Tigers might've waited out the market long enough to sign trade deadline target

Outside of the ongoing drama with Tarik Skubal, it's been a quiet offseason in Detroit. They stabilized the bullpen by bringing back Kyle Finnegan and signing Kenley Jansen, but the rest of their moves don't exactly move the needle. Drew Anderson might be an answer in the starting rotation, but they've ignored their need at third base.

As of now, it seems that Detroit will open the season with Colt Keith at third base. Top prospect Kevin McGonigle and 2025 All-Star Zach McKinstry could also factor into that equation, but at the start of the offseason, conventional wisdom suggested that the Tigers would be in the market for an upgrade.

No one should fault the Tigers for staying away from the Alex Bregman bidding this time around, but that isn't an excuse to turn a blind eye to the same position that needed an upgrade at the trade deadline last season (and the offseason before that, and the trade deadline before that, and so on).

Fortunately, one of the Tigers' deadline targets has a had a very quiet free agency.

Eugenio Suárez opened the 2025 season on a torrid pace, hitting 36 home runs in 106 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners at the deadline, and while his power remained, there was a glaring uptick in strikeouts. Suárez struck out over 35% during his time with the Mariners, and he wound up hitting under .200 for the final two months of the season.

The timing may finally be right for the Tigers to land Eugenio Suárez

Between the struggles with the Mariners and the fact that he will be turning 35 in July, Suárez has become an afterthought on the free-agent market. The Pittsburgh Pirates are circling with interest, but the All-Star third baseman is holding out hope that a contender will express interest before considering a move to Pittsburgh.

It's hard to identify who that contender may be. The Cubs addressed their need at third base by signing Bregman, and other teams like the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants appear more interested in addressing their need for an infielder via trade.

This does create a clear opening for the Tigers. At this point in the offseason, Suárez can likely be had on a two-year deal with an AAV in the neighborhood of $20 million. Certainly not what projections had for him at the start of the offseason, but a number that should finally get the Tigers' front offices motivated to actually upgrade the roster.