3 free agents whose markets are plummeting for Tigers to capitalize on

The Detroit Tigers don’t need to reinvent themselves this offseason. They’ve made the playoffs two years in a row. The core is young, controllable, and increasingly confident.

What the Tigers do need is smarter opportunism — identifying value pockets in a free-agent market where age, strikeouts, injuries, or bad timing have depressed prices.

This winter, there are three names in particular whose markets appear to be sliding in Detroit’s favor: a proven power bat who solves a glaring infield issue, a right-handed outfielder tailor-made to fix a lineup imbalance, and a high-octane arm whose career might be one good rehab year away from rebooting.

3 free agents whose markets are plummeting for Tigers to capitalize on

Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suárez is still coming off one of the loudest seasons of any hitter on the market. In 2025, he crushed 49 home runs with 118 RBIs and an .824 OPS between Arizona and Seattle, earning his second All-Star nod and reaffirming that his power remains very real.

The reason his market hasn’t exploded is simple: age and swing-and-miss. Suárez turns 35 in July and struck out 196 times last season. Teams paying nine-figure deals want safer aging curves. Detroit doesn’t need that. It needs production now.

Third base was a revolving door for the Tigers in 2025, with Zach McKinstry, Colt Keith, and Andy Ibáñez all taking turns at a position that never truly stabilized. Suárez would end that immediately. His 14.3% barrel rate ranked in the 89th percentile, and Detroit’s offense desperately needs that kind of consistent hard contact.

The Tigers finished near the bottom of playoff teams in slugging, and outside of Riley Greene, power was often hard to come by. Suárez’s right-handed thump would balance a lefty-heavy lineup and lengthen it instantly. Factor in his elite durability — just seven missed games over the last three seasons — and a short, win-now deal becomes extremely appealing.

There’s also a poetic angle here: Suárez debuted with Detroit. Bringing him back as a finished product, not a prospect, would be both practical and symbolic.

Chris Bassitt

Detroit has learned the hard way that chasing aging starters can turn into sunk cost quickly — which is exactly why Chris Bassitt’s oddly quiet market is so interesting right now.

Bassitt is 37, coming off a season that was good rather than flashy, and that combination tends to depress demand in a winter obsessed with upside. He doesn’t light up radar guns, doesn’t post gaudy strikeout totals and doesn’t fit the modern prototype of a headline free-agent arm.

Add in a late-season IL stint for back inflammation and a postseason role shift to the bullpen, and it’s easy to see why front offices might be talking themselves into younger, riskier options with louder tools. But that hesitation is precisely what could create value for Detroit.

Even in a “down” 2025, Bassitt still gave the Toronto Blue Jays more than 170 innings of league-average or better production while maintaining elite control and contact management. He has averaged 30 starts and 176 innings per year since 2021 — durability the Tigers simply haven’t had from their veteran additions in recent seasons.

Bassitt's eight-pitch mix gives him a higher floor than most aging starters, and it provides a built-in safety net: if the rotation experiment falters, he profiles as an immediate multi-inning weapon in relief.

For a Tigers club that needs stability behind its frontline arms without committing long-term dollars, Bassitt’s cooling market could line up perfectly. If the rest of the league is chasing ceiling, Detroit might have a chance to buy one of the winter’s safest floors at a discount.

Michael Kopech

Michael Kopech is the definition of a reclamation project — and that’s precisely why Detroit should be interested.

His 2025 season with the Dodgers was essentially lost to injuries: shoulder issues early, a knee surgery midseason, and limited effectiveness in a tiny sample when he did pitch. The raw line — more walks than strikeouts in 11 innings — won’t inspire confidence.

But context matters. In late 2024, Kopech was a dominant bullpen weapon for a championship team, posting a 1.13 ERA and thriving in high-leverage roles. The stuff never disappeared. The fastball still touches triple digits. The slider still misses bats. His career strikeout rate (10.5 K/9) remains elite.

The question has always been command and health — not talent.

That’s where Detroit comes in. The Tigers’ pitching infrastructure, led by Chris Fetter, has earned a reputation for maximizing arms with raw ability. Kopech’s extension, velocity, and power profile fit exactly what Detroit likes. He wouldn’t need to be a savior — just a depth piece with upside.

A low-cost, incentive-laden deal gives the Tigers optionality. If Kopech stays healthy, they might uncover a late-inning reliever or swingman who can impact games in October. If he doesn’t, the financial risk is minimal.

For a team trying to compete without bloating long-term payroll, this is exactly the kind of bet you make.