5 former Tigers players still without a job heading toward Spring Training

As one of the oldest teams in MLB, the Detroit Tigers have seen thousands of players come and go, who run the gamut between totally forgettable and Hall of Fame-levels of brilliance. On this year's free agent market, there are a number of former Tigers floating around who also represent a wide range of current outcomes. Some players' declines might see them leave the majors for good, and others will almost certainly be picked up for respectable amounts of money in the coming months.

The Tigers have had a very respectable offseason thus far in making additions that will supplement a young core that the front office believes in. Hopefully, they'll be able to make a run to the top of a relatively open AL Central division after getting their best finish in the standings since 2016. Detroit seems to be done with the bulk of their work, so the former Tigers floating around in the free agent pool are all unlikely to rejoin the team, but one does wonder what all of them, great and small, will do next.

5 former Detroit Tigers who are still MLB free agents as spring training approaches

Spencer Turnbull

The end of Spencer Turnbull's tenure with the Tigers was tumultuous, to say the least. After three rocky seasons from 2018 through 2020, it seemed like he finally hit his stride in 2021, when he pitched what's still the best year of his career by far. He threw a no-hitter against the Mariners that year, becoming the eighth Tiger to do so and the first since Justin Verlander's 2011 effort, and had a 2.88 ERA over 50 innings. It gave the Tigers a lot of hope for a homegrown pitcher who just hadn't been able to find his footing until then, but things took a turn in June 2021.

As good as he was in the first half of that year, he only managed to make nine starts before getting injured and undergoing Tommy John, which kept him out for all of 2022. He returned in the first series of the 2023 season but struggled early on (31 innings for a 7.26 ERA) and was sent down to Triple-A, where he got hurt again. The Tigers optioned him back to Toledo after he recovered, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent at the end of the season. After some strange, seemingly tense negotiations with the team, they came to an agreement to count 2023 as a full year of service in the major leagues before the Tigers sent Turnbull on his way.

As a free agent, nary a peep has come through about other teams' interest in him. Haggling with the club over qualifying for a full service year might have given him more leverage as a free agent, but it certainly didn't make him come across as a particularly easy player to work with. Opportunities may come when the pitching market starts to thin out more, but he's still unemployed as of now.

Robbie Grossman

Robbie Grossman came over from Oakland to Detroit in 2021 on a two-year contract, quickly took up an everyday outfielder role for the Tigers, and put some good numbers during his first year with the team. He put up some career-bests that year, with 23 doubles, 23 home runs, and 67 RBI over 156 games. After struggling more in the first half of 2022, he was traded to the Braves at the deadline and became a free agent at the end of the season before signing a one-year deal with the Rangers for 2023.

He was productive again in Texas, though his bat went quiet during the starts he got in the postseason and the team came to rely more on their No. 1 prospect Evan Carter in the outfield, leaving the veteran with only one at-bat in the World Series. Grossman got his World Series ring with the Rangers, so he has that accolade under his belt, but there hasn't been much talk about where he'll go next in free agency. He has 11 years of major league service and is clearly still capable in a bench/platoon role, and with the slim pickings in the position player market this offseason, a one-year contract with another team is still a possibility.

JD Martinez

Former Tigers star JD Martinez is also a yet-to-be-signed free agent for what could be his age-36 season. His accomplishments with the Tigers in 2014, his breakout year (and the last year the Tigers went to the postseason), are well-documented, and he's been consistently excellent ever since. If anything, he seems to be getting a little better with age. During his 2023 with the Dodgers, he batted .271/.321/.572 and hit 33 home runs with 103 RBI.

Martinez's free agency raised some eyebrows for some Tigers fans, who wondered what a possible Martinez/Detroit reunion could look like. Although that possibility was quickly shut down, as the Tigers aren't looking for a full-time DH who would uproot some of their plans for younger players, the thought was fun to entertain for a moment, if only for nostalgia's sake.

Despite his age, it seems likely Martinez will be coming back to MLB. It won't be for the Tigers, but the Mets, Blue Jays, and Angels have all expressed interest at various points of the offseason, and age doesn't seem like it needs to be a concern when he continues to perform at the same clip. Although he won't be donning the Old English D in the last few years of his career, he's an easy one to root for no matter where he ends up.

Michael Lorenzen

Michael Lorenzen's journey since leaving the Tigers in a trade to Philadelphia at the deadline in 2023 has been fascinating. He pitched a no-hitter in his first appearance at Citizens Bank Park, the first of his career, leading some to declare the trade already won by the Phillies. However, the decline came hard and fast, and a 0.00 ERA to start his short stint there eventually ballooned to 5.51 after seven starts and four relief appearances, when he was relegated to a bullpen role.

If Lorenzen had been able to keep that same momentum from the no-hitter -- and even the eight-inning, two earned run appearance he made just one start prior -- it's likely that teams would be clamoring for him now, or that the Phillies would've offered him a new contract themselves. Instead, interest has been slim.

Historically, Lorenzen has spent most of his career in a bullpen role, which has yield some amount of success. If he's set on staying a starter, options may be very limited, but if he's willing to go back to relieving, we might hear more about the state of his free agency as things in the free agent market progress ahead of Opening Day.