxton seems like the obvious choice here, but he has such a long injury history. Jorge Polanco, meanwhile, can play second base, third base, and shortstop, which would help with depth at the position for the Detroit Tigers. And he’s not a bad offensive player either.

Polanco, who made his debut in 2014, is a career .275 hitter and offers some contact and speed. He has 84 career home runs, including 33 last year, he has driven in 351 runs, and he owns a career .332 on-base percentage. Polanco is also solid on defense, with a .975 fielding percentage. He has the tools to be in any team’s starting lineup and will help a winning team compete.

Polanco could be Detroit’s second baseman of the future. Yes, Jonathan Schoop can play the position well, but you can move him to first base and have Spencer Torkelson play Designated Hitter when Miguel Cabrera retires. So instead of constantly calling up Willi Castro, Detroit could have another solid veteran in the infield to help them compete.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a double in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) hits a double in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports /

Detroit Tigers Target: Kansas City Royals IF Bobby Witt Jr.

Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the most hyped-up young players in Major League Baseball. He’s the #1 prospect in the game, according to MLB Pipeline, as an excellent shortstop and third baseman. He shows strong defensive tools and offers incredible speed on the basepaths, and Witt also owns an impressive hit tool with surprising raw power for his size.

With Javier Báez eligible to opt-out of his contract after two seasons, Witt Jr. could take over as the future shortstop for the Detroit Tigers. He would be a plus third baseman if Báez sticks around, and he could easily handle second base too. Witt is off to a tough start this season, but that can happen to anyone, and he has all the ingredients to be a very special player.

Those are our choices to take from the other teams in the AL Central. Let us know who you’d target in the comments below!

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