Detroit Tigers on the hunt for a free agent shortstop

Detroit Tigers are hunting big game this offseason.

Within the first tier of free agent shortstops lies the biggest prizes of this class. Notable names like Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, and Marcus Semien make up this grouping. Of those four, none will command more attention than Carlos Correa, of whom the Tigers have already expressed interest.

Entering free agency at 27, Correa will likely carry a steep price tag, with Spotrac placing his Market Value (Average Annual Value) at 26,623,480. Correa’s career numbers justify that number, with a career slash line of .277/.356/.481 and 133 homers in his seven major league seasons. He also may carry the greatest signability, with a connection to current Tiger’s manager A.J. Hinch.

However, Correa also carries significant long-term risk. For starters, he will likely be commanding a lengthy (6-8 year) contract that will take him into his early-mid 30’s. Further, he has a rather lengthy injury history, dealing with several back problems between 2018 and 2019.

Other options in this top tier are Seager, Story, and Semien. Of this group, Seager will likely command the most money (27+ Million AAV) due to his history of strong play (.297/.367/.504 career slash) but has an even longer injury history. Story on the surface looks great but is significantly worse without the Coors effect (.972 OPS at home, .752 OPS on the road).

That just leaves Marcus Semien, who has only missed ten games in the past four seasons while being consistently reliable at both shortstop and now second base. Despite his more advanced age than the rest of this class (32 years old), he hit 45 home runs this past season and put up a career-best .538 SLG%.