The Tigers had a fairly encouraging season last year and spent the offseason bolstering the depth with various mid-tier acquisitions.
Major League Signings
- RHP Kenta Maeda: Two years, $24MM
- RHP Jack Flaherty: One year, $14MM
- LHP Andrew Chafin: One year, $4.75MM (including buyout of 2025 club option)
- RHP Shelby Miller: One year, $3MM (including buyout of 2025 club option)
- IF Gio Urshela: One year, $1.5MM
2024 spending: $37.25MM
Total spending: $47.25MM
Option Decisions
- LHP Eduardo Rodríguez opted out with three years and $49MM remaining on his deal
- SS Javier Báez declined to opt out with four years and $98MM remaining on his deal
- Team declined $30MM option on 1B Miguel Cabrera in favor of $8MM buyout
- Exercised $11.5MM club option on OF Mark Canha instead of $2MM buyout
- Exercised $3.5MM club option on C Carson Kelly
Trades And Claims
- Acquired OF Mark Canha from Brewers for RHP Blake Holub
- Claimed RHP Devin Sweet off waivers from Mariners (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Traded IF Tyler Nevin to Orioles for cash considerations
- Claimed LHP Kolton Ingram off waivers from Angels (later lost on waivers to Mets)
- Traded IF Nick Maton to Orioles for cash considerations
- Acquired LHP Blake Dickerson from Padres for international bonus pool space
- Claimed OF TJ Hopkins off waivers from Giants (later outrighted off 40-man)
- Claimed IF Buddy Kennedy off waivers from Cardinals
- Traded IF Andre Lipcius to Dodgers for cash considerations
Notable Minor League Signings
- Bligh Madris, Garrett Hill, Ryan Vilade, Anthony Bemboom, Brenan Hanifee, Freddy Pacheco, Trey Wingenter, Andrew Vasquez, Drew Anderson, Keston Hiura
Extensions
- IF Colt Keith: Six years, $28.6425MM (plus three club options for 2030-32)
Notable Losses
- Eduardo Rodríguez, Matthew Boyd, José Cisnero, Spencer Turnbull (non-tendered), Austin Meadows (non-tendered), Zack Short, Tyler Alexander, Tyler Nevin, Nick Maton, Andre Lipcius
The Tigers had a somewhat encouraging season in 2023, with various players either returning to health or taking a step forward in terms of performance. They were never really in contention, but did manage to go 39-34 after the All-Star break and sneak into second place in the American League Central.
That vaguely echoed the club’s 2021 campaign, where they went 37-34 after the break and felt like they had a chance of coming out of their rebuild. They spent big on Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodríguez that winter but the 2022 campaign turned into a disaster. General manager Al Avila was fired in August and the Tigers eventually finished 66-96.
Avila was eventually replaced as the club’s top decision maker when Scott Harris was hired as president of baseball operations. Harris seemed leery of making the same mistake as Avila and didn’t want to overplay the club’s hand this winter.
“Sometimes, teams overestimate their proximity to being a team that’s right on the verge of the playoffs,” Harris said in November. “And they spend a lot of money and it doesn’t push them forward. It pushes them back.” He added that the Tigers are going in the right direction but “can’t do anything in free agency or in trades that sets us back. If we find an opportunity that’s going to push us forward and we’re confident of that, we’re going to do it.”
That threw some cold water on the Tigers being big players in free agency, though they could have done so if they wanted. Miguel Cabrera’s contract finally reached its end, which freed up a lot of capital in the club’s budget. The Tigers went into this offseason with nothing committed beyond 2024 except for the Báez deal. That deal pays him salaries of $25MM or $24MM for the remaining four years, which isn’t nothing.
But the club has run payrolls as high as $200MM in the past, as their last competitive window was shutting down, as shown at Cot’s Baseball Contracts. That spending was under owner Mike Ilitch, who passed away in 2017. His son Chris has been calling the shots since then and hasn’t had the budget as high, but the club has also been rebuilding in that time and hasn’t had the need to spend wildly. With some encouraging developments on the roster and Cabrera’s deal gone, it was at least possible to dream on the club coming out firing.
That made it at least somewhat plausible when the club was connected to Yoshinobu Yamamoto early in the winter. But the comments from Harris pointed to a more measured offseason, which is what eventually transpired.
Yamamoto went to the Dodgers but the Tigers did make a couple of additions to their rotation. Kenta Maeda was added via a modest two-year, $24MM pact. It might not be the most exciting signing, with a cynic able to point to the facts that Maeda is about to turn 36, missed all of 2022 due to internal brace surgery and then posted a middling 4.23 ERA in 2023.
But there’s also a more optimistic lens through which to view the deal. Maeda went on the injured list due to a triceps strain in late April last year, right after getting shelled by the Yankees, allowing 10 earned runs in three innings. That poor performance could perhaps have been a byproduct of his injury, as he finished quite strong after he recovered. He was activated off the IL in June and put up a 3.36 ERA the rest of the way, pairing an excellent 29% strikeout rate with a strong 7% walk rate.
The Tigers also added Jack Flaherty on a one-year “prove it” deal. Flaherty was one of the best pitchers in league in 2019 but struggled with his health over the three following campaigns. He was finally healthy again in 2023 but finished the year with a 4.99 ERA.
If Flaherty can take a step forward in terms of results now that he’s further removed from his health troubles, the Tigers will be the beneficiary. They can either trade him at the deadline or give him a qualifying offer at season’s end, depending on how things play out.
The Maeda and Flaherty deals perhaps aren’t as exciting as a major splash would have been, but they raise the floor of the rotation. Perhaps more importantly, they do little to hurt the club in the future. Flaherty’s deal is just for one year while Maeda’s is only two, and slightly frontloaded. He’ll made $14MM this year and just $10MM in 2025, meaning he’ll do little to hamper any spending the club may try next winter.
The approach was similar with other parts of the roster. The club has some intriguing outfielders in Riley Greene, Parker Meadows, Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo. But they are all fairly inexperienced and all happen to hit from the left side. The Tigers decided to complement that group by acquiring Mark Canha from the Brewers.
Canha had actually finished the final guaranteed year of his contract, but there was an $11.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout. The Tigers sent a modest return, minor league reliever Blake Holub, in order to get Canha at that reasonable price point. He’ll provide their young outfielders with a veteran presence and give the club a solid right-handed-hitting veteran, while not committing them to anything beyond this year.
That approach carried to the infield as well, with the Tigers having some uncertainty at both second base and third base. They had internal options for those spots with guys like Zach McKinstry, Andy Ibañez and Matt Vierling on the roster, though the guys in that group are arguably best suited to multi-positional part-time roles. They also had prospects like Colt Keith, Jace Jung and Justyn-Henry Malloy, though none had reached the majors by the end of 2023 and Malloy was likely slated for a move to the outfield due to his subpar infield defense.
The club added to this group by making a late signing of third baseman, Gio Urshela, who lingered on the open market well into February. The Tigers were able to get him to put pen to paper for just $1.5MM. He’s coming off an injury-marred season with the Angels but he’ll be a bargain if he can get back to health and the kind of form he showed with the Yankees and Twins.
As for second base, the club signalled its intentions there by signing Keith to a six-year extension with three club options as well. It was a remarkable show of faith in a player who has yet to make his major league debut, but he has continued to hit at every level he’s played. He hit .306/.380/.552 between Double-A and Triple-A last year while just 21 years old for much of the year, as he turned 22 in mid-August.
Ultimately, the club’s young players will determine the future of the franchise. Keith, Jung, Malloy, Meadows, Greene, Carpenter and Spencer Torkelson are all controlled through at least 2028. On the pitching side, Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize can still be retained through 2026 while Reese Olson, Matt Manning and Sawyer Gipson-Long are controllable beyond that. Pitching prospects like Wilmer Flores, Ty Madden and Jackson Jobe are creating some buzz despite not yet having reached the majors.
For this year, that young core will have some help from the veterans that the club brought in. Maeda and Flaherty join the rotation, Canha and Urshela on the position player side. The bullpen got a couple of veteran additions as well, with lefty Andrew Chafin and righty Shelby Miller signed to one-year deals.
If a few things break right, it’s possible to imagine the club competing this year. As mentioned, they were above .500 after the break last year and the division is arguably the weakest in the sport. The Royals were aggressive this winter but face a steep climb after losing 106 games last year. The Guardians did almost nothing this offseason. The White Sox are tearing things down. The Twins are the reigning champions in the division and are still strong overall but made some cost-cutting moves and are arguably in a weaker position than they were last year.
The Tigers will see how things go and will continue to have a fairly wide open future. The Keith extension added some more money to the long-term ledger, but they still have less than $40MM committed to each season beyond this one. As things develop, there should be plenty of opportunity to hit the gas whenever the front office decides the time is right.
One thing that would appear to be a constant in that future is the presence of manager A.J. Hinch. He and the club agreed to a long-term extension in December. The details of that new arrangement aren’t clear, but he was previously under contract through 2025, so he is now locked in beyond that. He was hired by the previous Avila regime, so this new deal acted as a sort of symbolic stamp of approval from the Harris front office, showcasing that the two sides could indeed work together while helping to avoid any conversations about future lame-duck situations.
Given their weak division they probably could have done a little more to support their young players and take a shot at being competitive around the trade deadline. C-
It tales two to tango. I’m not sure any premiere free agents are coming to Detroit until they see more than mediocrity. Plus, the team has mostly short-term holes to fill (3B, 2B) until top prospects are ready. The other needs are to just get better, but, again, top free agents aren’t likely willing to come here at this point.
*takes*
I use to sing that song as a reds fan. I think this offseason just about everyone was just grateful to earn a contract at market value with all the tv fallout.
That said, Detroit has always spent aggressively for their market size and did so amidst the turmoil this year. Not sure they need snell making 25 + mil along side Baez
You all aren’t ready for 2024 Kerry Carpenter
I’m looking forward to it!
Meadows is gonna be the surprise, I think.
Baez is already in mid-season form. Other than him, I like this team. They should bat him 9th, he’s a black hole
Bench him. Let Kreidler, McKinistry and Eddys Leonard play.
Nothing says leadership like a “star” player with absolutely no accountability whatsoever, who makes BY FAR the most on the team, having no issue with his own failures. Have to wonder what kind of effect it has on the other kids in the organization, and especially those already on the big league club (Keith, Tork, Greene, etc.).
@htrab. Since he is like the only position player making a large amount, I don’t think it would affect them negatively. If he’s a good teammate they probably don’t care because he has more of a resume. If he’s a jerk, I would think they would unite and work to improve as young players and just think “Baez sucks”. They had Miggy up until this year so I don’t think Baez was that much of a leader.
At least that’s what I would have done. Although I don’t follow Detroit sports that closely.
Don’t really agree overall with your takes here, but the Miggy point is certainly valid, although there was a modicum of “we made our bed and now we’re lying in it” – baked into his situation. He was an absolute monster for us for a decade plus, at times carrying the entire offense on his shoulders, and he got rewarded with a contract with terms that were completely irresponsible given the impending downturn of his productivity in the later half of the contract, but at least we had the “good times” before that. Baez on the other hand, we had none of that to go on; just simply brought him in on an irresponsible contract, making a move to make a move, and spending to spend; he’d done nothing here to deserve being rewarded unlike Miggy had.
Agrees on batting Baez ninth in the lineup. Better yet, just eat the damn contract and let us be done with him. Yeah, I know: easy to say when it ain’t my money, but COME ON!!
That’s just it though; the money is already spent. It’s like we bought a decked out sports car, crashed it, totalled it without any insurance, and we’re forcing ourselves to try to keep driving around in it even though it’s worthless and can’t perform even its most basic function any longer. Cutting off our noses to spite our faces by keeping him on this roster.
This team is “C” personified.
This lineup just doesn’t do it for me. I don’t think they contend for division; even with all the quality pitching
wiffa: I can understand….I don’t know HOW The Tigers won as many games as they did the last couple years either but somehow Hinch makes them win. Maybe because they don’t have a recent history of winning, they have little credibility, but have faith – barring catastrophe (see 2022), they WILL be VERY competitive this year.
Hinch, and pitching depth. That’s how they won that many games with a bottom five offense. This year they have even more pitching depth. 90-72
I know it is Spring training but man they have looked good. Big competition in the rotation and bullpen. The BP will have some tough choices (Drew Anderson, Wingenter, Wentz, Brieske) and good depth.
The position players have looked good for the most part with Baez being the major exception. I like Javy but if he keeps playing this way he doesn’t deserve to be a starter. Baddoo will likely get optioned. Malloy has been up and down. Canha, Carpenter and Tork have started slow and been meh. Everyone else has been pretty sharp, especially Greene, Meadows, Keith, Ibanez, McKinistry, Leonard, Kreidler and the catchers. Looking like an 85 plus win team if they keep this up. Go Tigers!
If Baez keeps putting the same mediocre numbers at the plate, Detroit should really eat his contract and ship him out. Just my two cents.
He might not even make the team. He’s in real danger. My guess is he stays with the team on a bench role longer term. I think the bulk of the playing time is gonna go to the kids if he does remain on the team (but doesn’t heat up).
You just can’t justify playing him while guys like JHM, Keith and Kriedler desperately need the experience. That’s why I say he might not even make the team. Far too many future infielders that are actually producing (and producing more than Javy).
I think by mediocre you mean abysmal
What is there to like?
Solid 76 win team
What exactly makes this team 2 wins worse than last year in your opinion?
Nothing. He’s just sad about something else and taking it out of the Tigers.
Overall a solid off season. Tigers are in the bottom third of the league in revenue and franchise value, so they are more like a small market team than a big market team. They may never spend on the deep end of the free agent market again. Mike Ilitch spent a lot of his own money on this team and fans should not expect the family to do that going forward.
So that leaves the Tigers trying to develop their own core which is pretty much what Scott Harris has been saying since he was hired. This season we should start to hopefully see some of results of the focus on internal talent development. This off season’s spending was designed to augment a young core, not cover for it. That is the type of off season we should come to expect over the next several years by the Tigers.
The internal talent development was done, to this point, under Avila. Hopefully Harris will be as successful. As to what was added during the offseason, the Tigers had pitching, which was available, but the hitting they needed just wasn’t there. They needed a solid RH hitter to replace what Cabrera used to be. There just wasn’t one available this time. Malloy could be just as good as Turner or even JDM in the DH/OF spot. Maybe not. They won’t know until they try.
Gone from hating on Harris to having hope for him? What happened STYMEEDONE? Man, you’re such a hypocrite! Make up your mind….oh yeah I forgot, you don’t have one!
I considered what you said and dug into the tigers minor league system this morning. Man they are absolutely loaded ! And sooo much of that talent is about to hit the major league level ! Exciting times ! Clark has no business being ranked one with the likes of Keith and Jobe. Jobe has TOR wrote all over him and he could be detroits best player today ! Most organizations peak after 5/6 prospects but Detroit keeps going and going w dudes like Malloy and bigbie most likely major league contributors this season and their pitching depth may be top in majors which could allow them to trade from a productive rotation even if contending.
It was the comment on change of guard that sparked my interest. I think tork put it together last season, but also maybe not and Greene is a stone cold bust. You can’t have a RF w no power. So the last guard was a little suspect while new guard is building organizational depth wisely.
So from a franchise perspective. Like 2025 and beyond, detroits comp for the central will be Minnesota as they have already surpassed kc, clev, and cws, if not in wins, in everything else tangible
On the contrary, I DO expect Chris Illitch to spend the taxpayer money on the Tigers and Red Wings because it is us, the fans and taxpayers who fill his coffers. So yes, spend more money. His dad knew how it worked. You spend money to make money.
D is for malfeasance, kiddies.
IF they can be contenders into the summer, they have a lot of nice prospects where they could trade and upgrade. I still think they stick to the plan of building depth in a 5th ranked Farm System and letting the young players blossom. Then next offseason, they are set up to make a run a Bregman and other top Free Agents. I like what they are doing, but it is a true long play….
Yeah, patience …. not that easy to come by, eh?
These guys made a mistake selecting Max Clark over Wyatt Langford in the draft last year. Clark should be really good in a few years, but Langford is already a stud. They could use one more big bat this season.
Selecting Clark was a strategic move which enabled them to also sign McGonigle. A lot of people criticize the signing of Jackson Jobe over Marcelo Mayer as well, but that’s looking like a prudent move as of late
Fair enough, but Langford looks like a potential generational talent who should be ready to contribute this season. The Tigers are finally trying to win again. Would have been a good fit.
Let’s pump the brakes on “generational talent.” He’s had one good spring.
I don’t think we can pass judgement in the short term. I’ll admit that I preferred Langford but the more I see of Clark the more I like him, as a complete package type of player. Langford has lookedvawesome so far in Milb, but he still has a ways to go to prove himself in MLB. Joey Gallo looked like a world beater way back when as well…
No Clark, no McGonigle. I’d rather have a CF and a SS than a corner outfielder.
Chafin was awful last season in Milwaukee. Good luck with him as your lefty in the pen. Canha was a useful player, so he could help.
I was very pleased with the Tigers offseason. I gave them a B as most others did. The only head-scratcher was Flaherty for $14MM. There’s the saying “there’s no such thing as a bad one-year deal” but without this one, I’d give them an A-. I’d love to be wrong about him though.
Flaherty has looked pretty sharp so far. Cross your fingers that Fetter magic has the desired effect. Mize has looked pretty good too. All of them for that matter, including fringe otation considerations like Faedo and Wentz. The pitching has looked sharp. There will be some tough decisions in the next two weeks on the pitching side though.
Tough decisions, yes, but whoever ends up starting the season in Toledo (probably Olson and Faedo) will still see plenty of big-league action this year. Given the questionable durability of our rotation, Olson will very likely start 20 games for us.
I give them a B. At least their words and actions align. They are obviously being cautious and no one could blame them. Scott Harris seems to have a solid handle on where they are, where they want to go, and how they intend to get there.
I wanted Clark day 1. I think he’s going to be another Bryce Harper. I could see him making his debut in 2025.
Keith, as I’ve said here many times, will be another Dustin Pedroia/Ian Kinsler kind of major league 2nd baseman. He’s just 22. By 2025, he will be considered all star material.
I think the bigger surprise this year will be Matt Manning. Yes, Skubal is CY candidate, but don’t be surprised if Manning becomes the Mickey Lolich to Skubal’s Denny McLain. I know they throw from opposite sides than those two.
I’m expecting Jason Foley to end up closing. I also expect him to be an all star this year.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns.
1. I’m not comfortable that Flaherty will stay healthy and contribute much. Same for Maeda. I consider them the 2 biggest ??? in the rotation.
2. I actually think Riley Greene is made of crystal. Until proven otherwise, I am not counting on him to play in 100 games.
3. Is Torkelson going to develop into a Jim Thome or an Adam Dunn? I’m concerned the latter.
4. Then of course, there’s that black hole occupying SS. Baez is a bigger hole in the lineup than Miguel Cabrera. Not only does he weigh down the lineup, I think he weighs down the clubhouse. He’s worse than Gary Sheffield was at the end. It’s not if, it’s when do the Tigers DFA him.
From everything I’ve heard and read, Baez is actually very well-liked in the clubhouse and a good teammate.
I sure hope you’re right about Manning. Even before the freak injuries that caused broken toes/feet, he missed a lot of time due to forearm and shoulder injuries. The way you describe Riley Greene is how I see Manning. I’m concerned about his durability. I’d be over the moon if we get 100 innings from him this season.
Let’s hope we both can be right. You about Baez and me about Manning.
From your notepad (laptop, whatever) to God’s ears. DFA him, to be sure!!
I love what is finally happening with these Tigers. This is how you build a team for long term competitiveness. You can call it the Tampa Bay Way because it’s what they do and what made them a highly competitive team over the course of many years with a moderate payroll.
They do it by developing their own players without the benefit of the high draft picks that come with tanking. They don’t shell out expensive, long term contracts. They don’t make ridiculous trades at the deadline. And, they consistently win trades.
During the Mike Illitch and DD years, they did little right and rarely developed their own players. As a result, they consistently had to acquire their players at a premium price. But, if they are doing everything right, there is no need to delve into free agency over and over to fill holes. There’s always a kid down in the minors that is ready and able to fill any role as needed. And that’s why there’s not any big free agent acquisitions. They just need a good core that all produce at a level that gives them a good chance to win a ballgame on any given day. I think they have that now.
Eddys Leonard is crushing it in ST. Will the Tigers release Baez before breaking camp and give SS to Leonard?
Kreidler plays SS in Toledo as Plan B.
Can Ibanez play SS? Can Urshela?
Baez is hitting .060. His OPS is .163. The Tigers cannot be serious about putting this guy in the lineup….can they? Nobody in MLB would have a guy like that on their roster.
Maybe Baez gets a month. By May 1 if he isn’t hitting .220 with some oomph….he’s gotta go.
I think Baez will get a longer leash than May 1. I say sometime in June. If he’s not at least hitting for a .600 OPS by then, I think he gets removed from the lineup and just becomes a late-inning defensive replacement. A really expensive one. I don’t see us releasing him and eating the remainder of his contract as long as he can still play a good shortstop. If we’re lucky, we find a team to do a bad contract swap with. If we’re REALLY lucky, he bounces back to his old self soon.
YES!! PLEASE release Baez and let Leonard (or ANYBODY else)) play. Sorry, Javy. You just haven’t shown us ANYTHING yet ……
The only thing with the Tampa way is that it hasn’t resulted in a championship.
The spend like made Mike Illitch way didn’t bring a championship to Detroit either.
Faedo, Wentz and Breiske could be starters as well.
The biggest hole was 3B and always pitching. Gio Urshella was the perfect fit but I saw no reason to acquire Mark Canha. The pitchers the Tigers acquired are injury prone in the extreme. I guess we’ll see.