Free Agents The Tigers Should Target This Offseason

With the Tigers hitting needs being defined as middle infield, first base, and a catcher, here are some names that could suffice for Tigers needs this offseason.

Catchers:

The Tigers should go out and sign Nick Hundley to be a battery mate with Grayson Greiner and Jake Rogers in the 2020 season. Hundley is coming off his age thirty-five season in which he spent with the Oakland Athletics. Hundley would only play in thirty-one games for the Athletics, where he held an average of .200 with fourteen hits over seventy at-bats. This means one thing, he’s cheap, which should be the name of the game this offseason in Detroit.

If Hundley is not cheap enough, another viable option could be Bryan Holaday. The former Tigers catcher has made his living in the big leagues with the Miami Marlins since most recently departing the organization. With the Marlins last season, he hit .278 with four home runs and twelve RBI throughout forty-three games. It seems that bringing back a thirty-two-year-old former Tigers player is better than trying to stick an older veteran like thirty-seven-year-old Chris Iannetta.

First Base:

There have been rumblings that the playing time at first base is going to be split up between Jeimer Candelario, Niko Goodrum, and Brandon Dixon unless the Tigers pursue someone like Justin Smoak. The thirty-two-year-old first baseman has spent the last five years with the Toronto Blue Jays. Smoak hit .208/.342/.406 last season with twenty-two home runs and sixty-one RBI for the young Blue Jays. In 2019, Smoak took home $8 million from the Blue Jays, but the Tigers could explore trying to bring him in for cheaper.

The second first baseman the Tigers should target is Logan Morrison, who struggled to land a job in 2019. He will be cheap, he signed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for $1 million and ended up only appearing in twenty-nine games in 2019 at the big league level. Morrison is thirty-two years old, has spent parts of ten years in the big leagues, and would be perfect for the Tigers. Not only would he be a cheap addition for the team, but he’s also a left-handed bat who can also play the outfield if needed. He allows flexibility, which the Tigers have a lot of even if its “forced”  by up and coming rookies.

Middle Infield (2B/SS):

The first name that stuck out after going through the free-agent lists was Jonathan Schoop. The name stuck out mostly because the Tigers could take a “chance” on him. If the Tigers decide to spend any money this offseason, Schoop would not be a bad investment for more than a one year contract.

The twenty-eight-year-old second baseman has been in the league seven years with the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, and (most recently) Minnesota Twins. Last season, Schoop posted a .256 average with twenty-three home runs and fifty-nine RBI for the Twins.

The Tigers could sign him to a multi-year deal hoping he can be an efficient veteran for the clubhouse and help the Tigers get better results on the field.

Sticking with rentals, there are plenty of names out there who fit perfectly with the Tigers scheme. If the Tigers want to focus on rentals, three players come to mind the quickest, Jordy Mercer, Adeiny Hechavarria, and none other than Jose Iglesias.

The Tigers could easily sneak into free agency and poach one of those players for a cheap contract, keeping the budget low and also being able to round out the infield while maintaining room for their prospect development at the big league level.