DETROIT – Players have started to report to spring training, but some of the biggest names in this year’s free agent class have yet to join a team. Should the Detroit Tigers consider a late addition?
Third base and starting pitcher depth are two areas the Tigers could consider addressing this spring. Matt Vierling will likely begin the season as the primary third baseman, but that’s certainly a situation that could be upgraded.
If everyone stays healthy, the starting rotation should be just fine. But Tarik Skubal, Kenta Maeda, Jack Flaherty, Matt Manning, and Casey Mize have all had major injury problems in recent seasons, so the Tigers could use some insurance (just look at last season).
Here are some of the remaining free agents who could fill those holes.
Matt Chapman
- 2023 stats (with Blue Jays): .240 average/.330 on-base percentage/.424 slugging percentage, 17 homers, 39 doubles, 62 walks/165 strikeouts in 140 games.
This is one of the biggest remaining names in free agency -- probably only behind Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery.
Chapman is known for his great defense at third base, and that manifested in a fourth gold glove last season. There are plenty of holes in his offensive game, though.
Since he hit 36 home runs as a 26-year-old in 2019, Chapman has struggled to find any real offensive consistency. He posted an .812 OPS in 37 games during the COVID-shortened 2020, but over the past three years, he’s slashing a combined .226/.322/.420.
Look, that’s much better than what the Tigers have gotten since the departure of Jeimer Candelario, but it’s not worth dishing out $200 million for a 30-year-old.
If Scott Boras decides Chapman’s best option is to accept a shorter deal worth a higher average annual value, then this might be an avenue for the Tigers to explore. They’re currently 21st in payroll -- even behind the Royals.
But that might not be viewed as the best match, considering Comerica Park is where home runs go to die.
Chapman would be a major upgrade for the Tigers at their greatest weak spot, but they aren’t going to commit to a high-priced free agent long-term. Besides, Jace Jung’s debut probably isn’t far off.
Gio Urshela
- 2023 stats (with Angels): .299/.329/374, 2 homers, 8 doubles, 10 BB/36 K in 62 games.
Last year was lost to injuries for Urshela, but he could be a decent fit for the Tigers on a short-term deal.
In his last full season -- 2022 with the Twins -- Urshela hit 13 homers and 27 doubles while batting .285 with a .338 OBP. That’s certainly more than the Tigers would expect to get from Vierling in a full-time role.
Urshela is someone who can be counted on to deliver solid batting averages and decent OBPs. Injuries have been a theme, but since the start of 2019, he’s a .291 hitter with a .787 OPS.
Again, the Tigers don’t want to clog up third base ahead of Jung now that Colt Keith seems to be cemented at second, but Urshela is more likely to accept a prove-it deal than Chapman. The reward could be pretty high, and the risk is almost nonexistent.
Tim Anderson
- 2023 stats (with White Sox): .245/.286/.296, 1 homer, 18 doubles, 26 BB/122 K in 123 games.
It’s hard to believe a player as good as Anderson could just forget how to play in his age-30 season, but 2023 was truly an abomination. He went from four straight seasons of batting over .300 to hitting .245 with a 23.3% strikeout rate.
He seems like the most obvious bounce-back candidate in the league.
Tigers fans might think, “If you can’t beat him, join him.” Anderson is a career .347 hitter against the Tigers -- 154 hits in 108 career games. He’s slashed .347/.380/.514 all-time at Comerica Park.
But I’m not sure Anderson is willing to move off of shortstop, even though he graded out well below average for the second season in a row. Even if he is open to a move, last year’s offensive metrics are terrifying, and the Tigers are trying to move away from players with low walk rates.
Whit Merrifield
- 2023 stats (with Blue Jays): .272/.318/.382, 11 homers, 27 doubles, 36 BB/101 K in 145 games.
Like Anderson, Merrifield is a player who terrorized the Tigers for a long time in the AL Central.
He played a variety of positions for the Blue Jays over the past year and a half, but third base wasn’t one of them. He’s versatile enough to handle the position, but the offensive production probably isn’t worth that risk anymore.
Even though he still has a low strikeout rate, Merrifield isn’t doing the rest of the things that made him a dangerous hitter in Kansas City. His quality of contact metrics plummeted to near-worst in the league last season, and that’s not likely to improve at age 35.
He’s a veteran presence and he decided to start stealing bases again last year, but the Tigers will definitely pass.
Amed Rosario
- 2023 stats (with Guardians and Dodgers): .263/.305/.378, 6 homers, 25 doubles, 29 BB/99 K in 142 games.
Rosario has always been a middle infielder at the MLB level, but he has horrible range and ugly defensive metrics. His future might be as a utility infielder, with third base as an option.
In 2022, Rosario stole 18 bases and racked up 46 extra-base hits. He was off to a rough start in 2023 before going to the Dodgers and reclaiming some of that magic: Six steals and 11 extra-base hits in just 133 plate appearances.
But even though Rosario has been a solid MLB player for a few years now, I’m not confident he’ll be better than Vierling. He’s very similar in that both can do a lot of things well, but they don’t really stand out in any area.
Mike Clevinger
- 2023 stats (with White Sox): 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 110 strikeouts and 40 walks in 131.1 innings.
Remember when the Tigers decided they needed more pitching depth right before the start of the 2022 season, so they added Michael Pineda on a one-year deal? This would have to be that kind of move.
Tigers fans are already familiar with the injury histories of Skubal, Mize, and Manning. But on top of that, Maeda hasn’t reached the 110 inning mark since 2019 and Flaherty has only done it once in that span (144.1 innings last season).
Clevinger is another familiar face, as he spent the first four years of his career in Cleveland and then landed back with the White Sox last season.
There’s a reason Clevinger is still a free agent in mid-February, but he was actually pretty solid in 2023. Though his old strikeout numbers are a thing of the past, Clevinger still suppresses hard contact and throws strikes.
At 33 years old, Clevinger probably isn’t looking for a long-term deal, and the pitcher-friendly confines of Comerica Park could actually be a very good fit. But I don’t think the Tigers want to add more competition to a rotation that already lacks space for all of Mize, Manning, Olson, and Sawyer Gipson-Long.
If the Tigers get bit by the injury bug early in spring training and Clevinger is still available, this could be a match.
Michael Lorenzen
- 2023 stats (with Tigers and Phillies): 4.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 111 K and 47 walks in 153 innings.
Lorenzen would be another potential pitching depth move after his half-season with the Tigers went so well last year.
Lorenzen struggled during his time with the Phillies, especially if you look beyond his no-hitter. But in Detroit, he went to the All-Star Game with a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.
Even after learning he had been traded, Lorenzen sang the praises of Harris and the Tigers, saying they helped him recapture what made him an effective pitcher.
Maybe he’ll explore a reunion if the Tigers lose someone this spring, but again, I doubt he’d agree to a deal if he doesn’t have a guaranteed spot in the rotation.
