Slugging Outfielder Could Be Next One-Year 'Prove It' Contract for Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are trying to replicate the success that they had in 2024, which saw the club make the postseason on a wing, a prayer and pitching chaos.
They have signed Gleyber Torres and Alex Cobb to help add more of a veteran presence to their young roster, and have been heavily rumored for the majority of the other free agents that will not break the bank.
As the offseason drags on and we rapidly approach pitchers and catchers reporting, there are still names available through free agency who expected to be with their next team at this point.
The closer we get to baseball activities picking back up, the more the price drops on these free agents, and the more likely a one-year "prove it" type contract becomes.
The Tigers worked wonders with Jack Flaherty and his one-year "prove it" deal in 2024, trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline, and still making it to the October dance.
Torres's contract is much the same, one year, $15 million to prove that he is capable of being a Major League hitter.
With the recent reports of slugging outfielder Anthony Santander lowering his asking price, there is a growing possibility that he could be the next in line.
Santander was reported to be originally looking for a five-year, $100 million deal, but with the 2025 campaign on the horizon and the slugger still a free agent, that asking price has dropped.
It should certainly take much more than the $15 million that Torres received to get the job done, but a one-year, $20-$22 million contract for Santander should not be out of the question.
The switch-hitting outfielder set a new career-high for home runs in 2024 with 44, and while it is unlikely that he replicates that at any point in his career, he would still add some much-needed power to a team that averaged only one home run per game last year, and whose home run leader was Riley Greene with 24.
Adding Santander to the roster would move Matt Vierling to the bench, further improving the offensive production at the cost of defensive production from a corner outfield position.
It is a move that needs to be made if the team expects to come anywhere close to the level of success they saw in 2024.
Adding Santander to the roster would go much farther toward that goal than Cobb or Torres do, combined.