The Detroit Tigers made their mark very early on in the MLB offseason when they signed Jordan Zimmermann, Mike Pelfrey and Mark Lowe and traded for Cameron Maybin, Justin Wilson and Francisco Rodriguez. However, rumors suggest they may not be done in free agency.
Detroit, as previously speculated, is considering an upgrade in the outfield, specifically with the addition of Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton, Dexter Fowler, Chris Davis or Ian Desmond, according to Jon Heyman. It all comes down to what kind of contract each player is looking for.
Right now each of those names is probably out of the Tigers' price range, but the outfield market has been stagnant even with the signings of Jason Heyward ($184 million) and Alex Gordon ($72 million) so far. As a result, the aforementioned free agents may see their price tags drop as we approach the 2016 season. Cespedes seems to be their top target if that happens.
"The Tigers could try to get Cespedes back," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "One major league source indicated that Cespedes is a hot topic within the Tigers organization and the reaction is split."
"They could use another big bat, so bringing back Cespedes certainly makes sense," adds ESPN's David Schoenfield, who predicts the slugger will end up in Detroit. "Mike Ilitch bought the team in 1992 for $82 million. Forbes estimated its value at $1.125 billion last March. Ilitch is 86. He should be spending all the money, even if it means the Tigers have to pay some luxury tax."
When Cespedes was traded to the New York Mets at the non-wavier deadline in July, reports found both sides were open to a reunion in free agency. However, Cespedes is reportedly seeking a six-year, $150 million contract and the Tigers probably can't fit that into their payroll without moving other pieces. The team could enter 2016 with $177 million on the books, so unless they make a trade to clear space, it's likely they're waiting for Cespedes' demands to meet their financial parameters.
Tony Paul of the Detroit News says he's "heard nothing to suggest" any discussions with Cespedes, but nothing can be ruled at this point due to the unpredictability surrounding the future of these high-profile players.
We don't need to further elaborate on the fact that the Tigers' window to win a World Series is closing. The team already knows that and they're likely doing all they can to ensure success in 2016 after a disastrous campaign last year.
