Detroit Tigers: Why Detroit Doesn't Have to Make Any Major Offseason Moves

Winter is coming for the Detroit Tigers. Or, in less ominous terms, the offseason is just around the corner. Once the World Series concludes, general manager Dave Dombrowski and company will delve into Detroit’s plans for improving a supremely talented team.

Like any other squad, contending or not, the Tigers have their warts. Shortstop is a major concern, as are the bullpen and center field. Right field and designated hitter could be two more areas of need, depending on how free agency plays out. There’s also a potential need for another starting pitcher.

Normally, a team with that many needs would either break the bank or the record number of transactions to fix their team. Most want the Tigers to sign players like James Shields, Andrew Miller and Luke Gregerson—signings that would cost the Tigers north of $20 million annually (which $20 million the Tigers likely don’t have).

Detroit doesn’t need to do that. The Tigers could feasibly win the 2015 World Series without making any significant additions. Let me be clear: The team will add pieces, but those additions are more likely to come in the form of a few low-buy relievers and a cheap center fielder than premium free agents. The Tigers will bring in new players—they just won’t be perceived as major additions.

There are a few factors behind this reasoning. One is that the Tigers have an obscenely large payroll. They will likely lose Max Scherzer to free agency, but the money gained by clearing his salary off the books will likely be redistributed. In an ideal world, the money will be used to re-sign Victor Martinez and cover raises-via-arbitration for David Price, Rick Porcello, Al Alburquerque and J.D. Martinez.

Outside of that (and barring a shock trade), Detroit’s payroll will be extremely similar in 2015—thus making a major signing of someone like Jon Lester or Nelson Cruz out of the question.

Another factor is that Detroit has many of its solutions in house.

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The bullpen is a problem area for the Tigers, but it shouldn’t be next year if Joe Nathan and Joakim Soria have bounce-back seasons. In addition to those experienced arms, the team has an elite reliever in Al Alburquerque, as well as promising youngsters Blaine Hardy and Ian Krol.

Luke Putkonen and Bruce Rondon, two relievers who missed most or all of last season due to injury, will be vital to Detroit. The latter will be especially important if he can, along with Soria, serve as a legitimate eighth-inning option to bridge the gap to Nathan—an area where Joba Chamberlain struggled immensely in the second half of the season.

Another pitching issue that Dombrowski will have to attend to is replacing Max Scherzer. That last sentence is a misnomer. It should read, “Another pitching issue that Dombrowski will have to attend to is replacing Drew Smyly.” That is essentially what he’s doing. By acquiring David Price at the deadline (for a package including Smyly), Detroit found its ace replacement, should Scherzer leave.

With the former Diamondback heading out the door, Price will likely step up and be the ace of the staff. If you follow that line of thinking, then replacing Smyly with someone like Kyle Lobstein or Robbie Ray doesn’t seem as daunting as having one of the two replace a Cy Young winner. In addition to Lobstein and Ray, the team also has Drew VerHagen, as well as Kyle Ryan and Buck Farmer as options.

Right field and catcher are holes that Dombrowski and company may be forced to fill if Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez leave. However, as noted by Chris Iott of MLive.com, Hunter has expressed his interest in remaining in Detroit next year, while Martinez is said to prefer to stay in the Motor City as well, according to SI Wire.

Should both be retained, the Tigers’ remaining areas of concern are in center field, the bench and at shortstop. Rajai Davis and Ezequiel Carrera manned center field after Austin Jackson’s departure, but neither’s defense has lived up to that of his predecessor.

They both have the required speed necessary to cover the vastness of Comerica Park, but Davis is more of a natural corner outfielder, while Carrera lacks the bat to serve as anything more than a pinch-running/late game replacement type.

A minor addition may be in the cards, seeing as top prospect and long-term solution Derek Hill is still multiple years away from the big leagues. Colby Rasmus wouldn’t be the most expensive signing and would form a passable platoon in center with Davis.

While some reinforcements might be needed in the outfield, the bench is an area where Detroit could greatly improve without adding anyone. With the exception of the bullpen, the Tigers reserves were clearly the weakest link on the team. No statistic sums this up better than the fact that Detroit pinch hitters drove in eight runs in 2014. Luckily, there are numerous players in the Detroit system playing in the high minors who could improve the bench.

The most obvious addition is that of Steven Moya. At 23, Moya has only played one full season in Double-A, but he destroyed the Eastern League with 35 home runs, 105 runs driven in and a .276 average to go along with 16 stolen bases. The only blemish on his stat line is an ugly strikeout-to-walk ratio that reads 161/23.

Moya’s raw power earned him a September call up and will be his meal ticket in the big leagues. His stolen base totals also indicate that he won’t be a one-dimensional slugger. As one of Detroit’s best hitting prospects, Moya is still raw, but the fact that he hits left-handed (a big need for the Tigers) and brings immense power (a quality Detroit is sorely missing on the bench) puts him in a good position to make the team in 2015.

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In addition to Moya, there are three other internal options with the ability to not only make the Tigers roster, but also contribute off the bench. Their names are James McCann, Tyler Collins and Hernan Perez.

McCann made his reputation as a defensive-minded catcher, but still managed to hit .295 in Triple-A. He too earned a September call-up to Detroit and showed promise in a limited stint. The Tigers backup catcher in 2014, Bryan Holaday, only managed to drive in 15 runs and post a .542 OPS in 171 plate appearances. Having McCann deputize Alex Avila in Holaday’s stead would provide an upgrade both offensively and defensively. 

Possibly the biggest loser in J.D. Martinez’s breakout year was Tyler Collins. Initially a part of the Opening Day roster, Collins was sent back to the minors after struggling at the dish. Martinez was promoted soon after and eliminated the need for another corner outfielder, meaning Collins spent the rest of the summer in Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens.

He returned as a September call-up and hit his first big league home run. Though not a bona fide masher like Moya, Collins still brings value in other areas, as he is more of an all-around outfielder. Collins is another strong bet to make the roster, thanks to the fact that he’s done it before and brings speed, pop and adequate defense to a bench that could use all three.

Last, but not least, Hernan Perez is another internal option who could play a part on the 2015 Detroit Tigers. Perez, a middle infielder by trade, owns a .288 batting average in Triple-A Toledo and has been part of the Tigers’ last two playoff rosters, despite only accumulating 71 at-bats over the last couple seasons.

With starting shortstop Jose Iglesias returning (more on that later), Detroit will have Perez, Andrew Romine and Eugenio Suarez to compete for the role of utility infielder. Perez was the least used of the three, having only appeared in eight games, but he may stand the best chance to make the team.

The Tigers OPS production at the shortstop position was tied for the worst of any team’s collective shortstops’ OPS totals (those OPS totals were predominantly a combination of Romine and Suarez’s collective numbers). Perez has the potential to be a solid two-way player.

He shows promise at the plate and can handle both second base and shortstop. Because of these factors—and Romine and Suarez’ collectively pathetic offensive production—Perez should have the inside track for the role of utility infielder.

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Similar to the bench, there is internal reinforcement coming at shortstop in the form of Jose Iglesias, who missed 2014 due to injury. The former Red Sox prospect is a defensive wizard and can hold his own with the bat. Having his glove back in the field will improve the Tigers immensely and will give the team a slick-fielding, defensively strong double play combination with Ian Kinsler.

In short (notice the pun), shortstop was a black hole for the 2014 Tigers. Romine, Suarez and Alex Gonzalez all tried and failed to hold down the position permanently, while Danny Worth was only used sporadically. Even if Iglesias isn’t able to play 150 games as a result of his injury recovery, the team should be in good hands with Perez playing every now and again.

The Detroit Tigers have many needs going into the offseason. The number of needs could rise, depending on what happens in free agency, but should Detroit retain some key players during that period, they should be able to piece together a World Series contending team without making any major additions.

Whether it is through a low-key free agent signing or promotion from the minors, Detroit won’t need to make any big, expensive moves over the offseason to remain a championship contender.

All stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted.