With Cameron Maybin being traded away to the Angels early on this offseason, the Tigers find themselves with a hole between Justin Upton in left-field and J.D Martinez in right. GM Al Avila has stated that the goal for Detroit is to lower the payroll while making the Tigers into a better team simultaneously. The obvious course is to pull up a young prospect from the minors, but it is entirely possible the Tigers may sign a free-agent to a short-term contract at a low price. Looking at the list of free-agents, here are some possible ideas the Tigers could toss around.
Peter Bourjos: .251/.292/.389, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 6 SB. 123 games
2016 salary: $1,650,000
Summary: Though he’s primarily a right-fielder, he has a lot of experience playing center field and has the legs to back that up. He won’t be mashing home runs and driving in runs, but he can steal some bags, leg out some extra bases when he’s on the base paths, and cover a lot of ground in the spacious Comerica Park. His salary isn’t expected to jump up significantly, and he would slide in fairly well as a batter at the top or bottom of the order. The Tigers could sign him to a 1 or 2 year deal worth $1-3MM a year as a “low-risk high reward” type of player.
Michael Bourn: .264/.314/.371, 5 HR, 38 RBI, 15 SB. 118 games
2016 salary: $13,500,000
Summary: Don’t be fooled by that salary from last season, because Bourn will not get anything close to what he was making during his last contract. Previously a premiere center-fielder, Bourn is on the wrong side of 30 and has dropped considerably from his days with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves where he stole a total of 256 bases over a 5 year period while batting around .290 overall. However, there is still something to gain from Bourn: extra veteran leadership for the younger players, and he still swiped 15 bases, proving his legs are still able to get things done. With a decent average and OBP, Bourn, like Bourjos, could find a decent spot in the Tigers lineup at the top or bottom, setting the table for the meat to send him home. With his decreased value and numbers to show, he won’t be making a substantial amount. Tigers could sign him for a 2-year $10MM contract.
Rajai Davis: .249/.306/.388, 12 HR, 48 RBI, 43 SB. 134 games
2016 salary: $5,000,000
Summary: Tiger fans will recognize Davis, who played for them in 2014 and 2015. Though he just turned 36, Davis is still a solid center fielder and, if the Tigers go for small ball, is a perennial threat when standing on first base. With a Tigers outfield that is not so crowded, it would be possible to see Davis see most of the playing time in center while the Tigers continue to season and develop their prospects in the minors. The only real thing that will raise his price tag is his stolen base count--43 last year which led the AL--which could make him a commodity for teams looking for an experienced fielder with a load of speed.
