Detroit Tigers Listed as Emerging Team That Needs to Spend This Offseason
The Detroit Tigers are heading into free agency with a few needs and the means to address them.
It was an amazing season for the Tigers in 2024, as the franchise was able to snap a lengthy playoff drought and win the American League Wild Card Series.
While the success might have come as a surprise, this roster is young and has proven that they can be a playoff contender. Now, Detroit has to find the right way to improve this team and help give manager A.J. Hinch what he needs to succeed.
Due to the franchise being in a rebuild in recent years, they haven’t spent much on free agents. However, this was a team that not too long ago was willing to spend money.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently ranked teams based on their need to spend in free agency this offseason. For the Tigers, they fell into the category of an emerging team that needs to spend money.
“The ownership groups on this list, at best, have spent inconsistently in recent years. But all have enough talent that they should make major investment this offseason to try to build around the talent they already have internally. It wasn't that long ago that the Tigers and Nationals were two of the bigger spenders in baseball. However, both franchises have seen their owners—Mike Ilitch and Ted Lerner—pass away in the last decade. Now, younger generations of those families need to show that they are as committed to spending on star players.”
The Tigers are heading into the offseason with a couple of clear needs, as they relied heavily on Tarik Skubal and their bullpen down the stretch in 2024.
In their lineup, upgrades at both first base and third base would be ideal. Due to the hefty contract of Javier Baez, it’s unlikely that they will make any major moves there, but that would also be an area they could look to improve.
With the corner infield spots being potential areas to upgrade, getting players that could bat in the middle of the order with some power would be ideal.
In addition to adding some power to the lineup, the need for a front-end starting pitcher is also there for Detroit. Bringing back a player like Jack Flaherty or someone of that caliber would be excellent to pair alongside Skubal. The Tigers really didn’t have any options in the postseason to start games and give them length, as that is certainly needed if they want to contend.
Considering how well this young core did for Detroit last season, ownership should certainly be writing some checks this winter to help improve this team and make the success sustainable for years to come.
