9 Realistic Free Agents for the Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers don't have to shop at the top of the free agent market to make real improvements to help them contend again in 2025.
Signing Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Pete Alonso would certainly propel the Tigers to the top of the AL Central. While it’s fun to dream of those scenarios, deep down, we know there’s a greater chance of one of us taking Tarik Skubal deep than Soto signing with Detroit.
No, the reality is not often the best-case scenario, but it’s the hand we are dealt. For Detroit, the free agent pool is not as deep as it is for the big guys, but that doesn’t mean you cannot improve the roster.
A miracle finish helped cleanse the previous month’s memory of mediocre baseball, but let’s not forget this team still needs upgrades.
While I am hoping for Chris Ilitch to open up the check book in a big way, we do not have evidence suggesting he will. So, we’ll pivot our focus from the top names to some middle to low cost options. Players you probably won’t jump for joy over, but could play and role and help the team improve on the margins.
*Player – age during ’25 season – Position – 2024 Stats*
Christian Walker – 34 y/o – 1B – .251/.335/.468, 26 HR
Perhaps the biggest name on this list, Walker comes with a unique past. After bouncing around the waiver wire for years, he finally landed a full time role in 2019 with Arizona and hasn’t looked back. A power hitting, gold glove caliber, veteran who would fit perfectly on this team.
With questions around Spencer Torkelson, first base will be an obvious need. Considering the talent coming through the system, the Tigers do not necessary have to sign a long-term deal to fix their problem. Walker could come in on a three-year deal and help balance the lineup by adding a righty bat in the middle of the order. Despite his age, Walker still posted exit velocities that lead me to believe a decline is not around the corner.
While I do not put a lot of value in first base defense, he would be a drastic upgrade in the field. A shorter term deal would serve as a nice bridge to either Thayron Liranzo or Joscue Briceno possibly landing at first.
Nick Pivetta – 32 y/o – SP – 4.14 ERA, 4.07 FIP
If you want another arm in the rotation who can strike guys out, Pivetta might be a perfect fit. A fastball heavy pitcher that only sits about 94 mph, but with almost 20 inches of induced vertical break the movement helps miss bats. He also started using his sweeper much more last season (+20%) and produced a 35% whiff rate.
The issue with Pivetta has been giving up too many home runs. You’d hope a move to Comerica can save a couple of those long balls from going out. Many projections have him in the three-year, $60 million range. This would give the Tigers a solid veteran arm while also ensuring someone is under contract from that rotation in two years.
I understand why some would rather focus on one year options. Tarik Skubal’s contract looms in the near future and having any money available to throw at Skubal does matter. But, putting all of the resources and attention towards a theoretical Skubal deal does not help the team now and could hurt them if he walks.
It is also worth noting that Pivetta received the qualifying offer from the Red Sox, so the Tigers would have to forfeit draft capital to sign him.
Andrew Heaney – 33 y/o – SP – 4.28 ERA, 4.04 FIP
If the money and term for Pivetta leaves you wanting a different option, I present to you Andrew Heaney. Wait, why aren’t you smiling? Jokes aside, when you start to dig in the one or two year bins, options, and a reasonable price range, aren’t going to light up the world.
Heaney brings another lefty into the rotation and gives the coaching staff another veteran project. A few of Heaney’s pitches have always come with good movement and at times have lead to pretty good strikeout rates. He does not walk many batters, comes with experience, and has something for the staff to work with. It’s not a sexy name, but he’s better than you might think.
Carlos Santana – 39 y/o- 1B – .238/.328/.420, 23 HR
Will Carlos Santana ever hit the wall father time always drags players into? Well, for this exercise, let’s hope he has at least one more year. The switch-hitting first baseman has essentially been in the AL Central for the better part of 15 years. Despite his age, he still puts up solid numbers and plus defense.
While he’s not the type of power bat that you might hope fills first base, he’d likely come in at a one year deal with a low cost. If, and that’s a big if, the Tigers make more substantial upgrades elsewhere (Starter, third, outfield, etc.) then settling for Santana is not a bad third or fourth move.
A veteran in the clubhouse and not a player you feel you must play, no matter what. Let’s just say Torkelson figures it out, then playing Santana less will not be a big deal. Low cost, not a lot of risk or long term commitment.
Yimi Garcia – 34 y/o – RP – 3.46 ERA, 3.73 FIP
Yimi Garcia has posted a sub-4.00 FIP every season since 2019. He’ll give up some home runs, but has enough stuff to strike guys out without surrendering command. Garcia brings an entire repertoire of pitches to pair with a 96 mph fastball with a 32% whiff rate on the pitch.
But wait, isn’t Garcia injured? Yes, he suffered an elbow injury late last year which makes his availability and market cloudy. Which is exactly why I think the Tigers can make it happen. Stick with me here.
You could get a discount on a pitcher who struck out 32% of batters ad walked only 8% last season. A guy who has a ton of experience in all bullpen situations including 26 saves. Yes it is risky, but stash him on the 60-IL and you might need an arm by the time he’s healthy.
Want to make this more fun? Sign a two-year deal.
Brandon Drury – 32 y/o – INF – .169/.242/.228, 4 HR
The first true YIKES on the list. But wait, I can explain. Drury had a breakout, at age 29, with the Reds and Padres in 2022. A 123 wRC+ to go along with 28 home runs which he followed up with 26 home runs and a 114 wRC+ in 2023. Now, last year was a disaster.
A player does not go from back to back good seasons, at 29 and 30 years old, to posting a 34 wRC+ the next year….without some issue. That issue was Drury’s hamstring which he injured in April, tried to play through, but ultimately bothered him most of the year.
Three straight seasons of a .200 ISO dropped to a .058 ISO in 2024. I’m willing to buy the bounce back once fully healthy. I do not think Drury will be the savior, but a guy with some power who can play all over the infield is fine by me.
Bring him in under the same circumstances as Santana. If bigger moves are made elsewhere, he’s a player who can platoon at third, second, first, and corner outfield in a pinch. Whether it be competition for Ibanez or insurance for Jung/Torkelson, Drury has some upside as a buy-low, without a ton of risk (1-year deal).
Kendall Graveman – 34 y/o – RP – N/A
Kendall Graveman is a name you likely know. He’s been in the league for about a decade now and has strung together three solid seasons before missing 2024 due to injury. Another risky injury signing, and while I would not sign a lot of players in this situation, picking one can be worth it.
How Graveman looks post injury is unknown. He is throwing and will be able to pitch in 2025, so that’s a good sign. The last time he pitched (2023) he produced a 45% whiff rate on his fastball and 37% on his slider. He throws a sinker as well which helps him profile as a groundball pitcher, something we know the Tigers have targeted in the bullpen before.
Randal Grichuk – 33 y/o – OF – .291/.348/.528, 12 HR
Grichuk has started to reinvent himself later in his career. Once a high strikeout, power bat, Grichuk has settled for more contact and less power. He’s always hit lefties at a very good clip and could serve as a bench/platoon outfielder.
Similar to the Mark Canha role, Grichuk could be brought in on a one year deal (maybe two) to add a righty bat while taking some of the pressure off Perez and Malloy. Although the Tigers have some interesting young players who can play the outfield, I am a bit worried about the depth. We still do not know with 100% certainty if Perez and/or Malloy are locks on this roster.
Mike Soroka – 27 y/o – SP/RP – 4.74 ERA, 4.95 FIP
I cannot take credit for this pick. A fantastic article by Mike Petriello highlighted the difference from Soroka when used as a reliever, and I think it’s worth a shot. I do not want to steal the information from that article, so make sure to check it out yourself.
Final Thoughts
Detroit is in a position where they need to improve. No longer are they rebuilding and filling the roster with “what if’s”. Multiple times last season we saw how depth can get tested. Adding some of these fringe starters/quality depth pieces gives the Tigers more flexibility and injury insurance.
I am not 100% ruling out a bigger move, whether that be a trade or free agent signing. Without a doubt, Detroit has plenty of money to spend. How they allocate those dollars to this particular offseason will certainly be interesting.
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