It’s the off-season for the Tigers, and for the first time since Al Avila took over as GM, the team is expected to participate in the free agent market in more than a superficial way.
Today’s blog addresses that subject and allows readers to share their thoughts in more detail. And hopefully, to actively engage with others by responding to their posts and creating back-and-forth discussion threads. The more the merrier!
For this one blog, you’ve got 10 sentences max to share your thoughts. Of course, you can respond to as many other readers as you want.
TT will supply the ammunition. One thought-provoking question. Several options provided. One hard choice to be selected. One vote.
Ready?
During last week’s press conference, Al Avila stated that the Tigers are looking to add players to three areas: starting pitching, catching and shortstop.
The Tigers ran through 13 different starting pitchers in 2021 and will need to add (what is expected to be) 2 new starters to the rotation. They are in need of veteran help.
With the loss of Jake Rogers, the team also needs and experienced catcher who can successfully guide the young members of the rotation.
And we all know about the glaring hole at the shortstop position.
Here’s your challenge..
Out of the 3 options below, if you could select only one, which area should be made the priority in the payroll budget? Where should the Tigers be spending the most money?
What did you miss on our Twitter feed yesterday?
- A former Tiger, also a shortstop, is making great plays in October.
- A list of all of the SS free agents to be available. Here is what each is thinking about years and $$$.
- He was exciting to watch, but we saw little of him this year. And now he’s a free agent.
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What C are they gonna go after, James McCann? Same for SS. They aren’t gonna get a Lindor but it would be nice to have a true MLB caliber SS for a change.
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The catcher’s FA list is even shorter than the SS list. McCann is not on it but Wilson Ramos who we released is. My favorite is Roberto Perez but he has a $7MM club option and I can’t imagine the Indians letting him go. I was starting to warm up to Jake Rogers before he went on the IL, we may end up waiting anyway. Meanwhile if we want to spend in other areas, I’d go for pitching. You can never have too much and they always make good trading pieces.
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I voted shortstop, hopefully a lot of money for not a whole lot of years. For starters you need workhorses who can give the bullpen a bit of a day off. Middling FA arms willing to showcase for a future deal, would be a great complement to the phenoms. Willie Peralta-esq types could be targets. As far as FA catchers are concerned, there isn’t anything available worthy of dollars. Catching needs to be solved thru trades. Baltimore with Rutsham knocking on the door, may make Severino available. He sure looked comfortable in Commerica this summer. Put the money into a solid bat and glove up the middle where it matters most.
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All of these are needs of course, but spending big bucks on a shortstop has the biggest upgrade potential in this free agent class. There are some real hitters out there who can also play the position well. Pitchers are more likely to get hurt, and unfortunately the catcher free agents are not very tantalizing.
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You’re right about one thing, injuries happen. That’s why signing a big ticket, high priced SS, while tempting because of its potential impact, would be high risk. And that risk escalates if they do that at the expense of other areas that need improvement. There’s simply too many holes to fill on this team. Hinch and his staff have elevated team performance and fan expectations to a level that puts tremendous pressure on Al Avila to make key moves that don’t jeopardize the future but elevates team performance. Signing a couple starting pitchers may be the most impactful and yet, cost effective approach to the problem. Signing a cheaper stop gap player at SS (e.g., Chris Taylor, Jose Iglesias) and giving a trial run by working Ryan Kriedler into the mix in 2022 might work out for the best. FA catching options look bleak at this point.
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Yes we need a starting shortstop, and yes we need a starting catcher, but pitching is the most critical position in baseball, and if it weren’t for some great coaching and good luck, our pitching this year would have destroyed this team. Until something better comes along, Harold Castro should be given the starting SS role, and until Rogers is back, Haase and others can fill the catcher position. Target starting pitchers!
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Sorry. I do not see Rogers as the starting catcher on a truly competitive team. He has been and continues to be overhyped and remember, it was Perez who was said to be the jewel in the JV trade. Haas is solid and we can wait for Dingler who has had better defensive and offensive stats than Rogers at every stage.
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I agree with you about Rogers. He was one of Al Avila’s overhyped trade pieces from the JV trade. The trade that TT has called the worst trade in the last decade(Perez has been a complete bust.). If throwing is Jake Rogers biggest asset, then TJ surgery is not a good sign for his future. There’s no doubt that his injury was really bad luck for him and that his career could be in jeopardy. However, at best Rogers might have been a back up catcher on a competitive team. Dingler might be here sooner than you think, and until then I don’t see why Haase and Garneau can’t handle the catching duties.
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Did you listen to AA the other day. The Tigers have been burnt too many times. See Cabrera contract. Correa has been mentioned here, but is he worth the money and years he and others will he demanding. The team would be insane to give anyone a 300 Million plus contract that runs into eternity. The majority of teams are not willing to do that today. The data shows it is the wrong move. The Tigers course. They should focus on pitching this offseason and adding more depth where ever possible. They have the money for this and the Owner seems willing to finally spend.
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Although I know that we need help in all 3 areas, I chose SS because it’s been a long time since we have had a solid SS player. I am so over the Niko Goodrum and Willi Castro experiment (and hope the Tigers are also). It would be nice to actually have a SS that can catch the ball and turn a double play (and it sure wouldn’t hurt to have a SS that can hit). For the time being we can still use Haase and Garneau as our Catchers. We could offer W. Peralta a one year contract until our prospects are ready for the big leagues.
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And Dingler is fast-tracking and Hinch says he is impressed with his development. He should be the fully formed Tiger catcher in 2023.
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Many years ago, Connie Mack said that “Pitching is 75 % of baseball.” The Tigers need, at least, two quality free agent pitchers plus a top-flight free agent shortstop.
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SS is their biggest need. The Tiger’s must have a SS who can hit and field if they are going to become a contending team. There is no reason to put out big bucks until you are strong up the middle. The Catchers are playable and the Pitchers can work for another year. Acquiring one additional SP and a very good SS is the direction I’d like to see the Tiger’s go.
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