Report: Detroit Tigers Could Emerge as a Willson Contreras Suitor

The Detroit Tigers will be invested in the free agent catching market and Chicago Cubs backstop Willson Contreras could be on their radar.

The free agency saga for Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will be an interesting one to follow, and a report from MLB Network's Jon Morosi added a wrinkle to the situation. Morosi says that the Detroit Tigers will be interested in pursuing Contreras, reuniting him with his former teammate Javier Baez.

There is a front-office connection for the Tigers, as Detroit's president of baseball operations Scott Harris worked within the Cubs organization from 2012 to 2019, adding some familiarity within the organization and making a signing seem more feasible. 

Contreras would also be an impact bat for a team desperately needing it. Detroit finished with a league-worst 81 wRC+ as a team. The 30-year-old had a wRC+ of 132 in 2022, which would've been the best mark for any Tigers hitter. The Venezuela native would also fill a hole for Detroit at the catcher and designated hitter positions.

Tucker Barnhart, one of the Tigers' primary catchers in 2022, had a wRC+ of just 63 in 94 games. Contreras, while not a stellar defender, would provide a big boost offensively when starting in place of Eric Haase at the backstop position, or could slot in as the primary designated hitter option.

Either way, Contreras makes a ton of sense for Detroit, and it's easy to see why the Tigers would be interested.  

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