Raiding the AL Central for new Detroit Tigers

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

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.

Detroit Tigers Target: Minnesota Twins IF Jorge Polanco

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.

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!