Scott Harris' comments at Winter Meetings just gave Tigers fans scary whiplash

No one expected the Tigers to be major players this offseason — certainly not to the level of the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays — but early rumors suggested that they were still going to get a lot done and potentially make a notable splash.

Their interest in Michael King and Pete Fairbanks indicated that they might've been willing to stretch the budget a bit more, and connections to Ranger Suárez and Ketel Marte were exciting because they're projected to make or are making a lot more than the Tigers are usually comfortable with paying.

And then Scott Harris' first signing of the offseason was a dud. The Tigers gave former MLB starter and more recent KBO import Drew Anderson $7 million to join the rotation next season. Seasoned Tigers fans might've gotten a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

Reports followed that the Tigers were "lukewarm" on Alex Bregman, which isn't going to get them anywhere if the Red Sox are really invested in re-signing him. And then Harris got to Winter Meetings, where he basically confirmed fans' fears: the Tigers are just going to do more of the same.

Asked if Detroit was going to look for more starters, he said, "It's harder now given the makeup of our rotation. That starting pitching may have to be optionable. We may have to find non-roster options." Despite reiterating that the Tigers were in the mix for relievers, he said, "Major league bullpens are built in a variety of different ways. … Sometimes it's minor-league free-agent signings or waiver claims."

That reads like they're going to do exactly what they did at this year's trade deadline. So much for an exciting offseason.

Scott Harris sets Tigers fans up for another underwhelming offseason at Winter Meetings

Harris' trade deadline infuriated fans, and for good reason. Charlie Morton ended up DFA'd, Chris Paddack was demoted to the bullpen, Randy Dobnak never appeared for the Tigers, Paul Sewald pitched 4 1/3 innings, Codi Heuer pitched 3 1/3, Tanner Rainey pitched two. The only deadline acquisitions the Tigers could hang their hat on were Kyle Finnegan, who has expressed interest in returning but isn't close to a deal, and Rafael Montero, who was literally one of the worst relievers in baseball before the Tigers rolled the dice.

Harris' approach is quantity over quality. Minor league free agent signings and waiver claims mean a lot more arms being added to Triple-A for depth, a random cycle of them to and from the majors, and little success. Need we really remind ourselves about what happened to the Tigers after the trade deadline? A collapse of epic proportions forgiven only because they barely eked into the postseason.

The thing about Harris is that he's a smooth talker and he's very good at moving in silence. Maybe this is all a cover for a huge move that the Tigers are preparing to make, but don't want to give themselves away.

That's the optimist's view. But after those kinds of comments, it'll be hard for a lot of Tigers fans to be in that headspace.