Detroit Tigers: 6 free agents to target following the 2021 season
By Bob Heyrman
The Detroit Tigers should consider signing shortstop Marcus Semien this offseason.
If the Tigers fail to land Carlos Correa in free agency, Marcus Semien will be the perfect consolation prize. That is if you can even call Semien a consolation prize.
Semien is having another spectacular season in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays. The soon-to-be 31-year old shortstop is stashing a stunning .276/.340/.532 line in 2021 plus an OPS of .872. At the time of this writing, the veteran shortstop has hit a miraculous 26 home runs while driving in 67 plus stealing 11 bags in 2021.
It was in Oakland during the 2019 season when Semien burst onto the scene as a potent player with the bat. In that season, Semien hit 33 home runs and drove in 92 while stealing 10 bags and stashed an overall line of .285/.369/.522. He had always been a solid middle infielder during his career but never put up the numbers he did in ’19. During that year, Semien finished third in MVP voting.
I expect Semien will draw plenty of interest this offseason, but I don’t expect he will command the same crooked number or term Correa, Javier Baez, or Trevor Story will. Rather than a six-year deal, the others will surely seek, I’d be very comfortable if the Tigers granted Semien a three-year deal that averages around $20-million per season. He earns $18 million this season and deserves a bump in pay.
Semien brings a plethora of versatility to any lineup. He has the ability to play third base, shortstop, or second base, and that is something Tigers manager A.J Hinch loves.