Detroit Needs to Consider These Top-5 Free Agents Who Rake at Comerica Park
The Detroit Tigers had a season to remember.
After being sellers at the MLB Trade Deadline, the team was one win away from battling for the American League Pennant in the Championship Series.
Now, the team sits with the rest of the ones eliminated from playoff contention and awaits the winner of the 2024 World Series. Once the Fall Classic is over, the focus will be on finding a way to get back to the playoffs and even further in 2025.
The first step will be improving the team's roster. The Tigers will look to spend this winter as they move out of the rebuilding stages of their organization. However, not all free agents are the same.
Of the 76 pending unrestricted free agents this offseason, only a handful have found constant success when competing at Comerica Park, the Tigers' home field.
Here are the top players looking for a new team this winter that have performed the best in Detroit regardless of position or team need.
Highest OPS: Donovan Solano
The 36-year-old has only played five games at Comerica Park, collecting 17 plate appearances, but he has the best numbers out of all the pending free agents. His 1.222 OPS is number one after he has gone 5 for 13 at the plate with one home run, a double, and two RBI.
The corner infielder hit .286/.343/.718 across 96 games with the San Diego Padres in 2024. He also picked up eight home runs with 35 RBI.
If Solano intends to play in 2025, he will be entering his 37th season. However, the Tigers could use some help at third base next season. The 11-year MLB veteran could provide a solid role player off the bench if the Detroit front office decides to go this route, especially since he has even splits against both right and left-handed pitching.
Best Batting Average: Paul Goldschmidt
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt is another veteran who has done well at Comerica Park. In his limited time playing in Detroit, he has recorded a .393 batting average across seven MLB games.
It wasn’t the best year for Goldschmidt as he struggled mightily at the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals. At one point in the season, he was moved down to seventh in the batting order. It was the first time since the 2012 season he batted that low in a lineup in a game. He ended 2024 with a .716 OPS and hit 22 home runs with 65 RBI.
The Tigers have Spencer Torkelson at first base, and after the postseason run, he may have refound himself heading into 2025. However, if Detroit would like some insurance, adding someone with a veteran presence and caliber like Goldschmidt would be a great place to start. The 2021 National League MVP may not have had the best offensive season in 2024, but his glove is still one of the best in MLB.
Most Home Runs: J.D. Martinez
It makes sense that this category belongs to a former Tigers player. Martinez spent four great seasons with the team before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. In that time, he picked up 99 home runs while wearing a Tigers uniform, with 60 of them coming at Comerica.
After a solid run into the NLCS for Martinez and the New York Mets, the 37-year-old will be back on the market this winter. Could a reunion for a former fan favorite be precisely what the young core of the Tigers is looking for to help them make the next jump?
Best of the Rest: Gleyber Torres
One of the more exciting free agents this winter is middle infielder Gleyber Torres. The 27-year-old has made the most of his 15 games played in Motor City, which could make him a potential fit for a team already loaded with infield depth. Across his 61 plate appearances, he has hit .283/.377/.623 for an even 1.000 OPS with five homers and eight extra-base hits.
During the 2024 season, his seventh year in the big leagues with the New York Yankees, Torres hit a .709 OPS with only 15 home runs and 63 RBI, all lows from the season prior. However, his game has really taken off in the postseason. As of the finale of Game 3 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, he has an .844 OPS. According to MLB Network, he has a .319 batting average since being moved to the leadoff position in mid-August.
The Tigers have plenty of players who can play the middle of the infield, including Trey Sweeney, who they just acquired at the MLB Trade Deadline. If signing Torres was to happen, a few other moves would have to happen first.
Best of the Rest: Whit Merrifield
With the exception of Martinez, who actually played with the Tigers, Merrifield may have the best numbers without ever wearing the uniform. The best part is he has done it with an impressive sample size as well. Across 56 games, the three-time All-Star hit .333/.374/.579 with 32 extra-base hits, including 10 homers.
Merrifield found himself on two NL East teams in 2024, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. Between the two clubs, he hit .222/.311/.314 across 95 games. He was the most useful when filling in for the injured Ozzie Albies at the end of the season for Atlanta.
The longtime Kansas City Royals utility man will be 36 once Spring Training rolls around. Like Solano, the nine-year MLB veteran could provide a solid role player off the bench and serve as a clubhouse leader for the young core looking to make a bigger run in the postseason next year.
