Tigers mailbag: What positions will Detroit look to improve this winter?

DETROIT – Welcome back to the offseason.

While the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians to win the American League pennant, the Tigers and their fan base are at home, enjoying the last warm days and wondering what it will take to return to the postseason.

We still have weeks and months to debate and speculate, come up with creative ideas and construct rosters in our heads, only to see the team do something completely different.

To start this annual ritual before the stove burns, we turned to readers’ questions.

With the payroll demonstrably lower than most clubs, everyone thinks the Tigers should be spending like crazy now, but we know that’s not the best course of action. If the Tigers were to spend money on something right away, what would be most likely? —Jay T.

Scott Harris wasn’t shy about saying the Tigers need a right-handed hitter. While he didn’t elaborate on how they might get that bat or what position they would prefer as a hitter, it’s pretty clear that the Tigers have room for improvement at the corner infield positions. The Tigers, for example, only got a combined OPS of .651 from their first basemen. The league average for first basemen is .729, the highest of any position on the field. Spencer Torkelson’s role obviously complicates the discussion, but the Tigers need to add a veteran somewhere, and there are so many offensive players available to begin with that it seems hard to justify staying on the sidelines.

I don’t know if the Tigers will ultimately be willing to give out multi-year free agent contracts to Alex Bregman (a third baseman) or Pete Alonso or Anthony Santander or Christian Walker. Some alternative options are mentioned below. But if the goal is to make another postseason run next season and, in theory, be a legitimate threat to move up in depth, acquiring talent like that at corner infield certainly makes a lot of sense to me.

What profile (and perhaps number) of free agents should the Tigers pursue this winter? —Scott R.

I’ve been playing around with it for a while. The Tigers definitely need to use at least one proven reliever who has a history of producing swing-and-misses and high strikeout rates.

As good as the Tigers’ bullpen was for most of the year, its strikeout rate of 21.8 percent ranked 24th in the MLB. Opponents had a BABIP of .262 against the Detroit bullpen, well below norm and third lowest of all teams. Throwing first-pitch hits, creating ground balls and inducing weak contact are all great, and the Tigers did those things better than anyone else in the second half of the year. There’s still a risk of snakebite from the randomness of baseball if you don’t take the guys out. So adding more prototypical modern arms – high speed, high spin, awkward braking, whatever is hardest to touch – must be a priority.

An interesting question to ask yourself: Who had the best breaking pitch out of the Tigers bullpen this season? The answer, based on run stats, is Jason Foley’s slider, but even that pitch had a whiff rate (32.4 percent) that was just below the MLB average of 33.7 percent for sliders.

I think at least one true backup on an MLB deal and maybe another flyer or two is a big need. Tanner Scott, Paul Sewald, Kirby Yates, David Robertson, Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman are some of the more well-known free agent names that fit the profile in different ways, and there are many more.

Cody, can you assess possible FA contracts that fit the Tigers’ needs? In my opinion, it would be more helpful to know what kind of deals are likely rather than worrying about whether they are being passed off as an existential matter. What is a competition for Bregman, Walker, Burnes, etc.? —Robert J.

I like the wording of this question.

Matt Chapman signed a six-year, $151 million contract at age 31. Alex Bregman is heading into free agency just before his age-31 season. One has to assume that the Chapman deal is a perfect framework for this. Maybe Bregman will get a little more if multiple teams compete for his services. I would predict a six- or seven-year deal worth $160 million to $200 million.

I doubt the Tigers will take on Corbin Burnes, Max Fried or any other big-money pitcher. But Aaron Nola’s seven-year, $172 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies last year is a pretty good comparison for Burnes.

Christian Walker is a little tougher considering he’s entering his age-34 season. His WAR totals over the last three years — 4.0, 3.8 and 3.0 according to FanGraphs — suggest he should still get a healthy AAV. How many years is tricky, but a two- or three-year deal with some sort of team option or vesting option might make sense. I would value it at around three years and $66 million.

I would continue to advocate for more players, but the word count is already getting long here. Keep an eye out for more detailed contract forecasts from The athlete in the coming weeks.

Who are some Lorenzen/Flaherty-like pitchers Harris will be targeting this offseason? —Nick M.

I don’t think anyone really linked the Tigers to Michael Lorenzen or Jack Flaherty in previous offseasons until the deals were close to being finalized. This is a reminder that teams have far more information about these players than we do.

But on the surface, Walker Buehler (are we sure he’ll be cheap?), Andrew Heaney and Luis Severino are some names the Tigers might like. People with good stuff, various proven levels of success, but even more that could be unlocked.

We somewhat know the names available in FA, but which names should the Tigers be keeping an eye on on the trade market? —Jacob S.

There are always a million options here. Brent Rooker of the Oakland Athletics is a popular name. They could talk their way into others like Ryan Mountcastle or Taylor Ward. It’s fun to imagine a world where the Tigers throw caution to the wind and give up real potential assets for Devin Williams.

But the name that keeps coming to mind is Yandy Díaz of the Tampa Bay Rays. Díaz will make $10 million next season and has a $12 million club option for 2026. His name was mentioned in trade rumors this summer. He usually plays first and also has experience playing third. He has great bat-to-ball and on-base skills. He is a right-handed hitter who posted a .924 OPS against lefties this year. He posted near-elite exit velocities in each of the last three years.

Many of the free agent options at first base come with either high price tags (Walker, Alonso) or age concerns (Carlos Santana). Trading with the Rays comes with its own risks, but Díaz certainly checks a lot of boxes for the Tigers.

The only downside is defense. His third-string days are all but over, and while he’s not bad to begin with, he’s been below average in each of the last two seasons.

Are there any cautionary lessons the Tigers can take from teams that had success in the postseason and then missed the playoffs the following year, similar to the 2023 Rangers and Diamondbacks? —Kit C.

I think the biggest lesson from these teams is simple: nothing is guaranteed. The Arizona Diamondbacks were dealing with a pitching staff plagued by injuries and inconsistency. Even a young player as talented as Corbin Carroll can be prone to volatile production.

The Texas Rangers won the World Series thanks primarily to their stars, but not least thanks to players like Jonah Heim, Nathaniel Lowe and Leody Taveras. All of these players (plus Adolis García) have taken major steps backwards in 2024. It’s a reminder that as good as Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows and Wenceel Pérez have looked at times, there’s no guarantee they’ll all be as good or better in 2025. That’s a big reason why I keep saying the Tigers need to add more firepower to their lineup.

I think I heard on your podcast that the Killer Js weren’t going to make the MLB roster this year, but there they were. With that in mind, do you think Max (Clark) or (Kevin) McGonigle will be nominated next year? —Brian M.

There was definitely a point this summer where I didn’t think we would see Jackson Jobe or Jace Jung in the big leagues. I’m counting myself wrong. So maybe I’m wrong again, but I think it’s almost impossible for a player like Clark or McGonigle to see the majors in 2025.

The main reason is simply the fact that they were both high school players and just finished their first full season of pro ball. Both are likely to face some growing pains in the upper levels next season. Even if they don’t…think back to how good Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson were in Double-A. Both had a lot to learn before they were ready for the big leagues. It’s harder for batsmen than pitchers, and it would take Clark or McGonigle truly extraordinary years to get into that conversation.

(Top photo by Scott Harris and Chris Ilitch: Junfu Han / USA Today Network)