Potential 2023 Detroit Tigers Opening Day roster as of right now

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The Detroit Tigers' 2023 roster may be set. Here's where things stand as of now.

With last weekend's trade of Gregory Soto to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Detroit Tigers may be done making major changes to the roster. They may still sign some minor league free agents, such as yesterday's signing of LHP Chasen Shreve, but any major trades and free agent siginings appear to be done, barring something unforseen.

With everything likely being set, it's time to take a look at what the 2023 Opening Day roster could look like. There's still going to be some tough calls to be made, even with a 26-man roster.

There will some questions to answer as well. Who makes gets the fifth spot in the rotation? Who will fill all the spots available in the bullpen? Will A.J. Hinch carry three catchers? We will make our first guesses here.

We'll go position by position, starting with catcher. Let's begin.

Catcher: Eric Haase, Donny Sands

Catcher has become an interesting position for the Detroit Tigers. Scott Harris has added some much-needed depth at the position this offseason, with waiver claims Michael Papierski and Marco Feliciano, and trading for Donny Sands as part of the Gregory Soto trade.

At some point, Jake Rogers will be on this team, and he will take the backup catcher spot. But on Opening Day, I could see the Tigers going in a different direction to get Rogers some at-bats in Toledo. Remember, he hasn't had any live ABs since the 2021 season.

I went with Sands here just because of his offensive profile, but you could easily pencil in Feliciano here as well.

It's also possible that Hinch will want to carry three catchers again. Last year, Hinch had Haase, Tucker Barnhart, and Dustin Garneau on the 2022 Opening Day roster. This could open up the door for Haase to get some time in the outfield in an effort to get him some more at-bats.

First base: Spencer Torkelson

It was once though that the Detroit Tigers could have some sort of contingency plan in the event Tork struggles again, but it sure seems like they're all in on the former No. 1 overall pick.

He did look better after a five-week stint in Toledo, taking better swings and producing better exit velocities. But his overall numbers were still pretty poor.

The talent is there, as is the athleticism and overall plate approach. His swing could use some work, but he said he had no plans for any major overhauls this offseason.

Maybe the new hitting coaches can help him out. It would be a shame to see someone with as much talent and ability as Torkelson flame out.

Rest of infield: Jonathan Schoop, Nick Maton, Ryan Kreidler, Javier Baez

This is where things start to get interesting. The easy one here is Baez. He's going to be the starting shortstop, like it or not.

The question marks starts with Schoop. Him making the roster isn't so much the question as is in what capacity. Will he be the starting second baseman? Or will be serve a utility role?

Kreidler and Maton could also serve utility roles. Maton was a utility guy with the Phillies, so that would make sense. Kreidler played all around the infield during his cup of coffee in 2022, so he's not necessarily attached to one position either. He also played all those positions quite well.

The only left-handed hitter in this group is Maton, which could set up a potential platoon at either second or third base. One thing's for sure, AJ Hinch will have plenty of room to mix and match with all the versatility in this group.

Outfield: Austin Meadows, Riley Greene, Matt Vierling, Akil Baddoo

Things get even more interesting in the outfield. Riley Greene is pretty much locked into center field, as he should be. His defense was better than expected and his offensive potential is through the roof.

But the other two spots are not nearly as set in stone. Austin Meadows will 100% make the roster barring another injury, but how much outfield he actually plays remains to be seen. He's never graded out as a good defender. He played a lot of DH when he was with the Rays. He could play some with the Tigers as well.

The problem is the Tigers have a lot players who get get some time at DH this year, which we'll discuss shortly. Thus, I have Meadows slotted in left field.

Right field is where things get even murkier. For now, I'm going with a platoon of Akil Baddoo and Matt Vierling, though you could easily slot in someone like Kerry Carpenter for Baddoo. Vierling's splits against left-handed pitching are what allows for this to be a viable option.

In 2022, Vierling hit .296 with a 110 wRC+ against LHP compared to .217 with a 63 wRC+ against RHP. Baddoo has a 107 wRC+ in his career against righties compared to just a 52 wRC+ against southpaws. Both players are speedsters that can cover a lot of ground in the outfield. That could set up for a fun platoon.

Of course, if Baddoo continues to struggle, they could opt to give his spot to Carpenter, or even someone like Parker Meadows. Vierling could also see some time in the infield, as Scott Harris alluded to in his post-trade presser. Again, there will be lots of shifting guys around this season.

DH: Miguel Cabrera, Kerry Carpenter

Having Miggy on this roster complicates things so much. It would be so much easier if he wasn't here so they could use his spot on someone much more deserving. But alas, he's still here, and it sounds like it will indeed be his final season.

I still think the platoon with him and Carpenter at DH is the way to go. It would be a good way to limit Miggy's ABs, while also getting Carpenter some valuable ABs. Like it or not, the less Miggy plays, the better it is for both him and the team.

Starting rotation: Eduardo Rodriguez, Matthew Boyd, Michael Lorenzen, Spencer Turnbull, Matt Manning

The starting rotation could still very well see some movement, as Eduardo Rodriguez still seems like a pretty good trade candidate. With an opt-out in his contract after the 2023 season as well as the current going rate for starting pitchers on the free-agent market, he could be dealt for another bat or two.

If E-rod gets dealt, that would open the door for one of the Detroit Tigers' young starters to take his spot. I would personally like to see Joey Wentz get that spot. I think he's earned it. He could get a bullpen spot, but I think he's simply too good for the bullpen.

The rest of the rotation should be pretty straight forward. The two free agent signings in Boyd and Lorenzen are pretty much guarenteed two spots. If Spencer Turnbull is healthy—and all indications are that he is—he gets one as well.

So then it comes down to that fifth spot, which Matt Manning should get pretty easily barring an injury or a really bad spring. If he doesn't get it, that opens it up to someone like Wentz, Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, or Garrett Hill.

And of course, Tarik Skubal is expected to be back at some point during the 2023 season, so one of these pitchers are likely to lose their spot. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Bullpen: Tyler Alexander, Chasen Shreve, Jason Foley, Garrett Hill, Rony Garcia, Alex Faedo, Will Vest, Alex Lange

The bullpen is going to look a lot different than it did in 2022. Joe Jimenez, Andrew Chafin, Michael Fulmer, and Gregory Soto are all gone.

Luckily, the team still has some pretty good options in Jason Foley, Will Vest, and Alex Lange. That's three solid pieces. The rest? Well, that's where the question marks pop up.

The Soto trade left Tyler Alexander as the only lefty reliever on the 40-man roster. That seems like the next piece of the puzzle that Scott Harris will look to add this offseason. For now, I have recent minor-league signing Chasen Shreve as the other lefty.

Shreve has big league experience, but is coming off a rough 2022. I'm banking on Chris Fetter working his magic and making him into a solid southpaw reliever option.

The other three spots are pretty much up for grabs. Rony Garcia showed some promise both as a starter and as a middle reliever last season. That curveball is a legit weapon for him. I expect him to head north with the team if he has a good spring.

I have Garrett Hill getting a bullpen spot as well. He actually looked better out of the bullpen last season than he did as a starter. His velocity ticked up when he pitched out of the 'pen. His stuff just had more juice. If he has a good spring, I think he gets a spot.

The last spot is a toss-up between several different arms, but I went with Alex Faedo for now, assuming he's healthy. He's essentially a two-pitch pitcher right now. He has a fastball and a pretty nasty slider when it's on. He does throw a changeup, but it's pretty inconsistent. When that pitch is working, he's a much better pitcher. When it's not, he gets hit around a bit.

He got a surprising amount of swing-and-miss when he came up last year. Combine that with the two pitch mix, and we may have a pretty nasty reliever on our hands.

Before we get out of here, it's worth noting that it's still January and Harris is not quite done adding to the roster. There could easily be more moves that affect what the final product will look like. This is just one scenario using the pieces we currently have.

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