Three reasons the Detroit Tigers will struggle to bring in top talent via free agency

3. The Detroit Tigers have been burned before

It's a new regime and a new era in Detroit Tigers baseball, but the pains of the past are evident in their lack of success in previous years. Signing Javier Baez and Eduardo Rodriguez in the offseason was a big step toward a commitment to winning that fans had not seen since the signings of Jordan Zimmermann and Justin Upton heading into 2016, but their recent signings aren't exactly a model example for why continued investment is prudent.

The Jordan Zimmermann deal never really worked out, Dave Dombrowski pulled a fast one to get the club out from under the Prince Fielder contract, Miguel Cabrera is limping, literally, to the finish line, Javier Baez led all shortstops in errors, and Eduardo Rodriguez went MIA for a chunk of the year.

While the jury is still out on Rodriguez and Baez, neither have been particularly inspiring for their own reasons thus far. There are big money contracts that work out all the time--Mookie Betts, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Bryce Harper just to name a few. But it remains to be seen if the Tigers are willing to write a blank check as they did with Pudge Rodriguez in 2004.

The Detroit Tigers' ownership should not allow their past successes or failures to influence their decision-making today, but I'm curious to know if their hit rate with big name free agent veterans in recent years may have the club gunshy at another big player.