MLB Free Agents 2012: 5 Players Who Would Make the Tigers Contenders Again

The Detroit Tigers finished their playoff run with several big questions for the 2012 season. After a very successful season and following a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of the Texas Rangers, the Tigers have several holes to fill in order to remain contenders.

The contracts for longtime Tigers Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez will be coming off the books and will allow the Tigers to spend a considerable amount of money. There's also no doubt that owner Mike Illitch will fork over even more money if he has to. He is an owner that is always willing to spend to win.

The Tigers need to address several needs. A third baseman and second baseman seem like they top the "must-do" list. In addition, the Tigers will be in the market for an outfielder, some bullpen help and possibly a starting pitcher from within the organization.

The question that resides is this: Who do we sign, and who needs to step up from within the organization?

Joel Peralta

I've mentioned bringing him in to see if he's worth Illitch's money before, and I'm not about to stop now. Peralta is someone the Tigers NEED in their bullpen. 

A solid relief man, Joel Peralta has had two stellar seasons in a row. As a setup man and late relief man for the Rays this past season, he's put up some quite impressive numbers.

He sported a .92 WHIP with 61 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 71 appearances. A 2.93 ERA also proved that Peralta can come in and get the job done in crunch time.

Peralta would be the perfect fit to come in on relief before current Tigers setup man Joaquin Benoit enters in the eighth inning.

Ryan Zimmerman

The most pressing need for the Tigers this season is to bring in a productive full-time third baseman.

You may or may not love longtime third baseman Brandon Inge, but his time in Detroit in dwindling and he cannot be expected to play third full time after the season he had last year.

The Washington Nationals are rumored to be shopping around Ryan Zimmerman. Picking up a premier player like Zimmerman would completely end the third-base drama.

He is a career .288 hitter and will definitely produce at least 25 home runs per season, with the definite possibility of hitting more. The only problem with Zimmerman? He has to stay healthy. He's missed 81 games in the previous two years combined.

Coco Crisp

Sure, the Tigers outfield is set, but having insurance can never hurt. If Coco Crisp is humble enough to come to Detroit and play off the bench, I'd definitely consider it. 

All three of the Tigers' starting outfielders for 2012 are basically question marks. Delmon Young came to Detroit for basically nothing and proved to be an amazing pickup, but you can't assume you'll get consistent production from him all season.

Austin Jackson is a young, important component of this Tigers team, but all he does at the plate is strikeout. Meanwhile, Brennan Boesch missed three quarters of last season and no one can truly predict what he'll bring to the team.

Signing a player like Crisp would definitely help the speed issue in Detroit. I know Oakland would love to have him back, but taking Crisp at a good price just might be worth it.

If Crisp is signed, though, he should not be a full-time starter. The center field job remains Austin Jackson's for the time being. Crisp could platoon at right field, pinch hit and pinch run when needed. If an injury is sustained in the outfield, Crisp would be the perfect and ideal replacement.

Crisp's 49 steals ranked second in the entire MLB and first in the American League. His .264 batting average was solid enough to be an effective player for a contending team.

Jacob Turner

The most heralded pitching prospect in the Tigers organization, Jacob Turner is expected to compete for the final pitching spot on the Tigers' rotation.

Turner was the ninth overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. In his MLB career debut on July 30, Turner pitched a solid 5.1 innings, while getting out of several jams. He gave up three hits and two runs. He eventually got the loss as the bullpen dropped the ball, but that start is better than a fifth starter on most any team.

He has maturity way beyond his young age of 20. The only thing that I am very wary of on Turner is the fact that he will most likely be the fifth starter. Yes, the Tigers need one (Brad Penny is long gone), and they will look from within the organization to find one.

Rushing Turner to the big leagues is something they did to fellow pitcher Rick Porcello. Porcello is a good pitcher, but that's about it. He isn't great and definitely isn't elite. Rushing someone like Turner could prove lethal.

If he hasn't learned what he has to learn from pitching in the minors yet, expect Turner to turn out more like Porcello and a lot less like Justin Verlander.

Jose Reyes

Like I said, Mike Illitch has money and isn't afraid to use it.

If all else fails, go for it. Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has the money and would definitely fork it over to Dave Dombrowski if he believes Reyes would come to Detroit.

If this does occur, though, do not expect the Tigers to do much else other than beefing up the bullpen. Reyes would suck out much of Detroit's funding, since he'll most likely command over $100 million in his contract.

Yet, if the Tigers picked up Reyes, it would be the best available upgrade out of any free-agent possibility. Reyes can lead off and get on base. His .337 batting average was good enough for the 2011 National League Batting Title.

This would also take pressure off Austin Jackson by not leading off and dropping him down the order. Reyes also has speed that is second to none and is a sure-fire fielder.

This also opens the possibility of moving current starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta to third base. Signing Reyes could kill two birds with one stone, by addressing two position issues with one blockbuster signing.