3 free agents Tigers fans shouldn't get their hopes up for this offseason

Scott Harris made it very clear in his end of season press conference: the Tigers will not be building through free agency. Certainly, this doesn't mean no free agents will be added, but the front office will likely avoid major pacts, especially ones that come with long durations and high AAV. Here are the three most discussed players that most likely won't be on the Opening Day roster for the 2027 Tigers.

Seiya Suzuki

Suzuki is actually overall a solid free agent fit, so it's understandable why Tigers fans would want Harris to hand him a blank check this offseason. He plays a position of need in right field, grades out positively on defense, and would seamlessly fill the gap left by Gleyber Torres as a right-handed bat at the top of the lineup.

The main concern the front office likely has is the same one that kept them from re-entering Alex Bregman's market a year ago: Suzuki will start the contract at 32 years old. He put up a phenomenal 5.1 bWAR this season that should garner him at minimum four years and $25 million per year as a floor. This type of commitment could age poorly fast, especially now that the Cubs have expressed resistance to participate in a bidding war for him.

Suzuki certainly has tools that will age well, such as his bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline, but ultimately, until you hear that the contract has been signed, it would be safe to assume he will end up elsewhere.

Adrian Morejon

It is pretty rare to have the opportunity to try to lock down a dynamite bullpen arm as young as Morejon on the free agent market, so fans have expressed willingness to pay any price, even if that means signing Morejon to a five-year deal worth $18-20 million per season. It's certainly a fun thought, but in truth, the Tigers are not all that good a fit for this type of contract.

Morejon is a left-handed reliever who commands extremely high swing and miss rates, with the added bonus of also getting tons of ground balls. The Tigers already have an arm in the bullpen with this exact makeup under team control for another five years: Drew Sommers. The two look almost identical on paper, and given the Tigers' current left-handed reliever depth, this is not a move that feels realistic. Add on that relievers tend to be extremely volatile year to year, and this deal could end up a burden very quickly.

Randy Arozarena

Arozarena has been discussed as a potential fit in the same way as Suzuki, but unlike Suzuki himself, he doesn't feel like a natural fit. He would come with a virtually identical price tag without the same balanced offensive or defensive profile, and Arozarena's track record as a teammate is not the most clear after how he treated Cal Raleigh in the World Baseball Classic.

The one counter-argument that may be offered is that Arozarena had a breakout season in the nightmare of an offensive landscape that is T-Mobile Park. However, falling victim to that logic could make this deal end up even riskier long-term than Suzuki.

Unlike Suzuki, who's been a highly consistent offensive presence since joining the Cubs, never posting an OPS under .770, Arozarena's year-by-year offensive performance has been less certain. In 2024, he posted a .720 OPS with a slugging percentage under .400, a risk the Tigers simply cannot afford at his price tag. The added consequence would be clogging up an outfield spot that could be otherwise destined for Zyhir Hope by the end of the season. Arozarena is also not the greatest defender in left field, and offers a well-below-average arm for right field.

Arozarena would be the same age as Suzuki entering 2027, which all but guarantees the Tigers won’t pursue him.

Free agency could still be fun

Despite these specific contracts not being realistic for the Tigers, that doesn't mean they will have a bland offseason, or have the same roster restrictions as past years. With several big contracts coming off the ledger by November, they still have no commitments to players not named Kevin McGonigle or Colt Keith beyond two years.

As a result, if the Tigers' front office decides that one particular player is worth a shot, that is a distinct possibility. While the Framber Valdez deal did not start how we hoped, it was among the most exciting deals of the offseason when it was signed. It will be truly interesting to see if the Tigers decide to fully let the kids play in 2027, or to find a stabilizing presence for the offense and pitching staff in the coming months.

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