Biggest Winners and Losers from Detroit Tigers' Offseason
The Detroit Tigers have had yet another frenzied offseason. They didn’t waste any time getting started—within a few weeks of the season ending, Victor Martinez was re-signed, and they had picked up Joakim Soria’s option.
This early activity set the tone for the weeks to come. Other noteworthy additions included Yoenis Cespedes and Alfredo Simon, while Rick Porcello and Torii Hunter were among the significant departures.
Don’t expect the drama to end there, either. Detroit’s incumbent ace, Max Scherzer, is still unsigned with a possibility of coming back to the club.
Ultimately, some will win and others will lose in this revolving door of players. Let’s see who has (and hasn’t) fared well so far.
Winner: Victor Martinez
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Entering this offseason, Martinez was arguably the premier slugger on the free-agent market. The Tigers designated hitter had a career year in 2014, hitting .335, 32 HR and 103 RBI.
Of all the offensive studs available, the 11-year veteran had the highest WAR (5.3) last season, eclipsing Nelson Cruz (4.7), Melky Cabrera (3.1) and Adam Laroche (2.2).
Martinez’s explosion at the plate also came at an ideal time. It was his contract year, and with no viable candidate to fill his shoes at DH in Detroit, the Tigers needed to bring him back.
So, that’s what they did. With other interested clubs driving up his price, Martinez signed a four-year, $68 million contract with the Tigers per Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. This deal even exceeded the one he signed four years earlier as a 32-year-old seemingly in the midst of his prime.
The re-signing of Martinez does come with inherent risks for Detroit. He has already missed a full season due to a knee injury in 2012, and his productivity will inevitably decline in the latter years of his contract when he will be pushing 40 years old.
However, such is the demand for offensive talent these days; the Tigers are content to part with far more money than Martinez will probably be worth in 2017-18.
All things considered, getting Martinez back is a major coup for Detroit. But, it is an even bigger victory for him.
Loser: Miguel Cabrera
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While Martinez’s numbers went north in 2014, two-time MVP Cabrera’s went the opposite direction.
After smoking 44 dingers in 2012 and 2013, Cabrera’s total dropped to 25 last year. He also struck out more than 100 times for the first time in five years. It just wasn’t the same old Miggy.
Injuries account for much (if not all) of this decline. Last offseason, he had surgery to repair a damaged groin, which hampered his ability to drive the ball during the regular season. To compound issues, he then suffered bone spurs in his ankle and a stress fracture to his foot.
Cabrera has gone under the knife again this winter to repair the fracture. Jason Beck of MLB.com has reported that Cabrera will continue to wear a boot until mid-February, which enables him to do some weight-bearing activities. However, he has been very limited in his ability to do conditioning work.
Cabrera’s injury plight will again stymie his preparation for the upcoming season. For the second straight year, he will enter the campaign underdone.
The fact that Cabrera has a naturally large girth and is not getting any younger makes you wonder whether his best days are now well behind him.
Winner: Yoenis Cespedes
3 of 6If you can’t beat them, join them.
Cespedes was part of the Oakland team that was ousted from the American League Division Series by Detroit in consecutive seasons (2012 and 2013).
It almost feels like fate that Cespedes has now wound up in the Motor City.
Before signing with the Athletics in 2011, the Tigers had a very close look at the Cuban defector in the Dominican League.
According to Detroit’s international operations man Tom Moore, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, "We didn't miss a winter ballgame. He showed all the tools you wanted to see. In terms of the tools package, he was certainly one of the better Cuban guys to come out at that time."
But it was by the bay where Cespedes landed. Now he comes to Detroit after hitting at least 22 homers in each of his first three big league seasons.
Cespedes will now find his home in left field at Comerica Park and be sandwiched in Detroit’s lineup somewhere between sluggers Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez.
With this type of company, he should be very comfortable in his new surroundings. It is even plausible to expect an upswing in his numbers.
He also won’t miss having to face his playoff nemesis when October rolls around.
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Loser: Kyle Lobstein
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Lobstein made a good impression when called up to the majors for the first time last season. As a spot starter and long reliever, the Tigers lefty put up decent numbers: 3.82 FIP and 1.25 WHIP in 39.1 innings.
Each of his six starts came in the thick of Detroit’s division race and helped him earn a berth on Detroit’s playoff roster.
At the beginning of this offseason, Lobstein was arguably the front-runner to be Detroit’s fifth starter next season. It seems like a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.
The Tigers have acquired two starters via trade (Shane Greene and Alfredo Simon) and have recently signed left-hander Tom Gorzelanny, who projects to be their long reliever next season.
Where does that leave Lobstein? Probably back at Triple-A Toledo. Easy come, easy go.
Winner: Jose Iglesias
5 of 6Speaking of making good impressions, Iglesias was scintillating upon his arrival in Motown back in 2013. He seemed to make a spectacular play every day with the glove, including those in the video above.
With the shortstop position seemingly sewn up for the foreseeable future, Iglesias and the Tigers suffered a major setback last March when he was ruled out for the entire 2014 season with stress fractures in both legs.
Detroit was forced to call upon a bevy of replacements, one of whom was rookie Eugenio Suarez. The 23-year-old Venezuelan initially looked the part, too.
He uncorked a big fly in his first career start and hit .283 (26-for-92) in his first 30 games. His performance tapered off down the stretch, but he had certainly laid down a marker.
With two bright shortstops in their ranks, Detroit had a decision to make. Which of their two youngsters should they back for the future?
Suarez’s trading to Cincinnati in December provided the answer: Iglesias will be the man.
The signs are good that he will be back to full health before the beginning of the new season. The ultimate test will be his ability to perform explosive movements on his legs, such as sprinting.
According to Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski, Iglesias is now nearly at full steam when running on the treadmill, per Fenech: "He's running almost 100% on that. All very encouraging—they tell me he'll be OK."
Loser: Don Kelly
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Kelly has been the ultimate role player for Detroit over the past five years. In a Tigers uniform, he has played in all but one position on the field—shortstop.
But, most utility players have a short shelf life, and Kelly may now be out-of-date in Detroit.
All his usefulness and versatility cannot mask a modest .232/.296/.336 career slash line. He also turns 35 in February, and youngsters Tyler Collins, Anthony Gose and Hernan Perez have emerged to breathe new life into the Tigers squad.
Kelly’s own Twitter tagline reads "Heart and Hustle." After a handful of decent seasons in Detroit, few fans will begrudge him that.
All stats in this article are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
Hit me up on Twitter: @jdunc1979.
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