Detroit Tigers Will Have Serious Competition for Ideal Target in MLB Free Agency
The Detroit Tigers head into the offseason with the goal of plugging some of their holes and improving the roster in order to take the next step and become a legitimate championship contender.
While this may not have seemed possible with the way the 2024 season was going, Detroit showed flashes of their rebuild being complete down the stretch as they became the hottest team in baseball, ultimately eliminating the Houston Astros and coming one game away from the ALCS.
As the Tigers get set to enter the upper ecehlon of American League ball clubs with a championship window that is now seemingly open, there are some very clear issues that need to be fixed.
The need to add a starting pitcher behind Tarik Skubal is apparent, but by far the biggest issue on the roster as currently constructed is both corner infield spots.
The Spencer Torkelson era appears to be coming to an end at first base or at the very least close to it as the spot was a black hole in the lineup down the stretch and Torkelson continues to regress. When it comes to replacing him, some have aimed big with New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, but the perfect fit seems to be Diamondbacks three-time Gold Glove winner Christian Walker.
If the Tigers want to bring Walker in however, it sounds like they will have some stiff competition. According to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Walker is going to have a very healthy market and potentially even a bidding war.
"There are at least six teams who plan to aggressively pursue Walker, with everyone involved from the New York Yankees to the Diamondbacks to the Washington Nationals, believing he’ll come at less than half the price of Alonso," Nightengale wrote. "He could ultimately be involved in bidding war between the Yankees and Mets."
Walker is older than Alonso and not as big of a bat, but the plus side is that he will not cost what Alonso will cost. While the argument could be made that due to his defensive value, he's just as good of a signing. The commitment will not be as long and neither will the annual salary, something it appears the Mets understand if they are looking at replacing Alonso with Walker.
Walker would also bring a veteran presence into a clubhouse that needs more leaders as they look to contend. If the price doesn't get out of hand, Detroit absolutely needs to try to bring Walker in.
