Detroit Tigers: Making similar moves to last offseason incredibly likely

Are Detroit Tigers fans experiencing some feelings of déjà vu this offseason? Get ready for it if not.

The Detroit Tigers are yet to make an offseason signing for this organization. They have been able to make at least one move by bringing in outfielder Akil Baddoo during the Rule 5 Draft after waiving pitcher Anthony Castro to make room for him.

But, now the organization will have to decide which players to bring in to fill some gaps and round out the 2021 roster. Last year fans will remember that the organization only made a few offseason signings. Two of them were poached from the Minnesota Twins organization.

For fans who do not remember, the Tigers signed first baseman C.J. Cron and second baseman Jonathan Schoop to one-year, $6.1 million contracts last offseason. The Tigers are sitting in a spot where it is very plausible that the organization brings in the same two infielders once again.

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The déjà vu sets in, it’s mid-December, and the Tigers are yet to make a signing, that could change sooner than later.

They missed out on some of the outfielders like Adam Eaton, who would have been exceptional, or David Dahl, who had fans getting #DahltoDetroit trending on Twitter.

But in reality, the odds of them spending big on a name like J.T. Realmuto are just too good to be true.

They are going to keep spending minimal and go from there. This is another reason fans must be feeling like it’s 2019 once again.

The Detroit Tigers should offer contracts to both C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop without question.

Spending is no issue, but there’s a catch to that statement. The Detroit Tigers can get away spending some big money on the market, but it has to be on short-term one-year deals. The organization has the room to sign a starting pitcher to anchor the backend at a pricier amount.

Heck, they could go out and sign Marcus Semien to play shortstop or Kolten Wong for middle infield on a $10 million and up contract that spans for just the 2021 season. But, back to that feeling of déjà vu, the Tigers are likely going to “play it safe” and bring back Cron and Schoop.

That is a totally okay solution to the offseason dilemma. Fans should be more than okay with both of those players returning. Schoop proved that he can be productive in Detroit and be a solid addition to the team’s infield.

Schoop hit .278/.324/.475 with eight longballs and 23 RBI over 44 games played for the Tigers in 2020. The Tigers could easily give him another one-year deal in the same range as last year. The plan should be to bring back Schoop and avoid having to work in a new infielder to the mix.

Beyond this, the Tigers better be considering tendering a contract to first baseman C.J. Cron even though he was injured and missed all but 13 games. Cron hit .190/.346/.548 with four home runs and eight RBI through his 11 game stint with the Tigers in 2020.

The Tigers should bring back Cron; he is stellar defensively and showed some signs of pop. He may have been injured, but he deserves to be brought back so he can get another chance in 2021. If he can stay healthy in 2021, he could be a solid addition to this Tigers lineup.