Hot stove season is upon us. We’ve already seen the Tigers begin shaking up their roster by trading for outfielder Mark Canha and non-tendering Spencer Turnbull and Austin Meadows. It may be a while before the real dominoes start falling in the free-agent market, but the Tigers have more moves on the horizon this winter.
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Without further ado, let’s dive right into questions in this holiday week edition of our Tigers mailbag.
How aggressive will the Tigers be in FA? I believe that (Scott) Harris will do as much as he can, but my question is more on the ownership and how much will they allow him to spend. We’ve seen the reports that they are in on Yamamoto, so that is a promising start. — @eternalChiarot
Everyone is going to ask about starting pitchers from FA. Who do you realistically think we might add? And 1 or 2 starters? — @philbywestland
I definitely think the Tigers will seek to add multiple pitchers. I wouldn’t rule out Scott Harris trying to get creative with a trade, too. As for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Tigers do want to begin prioritizing the international market more. But I have a hard time seeing them being serious contenders for Yamamoto. If they make a legit run at any international pitcher, left-hander Shota Imanaga would be a more realistic target.
On the broader topic of free agency, we can read between the lines on everything Harris has said recently and glean the Tigers don’t have much interest in spending big this winter. Given the poor market for hitters, Harris isn’t necessarily wrong there. Here’s his quote from the Tigers’ end-of-season presser: “I understand that there’s going to be a lot of questions about the payroll number, spending resources, all that,” Harris said. “Respectfully, I don’t think that’s necessarily the right question here. I feel like we have plenty of resources. We’ve had plenty of flexibility. For me, the question is, what’s the path to contention?”
I would like to see the Tigers pursue a pitcher at the higher end of the market — Sonny Gray, perhaps? — but they seem more likely to target a couple of Michael Lorenzen-types instead of handing out a multiyear deal. Seth Lugo, Kenta Maeda, Alex Wood and Frankie Montas are just a few of those who come to mind and could be had for one or two years. As I’m typing this, there are reports coming out saying Kyle Gibson is signing a one-year, $12 million deal with the Cardinals. Gibson would have been a fine target for the Tigers, and that’s about the type of contract they’re most likely to give out.
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It’s pretty clear the Tigers want to stay flexible for 2025, which could allow them to be real players in free agency next winter if they feel a window is opening.
The Tigers already added Mark Canha this offseason. He might be their biggest position player acquisition. (John Fisher / Getty Images)How many other major-league bats are you expecting the Tigers to move for this offseason? OF seems set, C, SS, and 1B are settled. Still need room to give Keith or Justyn-Henry Malloy (not sure where Hinch can hide him in the field) an opportunity + Ibáñez, McKinstry, and the like still around — @nickwin19
Yeah, I think Mark Canha was likely the Tigers’ biggest position player acquisition unless Scott Harris could pull off some kind of unforeseen trade. He made it clear at GM meetings that the Tigers are now prioritizing pitching. I think we’ll see a couple of more waiver guys added to the mix, but overall the Tigers seem focused on letting their young hitters play next season. There is definitely a strong argument for adding a J.D. Martinez or Mitch Garver type at DH, but it seems Hinch would rather use the DH as a revolving door to allow for more of that mixing and matching. So I don’t see the group of position players changing much more. That’s kind of the plan, but it could mean the Tigers’ offense still ranks in the bottom half of the league next year.
Will the Tigers take a realistic shot at winning the division in 2024? It seems to me they should, and that they can do it without mortgaging the future. Are they 1-2 players away from a division title, or 4-5? — @SparkysGhost
If the Tigers made winning the division in 2024 their ultimate goal, they could probably do it. Spend a little bigger on pitching. Add one of those veteran hitters I just mentioned. Push in the chips without taking playing time away from your young bats. We will see what the AL Central ends up looking like in 2024, but the Tigers are only a couple of players away from being able to win a division as weak as last year’s version was. That said, they are easily at least four to five players away from being real World Series contenders. And that’s partially why you can see the Tigers going into 2024 with cautious optimism but clearly more focused on winning (and spending) in 2025 and beyond.
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Does A.J. Hinch actually like “mixing and matching” based on matchups, or was he forced to manage that way due to roster construction? — @ceckenwi
This is a good question. Rest assured that if Hinch had the same lineup he had with the 2019 Astros — Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, George Springer, Yordan Alvarez, etc. — we would not see nearly as much mixing and matching. Hinch used pinch-hitters 14 percent less than the league average with that team. But given the state of the roster in Detroit, the Tigers see the constant mixing and matching as a way to gain small advantages. Hinch absolutely enjoys the intellectual challenge of putting together the puzzle and making his imprint on the game. But I think he’d take a lineup full of All-Stars over all the tinkering any day.
Are the Tigers set on switching Colt Keith to 2B and Jace Jung to 3B? — @LeylandsLung
If you’ve watched the Tigers over the past two years, you know they’re obsessed with positional versatility. I’m sure we will see Keith and Jung continue to play multiple positions. But right now, the organization believes Jung looks better at third and Keith fits better at second.
Justyn-Henry Malloy, who represented the Tigers at the 2023 Futures Game, is part of Detroit’s young core and unlikely to be traded. (Alika Jenner / Getty Images)Seems that the Tigers’ best young bats (Henry-Malloy, Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter, etc.) aren’t exactly Ripken Jr. in the field, is there a chance one of them is moved in a trade? @brianinbfield
This is a smart question and absolutely something to keep an eye on in the big picture. I don’t think any trade of a young bat is happening this offseason. The Tigers have a core forming and seem intent on letting it marinate in 2024. But even though Jace Jung just won a minor-league Gold Glove and might be a better defender than draft-time scouting reports gave him credit for, he’s not exactly going to be Brooks Robinson at third base, either. So I’d throw him in that group. Malloy needs to make big improvements or could be limited to DH. I don’t think Hinch would like managing a team with a handful of minus defenders. Hard, then, to forecast how this all plays out.
First we have to find out if the bats are for real at the MLB level. If all these guys can hit — and that tends to be a longshot in this sport — it’ll be a good problem to have and there will indeed be ways to maneuver from there.
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How great is it that Jason Benetti will be the face of the Tigers broadcast? I can’t wait to see him around TigerTown this spring. — @jimimc_
Outside of Shohei Ohtani, I seriously can’t imagine a better offseason get for the Tigers. Benetti is a serious talent who will elevate the broadcast and the Tigers’ brand at large. It’s a sign of the organization setting higher standards, being aggressive and delivering. For the first time in a while, people will be split on whether they want to listen to Dan Dickerson on the radio or Benetti on television. The TV product should be much better with Benetti on the call.
What are the odds that Bally Sports is broadcasting Tiger games next spring? If they fold, who will broadcast the games? MLB? — @WestonPrince2
I won’t pretend to be super plugged into the TV business, but it seems there’s a good chance Bally Sports continues broadcasting Tigers games in 2024. We’re definitely nearing the end of that era, though. There’s another solution coming, probably by 2025. MLB running the broadcasts seems like the most likely end game.
Will Baddoo AND Malloy be in the Tigers organization on Opening Day? — @OVHighHat
The trade for Mark Cahna is undoubtedly a bad sign for Baddoo’s roster chances. He’s still young and athletic and could have some value for other teams, so I think he’s Detroit’s most likely candidate to get traded this winter. But if the Tigers don’t move him, he could still be optioned in 2024. No harm in keeping him around for depth.
On the other hand, I’ve been a bit surprised at fans speculating about trading Malloy. He’s a Scott Harris acquisition who personifies the whole “control the strike zone” mantra. The defensive issues are real, but I think we see a lot of Malloy in Detroit next season.
(Top photo of Tarik Skubal: Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport / Getty Images)
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