Detroit Tigers Need to Monitor Status of Veteran Infielder Ahead of Free Agency
Of all the issues with the Detroit Tigers that placed the ball club near the bottom of the standings for a large portion of the season before their epic playoff run, corner infield was near the top of the list.
Struggling to get production from both the first and third base positions, addressing each needs to be a priority at or near the top of the list for president of baseball operations Scott Harris as he heads into the winter looking to improve the roster. Many options have been thrown out including Christian Walker and Pete Alonso for first base and of course Alex Bregman for third base, none of which necessarily feel extremely likely unless Detroit is willing to pay up.
In terms of the bargain bin, there's one name to monitor that has a demonstrated ability to play both positions and around the entire infield throughout his career that could become a free agent if he decides to decline his option in Wilmer Flores of the San Francisco Giants. Roger Castillo of Motor City Bengals named Flores as a name to watch for Detroit this offseason.
"While injuries have hampered Flores, Harris has familiarity with him in his day with the Giants, and he can play all over the diamond and get on base," Castillo wrote. "There is a team option for $8.5 million on Flores, however, so he could land back with San Francisco. Nonetheless, it's worth monitorying."
Flores also has a $3.5 million player option which he may very well take coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in which he only played in 71 games with a .206 batting average and just 4 home runs with 26 RBIs as well as a putrid OPS below .600. That being said, he is also just one year removed from a career season in 2023 where he hit .284 with an OPS of .863 in 126 games with 23 home runs.
If Flores does in fact become a free agent, he won't cost a ton and has shown that he's capable of being a strong contributor. If the Tigers want to bank on the fact that he will produce more when healthy, Flores could be a great budget option this winter, provided he's actually available.
