The Detroit Tigers are listening to offers on everyone

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It didn’t take long for the Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila to declare that he would listen to offers on anyone on the roster if the deal is right.

Summary:

  • I like the Tigers. I like the Tigers nucleus as it is. They hung in there until the final day of the season, so they’re a team while not perfect; they’re definitely competitive and at worst probably figure to be a little longer if left alone.
  • Avila said the club would not offer JD Martinez a long-term contract extension, and his current deal in Motown expires after the 2017 season.
  • Justin Verlander and (gasp) Miguel Cabrera are obviously among those who can be sniffed around by the sharks. It’s hard to imagine either of these guys in another uniform, especially Cabrera who is a franchise-defining talent and an inner circle Hall of Famer. He deserves the farewell tour in Detroit that Ortiz just got in Boston. The good thing for those that want to see these two stay put is that they’re 10/5 guys, so they could veto a trade to any team.
  • In a thin free-agent market, guys like Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler, and Victor Martinez could be huge commodities. This is where I would think a slight tweak; if it happens, could be a good thing for the Tigers. If one of those types can yield a high-leverage couple of arms and a B-level prospect, the Tigers probably do it.
  • Buster Olney says the Tigers will make an effort to dump Justin Upton’s salary this offseason. Upton is signed to a massive six-year, $132.75 MM contract.
  • Indications are that the Tigers will not make this a full firesale.

And that’s the basics of what is going on with the Tigers right now. They probably look at their division mates the Cleveland Indians and that payroll and have a little envy and get some ideas about how to start building at the base of their organization again.

Best guess is one or two of these guys go but not Miguel Cabrera. That would just be sacrilegious in so many ways in the game of baseball.  Detroit definitely will be one of the most interesting organizations in the game as we approach the Winter Meetings and trade season.