Detroit Tigers Projected to Land Two-Time All-Star Power Hitting Free Agent
The Detroit Tigers are heading into the offseason potentially on the cusp of fielding a roster that can compete for a championship in 2025 if the right moves are made.
Coming off one of the most unlikely runs in the history of baseball to the postseason from 9.5 games out in late August to locking down a Wild Card spot, eliminating the Houston Astros, and taking Cleveland to a decisive fifth game in the ALDS, Detroit ultimately just ran out of gas at the end. Now, Scott Harris will have a renewed sense of aggression after the Tigers proved to him first hand they are ready to win now if some help is added.
Starting pitching should and will be a priority as will corner infield, but the reality of the biggest needs might just be a right-handed bat in general at the top of the list. There are names out there who would fit the bill and fill a positional need, but perhaps the Tigers could make an area of strength a little bit more versatile. Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, and Parker Meadows form a solid outfield, but all three are lefty hitters.
It just so happens that one of the top free agent outfielders who also can obviously DH is Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion Teoscar Hernández. A recent predictions article from The Score guessed Hernández ends up playing in the Motor City.
"The Tigers were one of the better stories in 2024, and ownership builds on that momentum by committing to surrounding an emerging young core with veteran talent," the bold prediction stated. "The offense gets the middle-of-the-order bat it desperately needs by signing Teoscar Hernández."
Hernández bet on himself last offseason and signed a one-year deal with the eventual champs and would respond with one of the best seasons of his nine-year major league career. With a career-high 33 home runs and the best OPS+ he has registered in a full season, Hernández was named an All-Star for the second time of his career and a Silver Slugger for the third time.
The other plus with Hernández is he is not anticipated to command the massive nine-figure contract some of his fellow free agents are set to receive. At 32 years old, he is expected to receive a deal in the three-year range and an AAV of less than $25 million. If the Dodgers want to keep him, it could turn into a complicated bidding war, but indications have been other teams will have their say.
Landing with the Tigers - while it likely would be a surprise to see it actually play out that way - would be a supremely popular move within the fanbase and though the fit may be complicated, A.J. Hinch would surely find a way to make it all work.
