Detroit Tigers: 3 free agents to avoid signing

1 of 3

The Detroit Tigers shouldn't sign these free agents

Ever since the offseason started, we've been talking about free agents that the Detroit Tigers *should* sign, or *should* trade for. But what about some players they should avoid acquiring?

Nobody in the organization would say it, but the Detroit Tigers are probably regretting the Javier Baez signing right now. It's only one year into a six-year deal, but it doesn't look good at the moment. The last thing this team needs is more bad contracts.

In this article, we're going to go over three free agents the Detroit Tigers should avoid signing at all costs. These are all at positions of need for the team, but there are far better options out there. Let's get started.

2B Adam Frazier

Scott Harris wants to add a left-handed hitting infielder to the Detroit Tigers roster this offseason, and Frazier is...definitely a left-handed hitting infielder. He's played for three different teams the last two years. In 2021, he slashed .305/.368/.411 with five homers and 113 wRC+. Nothing too special except for the batting average.

In 2022, that went down to .238/.301/.311 with three homers and an 81 wRC+. What happened here? His luck ran out. You see, Frazier is a contact-first hitter. He doesn't walk a lot, but he doesn't strike out a lot either. He puts the ball in play.

Last season, his batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .339, meaning he was getting very lucky with his hits. This is further proofed by his 25% hard hit rate, 1% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 85.4 mph. His expected batting average was .288—less than his actual batting average of .305. He doesn't hit the ball hard.

That showed in 2022 when his BABIP dropped to .268, as did his hard rate to 23.8%. He's a soft ball contact hitter. The Detroit Tigers need power, and Frazier doesn't provide that.

Plus, if the Tigers did want a left-handed hitting infielder with crazy bat-to-ball skills, they could just keep Harold Castro around. He essentially does the same thing, although he strikes out more than Frazier. All in all, Frazier would be a pretty bad signing for Detroit.

SP Mike Clevinger

Harris is also looking to add pitching, and as we saw last year, you can never have too much pitching. The Tigers will need to add at least one arm to the starting rotation, but it shouldn't be Mike Clevinger.

If the name sounds familiar, it's because he pitched for the Cleveland Guardians from 2016-2020, so the Tigers saw him a lot. He was traded to the San Diego Padres at the 2020 trade deadline. He missed the entire 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Last season, he came back and pitched 114.1 innings, where he had a 4.33 ERA, 4.98 FIP, and struck out 91 batters. Pretty much all his numbers were down, including his velocity. I guess that's expected when you're coming off TJS, but it wasn't a great season for Clevinger nonetheless.

He was very good for Cleveland from 2017-2020, where is ERA always hovered around 3, including a 2.71 ERA in 2019. He even pitched 200 innings in 2018, so he has shown he can be a workhorse in the past, and the Detroit Tigers could definitely use somebody like that.

But he hasn't been healthy the past couple years and it shows. He'll turn 32 in December, so he's not exactly young. Plus, the Tigers already have one starting pitcher coming off TJS in Spencer Turnbull. They don't need another.

The Tigers need healthy arms who can eat some innings for them in 2023. I'm not convinced Clevinger can do that.

SS Dansby Swanson

Scott Harris has pretty much ruled out the possibilty of the Tigers signing a big-name shortstop this offseason, but if he had a change of heart, he should avoid Dansby Swanson at all costs.

Swanson is coming of a 6.4 fWAR season—by far his best. That should be your first red flag. His highest fWAR before 2022 was 3.4 in 2021. It just screams contract year, which tells me he's about to fall off.

I will say that he kept up his offensive production boost from 2021, especially in the power department. He's hit at least 25 home runs each of the last two seasons. The bat has always been the biggest concern for the soon-to-be 29-year-old.

His defense has always been spectaular. Last season, he was second in all of baseball to only the Tigers' own Jonathan Schoop with 20 outs above average. That netted him his first Gold Glove award, and rightfully so. He can pick it at shortstop.

But Swanson's offensive production has always been average at best. He's got a career wRC+ of 94 and a career walk rate of 8.6%, which is just above league average. His hard hit rate for his career is 39.5%. Last year seems like an anomaly.

If the Detroit Tigers decide to change course and sign a star shortstop, they should look elswhere. Xander Bogaerts or Trea Turner would be far better options.

Next. Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander wins third Cy Young as he ages like fine wine. light

Home / Detroit Tigers News

The Detroit Tigers shouldn't sign these free agents

2B Adam Frazier

SP Mike Clevinger

SS Dansby Swanson

Schedule