5 bounce-back candidates the Tigers can target in free agency at a favorable price

Now that they've seen their current contention window open wide, the Detroit Tigers are preparing for what's going to be an important offseason for their future. The club was not supposed to be one that made the playoffs in 2024, but they rode a red-hot second half straight to October.

While Detroit didn't make it past the ALDS, there's a lot for fans to be excited about entering the 2025 campaign.

The Tigers are never going to have one of the largest payrolls in baseball, but there's going to be some room for them to spend this offseason. There are immediate needs in the outfield and in the starting rotation, so it's fair to expect them to be active in upgrading both of those spots.

While the club will pursue the vast majority of the best-available players, that certainly doesn't mean they're going to come away with more than one of them.

That will leave the rest of the offseason as prime time to sign budget players who will either get released after early regular-season struggles or carve out consistent roles with the '25 club. With players like these, there's rarely space in between these two extremes. Who falls into that category?

5 budget bounce-back candidates the Tigers can target this winter

Matthew Boyd

The biggest thing Boyd is primed to bounce back from is his lengthy track record of time spent on the injured list. The southpaw spent eight years on the Tigers before departing in free agency last offseason and eventually landing with the division-rival Guardians once he was finally healthy.

Of course, he wound up making eight regular-season starts in Cleveland and dominated the opposition; going 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.29 FIP and 151 ERA+ through 39 2/3 innings. He also struck out over 10 batters per nine innings for the first time since 2019 and brought his H/9 rate down quite a bit from where it's been at in years past.

Boyd is back on the free agent market now and looks primed to earn a decent contract after his encouraging eight-start showing and his dominance on the mound in the playoffs. The 33-year-old made three starts and allowed just one earned run while striking out 14 across 11 2/3 innings. This performance earned him a bit more on his upcoming contract, but the Tigers, who need a starting pitcher (or two...) could use him back in their starting-five.

Walker Buehler

Any time a starting pitcher misses a good chunk of time in their walk years, they find themselves on a list like this. Buehler, along with Shane Bieber of the Guardians, fit the bill for the Tigers this winter, but we're leaning Buehler.

The seven-year veteran made just 16 starts for the Dodgers this year after missing the entirety of the 2023 season. His regular-season output was nothing to be excited about, but he stepped up and turned in some strong outings in three of his four outings in this year's playoffs. en route to a title.

In the NLCS against the Mets, Buehler went four scoreless innings with six strikeouts and two walks. Then he made another five-scoreless-inning start in the World Series against the Yankees, striking out five and walking two more. Buehler capped this off by throwing the final pitch of the Series, earning the first save of his professional career on baseball's biggest stage in the Dodgers' clinching effort.

Buehler stepped up and showed what he's capable of when the lights are the brightest. These appearances are what separates him from someone like Bieber, who made just two early-season starts before Tommy John wiped him out for the rest of 2024 and majority of 2025. Since Buehler's coming off of a down year this season, he should be available for cheap on a "prove it" type of contract. The Tigers should be all over him.

Brandon Drury

Let me preface this by saying that a signing of Drury would only come late in the offseason when the majority of the Tigers' shopping is already done. The club could use a versatile bat who can hit homers and bounce around the diamond and at his best, Drury can provide that.

This season, the 10-year vet hit just .169 through 97 games with the Angels, posting a 35 OPS+ that would have even the worst hitters of all-time cringing. However, just the year before, he hit 26 home runs with an .803 OPS and 114 OPS+.

The year before that? 28 big flies, an .813 OPS and a 123 OPS+ that put his production at a 23% above-league-average clip. Not too bad at all. This is without mentioning the fact that he can play three of the four infield positions (and shortstop in an extreme pinch) as well as the outfield corners.

Essentially, Drury is an alternate utilityman candidate to Zach McKinstry, who is a glaring non-tender candidate this offseason. The Tigers could swap one for another and hope that they get Drury at his best. If he stumbles out of the gate, cutting him wouldn't hit the payroll all that hard, as he won't command a significant contract to begin with.

Eloy Jimenez

Now that the World Series has come to an end, Jimenez is officially a free agent for the first time in his career. The long-time White Sox outfielder unfortunately put together his worst season in what was a walk year, so his value isn't exactly at its highest right now.

In 98 games split between the White Sox and Orioles, the former Silver Slugger hit just six home runs with 23 RBI, a .238 average, .626 OPS and 81 OPS+. His bat and its production dipped in every way compared to his performance in the recent past.

Like Drury, though, Jimenez has a track record of success. Also like Drury, Jimenez was a solid bat as recently as last season. The six-year veteran has some light-tower power and could end up being one of the biggest free-agent steals of the offseason if he can finally put together a healthy year.

Jimenez's problem has always been his durability, and the Tigers would need to keep this in mind if they pursued him. He's got easy 30-home run potential, but he's only appeared in over 100 games in a season twice in his career. The first time he did it? 31 home runs.

Mike Soroka

Yet another extreme buy-low candidate, Soroka has experienced success in the big leagues before. The right-hander finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and earned an All-Star Game selection back in 2019 at the age of 21, but the wheels have fallen off since then.

Not only has he missed multiple years due to injury, but Soroka has also severely underperformed when he's taken the mound. This year, he went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA and 87 ERA+ through 25 games (nine starts) with the White Sox. That win-loss record has a lot to do with the fact that he played on the White Sox, but most of the under-the-hood stats aren't encouraging either.

That is, until Chicago gave him a look as a relief pitcher and he immediately began to thrive. Down the stretch, Soroka made 16 relief appearances and wound up with a sparkling 2.75 ERA out of the 'pen, striking out 60 batters (15.0 K/9!) in just 36 innings. His stuff hit a whole new level once he made the transition, and he makes a ton of sense as a lottery-ticket type of signing for a team like the Tigers.