Detroit Tigers and MLB free agency: Scouting the 2023-24 market

With Wednesday’s end of the 2023 World Series, which saw the Texas Rangers win it all for the first time in franchise history, the clock began ticking on baseball’s offseason. First up: Five days after the Series, MLB free agency begins. But unlike the start of free agency in the NBA, NFL, NHL, the MLB market usually takes a good month or so to develop, with most moves coming in December and January.

So we’ve got some time.

While we take a breath, the start of free agency raises the question: Where do the Detroit Tigers stand in their second offseason under president of baseball operations Scott Harris (and first under general manager Jeff Greenberg)? Thanks to the end of Miguel Cabrera’s mega-deal, and the opt-out by right-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, the Tigers are projected to have an Opening Day payroll just over $80 million — 25th out of 30 teams, and the franchise’s lowest since 2005 ($69.1 million).

DREAM A LITTLE DREAM: Detroit Tigers might be closer to reaching the postseason than most people expect

Don’t expect the Tigers to spend a lot, either; their 78-84 record in 2023 — spurred by an offensive core of Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Jake Rogers and AL Silver Slugger finalist Spencer Torkelson — has reignited some hope, as did the success but not nearly as much as the potential of the prospects soon to arrive from the minors, including hitters Jace Jung (the Tigers’ top pick in 2022), Colt Keith (a 2020 fifth-rounder out of high school) and Justyn-Henry Malloy (the prize of Harris’ first trade with the Tigers).

There are still needs, of course, especially in the rotation (where it gets a bit thin after Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and the ghost of Casey Mize’s elbow) and at second and third base (since counting on three rookies who’ve barely played above Double-A may not be a sustainable plan).

With that in mind, here’s a look at the top free agents this offseason, as well as a few who are more likely in the Tigers’ wheelhouse:

Catcher

MLB’s best: Mitch Garver is four seasons removed from hitting 31 homers in just 93 games in 2019. Four seasons is a lifetime for a catcher on the wrong side of 30, however, especially considering an injury history that has limited him to just 232 games since that 2019 campaign. About the only other backstop likely to draw a multi-year deal is Gary Sanchez, who’ll turn 31 in December and is coming off hitting 19 homers in 260 plate appearances with the San Diego Padres last season.

A Tigers target? It’s tough to see anyone in this year’s class — Yasmani Grandal or Martin Maldonado? Yan Gomes had his $6 million option picked up Sunday by the Cubs — convincing the Tigers not to pick up the $3.5 million option they have on Carson Kelly to back up Rogers.

First base

MLB’s best: Rhys Hoskins will turn 31 in March and missed all of 2023 after tearing an ACL in spring training, but he’s still the best of this bunch, thanks to his 148 homers and .242/.353/.492 slash line in six seasons with the Phillies.

A Tigers target? Torkelson played 154 games at first (with five games at DH) en route to 31 homers, so the Tigers definitely don’t have a lot of playing time to offer here. Still, they ranked 28th in OPS vs. right-handers, and there’s a slugger on the market who has crushed righties over his career while dealing with limited ABs: Brandon Belt. Although Belt will turn 36 in April, played just 29 games at first in 2023 (compared to 69 at DH) and is pretty much the definition of “oft-injured,” he still has a career .844 OPS vs. righties (buoyed by an .890 OPS last season).

Second base

MLB’s best: Whit Merrifield was an All-Star last season with Toronto, thanks to a first half in which he slashed .286/.342/.392. After the Midsummer Classic, however, he posted a .256/.286/.370 line, which explains (along with his approaching 35th birthday in January) why the Jays opted not to pick up his $18 million option for 2024.

A Tigers target? The impending debuts of Jung, Keith and Malloy clog up the Tigers’ infield playing time options, so bringing in a versatile vet on a short-team deal would at least give them options — enter Tony Kemp, reunited with A.J. Hinch from their days in Houston. Another lefty option? Kemp, 32, is two seasons removed from an .800 OPS (featuring a .818 OPS vs. righties) and has 353 career games in the outfield and 333 career games at second.

Third base

MLB’s best: Oakland definitely sold high on Matt Chapman before the 2022 season; the former MVP candidate posted a .234/.327/.429 slash line over 295 games with the Blue Jays the past two seasons. Still, he won’t turn 31 until April and has three Gold Gloves (and is a finalist this season), so even without a return to form at the plate, he’ll bring some value (and cost a bit extra in draft picks, as the Jays are likely to tag him with a qualifying offer).

A Tigers target? The Jung/Keith/Malloy combo will eventually fill this gaping hole too, we guess, with Matt Vierling and Andy Ibáñez perhaps doing the job for a couple months. If a platoon partner is needed, Joey Wendle could suffice. A 2021 All-Star with the Rays, he dropped off after departing Central Florida; his .554 OPS last season was a career worst, leaving plenty of room for a bounce-back season.

Shortstop

MLB’s best: That Tim Anderson — arguably baseball’s worst hitter last season, with a 60 OPS+ (100 is league average), and its worst brawler — tops this list after the White Sox declined his $14 million option Saturday is saying something. Still, you could make the argument for Amed Rosario, whose 89 OPS+ in 2023 is aided by some speed — he has stolen at least a dozen bases in each of his five 162-game seasons.

A Tigers target? Hope springs eternal, so why not give 28-year-old Adalberto Mondesi a shot? The speedster —99 steals in 2018-20 — missed all of 2023 after suffering issues in his return from a torn ACL. Then again, even when he was “healthy,” he had issues staying healthy; the son of Raul Mondesi has never played more than 102 games in seven MLB seasons.

WE HAVE A TRADE: Tigers acquire outfielder Mark Canha in trade with Milwaukee Brewers

Left field

MLB’s best: Joc Pederson was an All-Star (his second nod) as recently as 2022 in San Francisco (where he overlapped with Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris), which earned him a qualifying offer from the Giants (which he accepted). And in 2023? Uhhhh … the .786 OPS against righties was nice. And against lefties? Uhhhh … did we mention the two All-Star berths?

A Tigers target? Saturday’s trade acquisition of Mark Canha from the Brewers is a virtual free-agent signing, considering his 2024 option for $11.5 million. The nine-year vet will be 35 in February, but provided his typical solid on-base skills (.355 OBP in 2023) last season in Milwaukee and New York, with a slight bit of power and speed (11 homers, 11 steals). Canha was especially strong vs. lefties, posting an .826 OPS in 166 plate appearances vs. southpaws.

Center field

MLB’s best: Cody Bellinger’s star turn on a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs — he nixed a $12.5 million option this week, to no one’s surprise — in which the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP posted a .307/.356/.525 slash line (with 26 homers despite missing a month due to injury) should be enough to wipe away the memories of his .648 OPS over three seasons (2020-22) with the Dodgers.

A Tigers target? Aaron Hicks’ .806 OPS in 65 games with the Baltimore Orioles after the N.Y. Yankees released him with more than $30 million owed on his contract probably prices him out of the Tigers’ range, especially with Parker Meadows, Riley Greene and Akil Baddoo all more than capable of covering the 412 feet at Comerica National Park … but he’d almost be worth overpaying a bit just to start him for the spring training opener Feb. 24, right?

Right field

MLB’s best: Teoscar Hernández was not the answer to the Mariners’ hitting woes in his lone season in Seattle; the 2021 All-Star popped 26 homers (his fourth season with at least 25) for the M’ but had a .305 OBP that’s tough to justify in the modern age.

A Tigers target? Adam Duvall brings an All-Star nod (2016) and a Gold Glove (2021 — yes, we don’t quite believe it either) along with a healthy pop in his bat, hitting 21 homers in 92 games with the Red Sox in 2023. Of course, like Hernández, the 35-year-old doesn’t walk unless the ball is over the fence, with a .303 OBP in 2023 that was actually 12 points higher than his career mark.

Designated hitter

MLB’s best: Got $50 million a season and a fun playoff-bound squad? (We know, Philadelphia, we know.) You might be in the running for Shohei Ohtani, who we’ll classify as a DH while he recovers from elbow surgery. (He’ll be back on the mound in 2025.) If not, you could do worse than 36-year-old J.D. Martinez or 32-year-old Jorge Soler, who posted OPSes of .893 and .853, respectively, in 2023.

A Tigers target? They just got out of a relationship with $32 million a season at this position and, as noted earlier, will have a lot of moving pieces that will need DH days; even a discount deal for Carlos Santana — who hit 23 homers at age 37 but was an NL Gold Glove finalist at 1B! — probably isn’t moving the needle here.

Rotation

MLB’s best: Blake Snell may not win the NL Cy Young, but he’ll get votes after he led the majors with a 2.25 ERA and struck out 234 in 180 innings. He also walked an MLB-high 99 — nearly double his 2022 total — had just three starts of 32 with more than six innings pitched and turns 31 in December, but it’s not OUR money. (That Ohtani guy is pretty good, too, but that’s a question for the 2024 offseason.)

A Tigers target? Harris went 1-for-2 on one-year deals last offseason, flipping Michael Lorenzen’s All-Star nod into a prospect at the trade deadline and landing on the whammy that is Tommy John surgery with Matthew Boyd. Who’s next on the board? Let’s go with left-hander Alex Wood, who overlapped with Harris in San Francisco; a 4.77 ERA in 228⅓ innings over the past two seasons isn’t great, but the soon-to-be 33-year-old posted a 3.83 ERA over 26 starts in 2021.

Bullpen

MLB’s best: Whatever was wrong for Josh Hader in 2022 — when he gave up 29 earned runs with 50 strikeouts in 56 appearances for Milwaukee and San Diego —was fixed in 2023, as he allowed eight earned runs and four inherited runners (out of 12) to score while striking out 85 in 61 appearances with the Padres.

A Tigers target? Really, it’s unfair to guess until we see the March waiver wires. Then again, one of Harris’ biggest moves of last season was bringing in Nick Maton in a package from Philly; let’s say he goes after Maton’s brother Phil this offseason. The righty posted a 3.00 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 66 innings with the Astros last season.

This story was updated from its print version to reflect moves made on Nov. 4-5.

Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on X (which used to be Twitter, y’know?) @theford. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.  

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers & MLB free agents: Who's out there in 2023-24?