Detroit Tigers: 3 Free Agents left to target before it’s to late
By Bob Heyrman
Detroit Tigers General Manager Al Avila has had a fairly quiet offseason aside from the abundance of role players and depth additions he’s made. However, the organization still has a few glaring needs.
Despite adding outfielder Robbie Grossman, and starting pitcher Jose Urena, all of GM Al Avila’s moves, have been in the depth form.
The Detroit Tigers signed catcher Dustin Garneau, along with selecting Akil Baddoo with a rule five pick from the Minnesota Twins, every other move has a Spring Training MLB invite attached to their deal.
The Detroit Tigers added relievers Ian Krol and Robbie Ross Jr and starting pitcher Erasmo Ramírez.
As you can see, it hasn’t been a very productive offseason for the Detroit Tigers.
It appears Avila is avoiding a reunion with three of the teams’ top free agents from a year ago. There is no reason why second baseman Jonathan Schoop, catcher Austin Romine, or even first baseman C.J. Cron haven’t been retained for the 2021 season.
Avila looks content moving Niko Goodrum to second base, replacing Schoop, making room for Willi Castro at shortstop. Castro stashed a stellar .349/.381/.550 line last season with Detroit Tigers; he also hit six home runs and drove in 24 runs.
The Detroit Tigers certainly need to add a reliable catcher to the mix. As it stands now, the organization is projected to start Grayson Greiner and the newly acquired Garneau in the mix. Detroit also can use Jake Rogers or Eric Haase behind the dish if they so choose. These four options are less than desirable, but as the free-agent market has dried up, the organization has limited options.
I can do without Cron, although I admire his power-potential with Miguel Cabrera lobbying for more time in the field along with how well Jeimer Candelario played after moving from third base to first, leaving Cron expendable.
Here are a few free agents Al Avila and the Detroit Tigers need to sign before the start of Spring Training.