New general manager Al Avila is attempting the baseball equivalent of having his cake and eating it too — rebuilding the Detroit Tigers while attempting to be a viable postseason team.
The franchise appears to be in much better shape than it was last July, when then-GM Dave Dombrowski spun off Detroit’s valued potential free agents to restock a farm system he had stripped of prospects to keep the club’s run of four straight American League Central Division titles going.
The prospect-thin farm system was believed to be a chief reason owner Mike Ilitch fired Dombrowski and elevated his assistant, Avila, who retained Brad Ausmus despite public sentiment it was time for a new manager.
The loss of key pieces left-hander David Price, left fielder Yoenis Cespedes and closer Joakim Soria plopped Detroit into last place in the division by the end of the season.
The deals did land the Tigers potential star pitchers left-hander Daniel Norris and right-hander Michael Fulmer, plus southpaw Matthew Boyd and shortstop JaCoby Jones, who will miss the first 37 games of the season serving the remainder of a suspension for a second failed test for a “drug of choice.”
The Tigers have few major questions entering spring training.
There may be a rotation spot to fill, although insiders think not, and one or two bullpen slots could be taken with a hot exhibition season. Whether center field will be manned mainly by Cameron Maybin or Anthony Gose is a decision that may not play out until April or May.
Age and related injury concerns will also go a long way toward determining just how Detroit fares during the season.
Avila addressed the loss of Price by signing free agent right-hander Jordan Zimmerman (Washington) early in the off-season, traded with Milwaukee for a new closer in right-hander Francisco Rodriguez and signed free agent right-hander Mike Pelfrey (Minnesota).
He dealt with Atlanta to re-acquire Maybin, a former No. 1 Detroit draft choice dealt prior to the 2008 campaign as part of the package that netted Miguel Cabrera for the Tigers. The club also signed free agents Mike Aviles (Cleveland), a utility player, and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia ((Miami, Arizona).
The Tigers have had back-end bullpen problems for years but moved this winter to sign free agent right-hander Mark Lowe, who sparkled for Seattle and Toronto last season, and trade two minor leaguers to the New York Yankees for lefty Justin Wilson.
Ilitch had worries about the length of Detroit’s lineup and gave Avila the go-ahead to put the franchise above the luxury tax line by inking outfielder Justin Upton.
At least the Tigers will lead the majors in something — number of Justins on the roster, with three.
“We feel extremely good about what we’ve been able to do this offseason,” Avila said. “But at the end of the day, we still need our top guys to produce, and I am talking about Miggy (Cabrera), Victor (Martinez) and Justin (Verlander).”
In terms of personnel decisions, Ausmus will look to see where and how incumbent center fielder Gose and Maybin fit in, whether Norris can confirm his status in the rotation and which of many candidates can take an open relief spot or two.
Bryan Holaday is out of options so he’s probable to be traded if he can’t beat out Saltalamacchia as James McCann’s backup. McCann took Alex Avila’s job when the latter was injured, prompting the Tigers to let the GM’s son go to the Chicago White Sox as a free agent.
Detroit will put some emphasis on running the bases, an area in which they have been perhaps the worst team in baseball in recent seasons. With Cabrera, Martinez and for two seasons Prince Fielder, some of that is unavoidable.
“There will be some things covered in spring training that we haven’t covered the last two springs,” Ausmus said. “There are little things that I think we have taken for granted that the players knew — like how you take a secondary lead. Little things you assume, maybe wrongly so, that they knew.
“We’re going to cover it, even if it sounds like basics to them. If it sounds like basics to 75 percent of the players, there’s still 25 percent that need to know.”
Former Tiger great Kirk Gibson, who does some broadcasting for the team, will be in spring training to help with secondary leads and stealing bases.
Martinez came to spring training a year ago coming off his second left knee surgery in three years and it bothered him all season, especially hitting left-handed. Cabrera had a severe left calf injury that showed up in a lack of power in the second half and Verlander missed the first half with a sore right triceps.
The signing of Upton was an exclamation point to the off-season, though.
“What (Ilitch) has been doing, he’s been doing year after year,” Martinez said. “People say time is running out on this team or our window is closing. But he always does something to keep the hopes of the fans alive. What else can we ask? We are so fortunate.”
NOTES, QUOTES
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH: It’s Cameron Maybin versus Anthony Gose to see who mans center field the majority of the games this season. Maybin hits right and Gose bats left, so a platoon is not out of the question. Maybin is the more experienced and has an edge in power while Gose is much faster. Both pass the eyeball test defensively but neither stands out in the defensive metrics. Maybin was originally acquired to give Detroit an option in left, a hole that was closed with the signing of Justin Upton. Maybin would seem to have the edge, with Gose giving the Tigers a left-handed bat and speed off the bench.
ROOKIE WATCH: With a largely set roster where the few vacancies are being contested by experienced players, it isn’t a good year to be a Detroit rookie. Right-hander Michael Fulmer, 23 on March 15, has a shot to win a spot in the Detroit bullpen but the Tigers see his future as being an upper echelon starter. The club’s top prospect was acquired from the New York Mets as part of the trade-deadline deal for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. He was 6-2 with a 1.88 ERA in 15 starts for the Mets’ Double-A club and 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA in six starts at the same level with the Tigers. He could be an effective mid-game stopper who could work multiple innings before transitioning back to the rotation next year.
COMEBACK TRAIL:
–RHP Bobby Parnell, 31, signed a minor league contract with Detroit on Feb. 18 that contained an invitation to major league spring training. Parnell missed 2014 following Tommy John surgery and struggled to a 6.38 ERA with a 2-4 record and one save in 30 games for the New York Mets. Parnell featured a 100 mph fastball prior to his surgery and was in the mid-90s last season but had control problems, especially with his secondary pitches. He’ll have a good chance to grab a roster spot with Detroit if can come close to his form of 2013, when he had a 2.16 ERA and 22 saves in 41 games.
PLAYER NOTES:
–RHP Justin Verlander was named Detroit’s opening day starter by manager Brad Ausmus before spring training even began. LHP David Price broke Verlander’s streak of seven straight openers started, a string that became moot when the right-hander was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career at the end of spring training. Verlander didn’t return to action until mid-season and struggled in the beginning before returning to his top-of-the-rotation form the last two months.
–DH Victor Martinez has had no problems this off-season with his left knee, which has required surgery in two of three previous winters. Martinez, a career .300 hitter from both sides of the plate, struggled batting left-handed all of 2015 because of problems in the knee that made him compromise his swing. He hit .219 against right-handers last season but .348 versus lefties. Martinez is notorious for taking a lot of swings from both sides and has done a lot of work this winter to get rid of the bad habits that crept into his left-handed approach because of the knee soreness.
–RHP Bruce Rondon is almost a forgotten man after being sent home by Detroit in late in September for lack of effort. Rondon, 25, was 1-0 with a 5.81 ERA and five saves for the Tigers but reportedly was petulant after not making the club out of spring training and neglected his off-field work most of the season. There is at least one bullpen spot to be won this spring and Rondon could win it if he shows an improved attitude and dedication to his work. The club has said it will be all up to him because it could option him to the minors again. He has a triple-digit fastball, a slider and changeup that make him potentially a closer.
–C James McCann enters his sophomore season in the majors firmly installed as the Tigers’ regular catcher. McCann, 25, hit .264, with seven home runs and 41 RBIs in 115 games last season, taking over as the regular when C Alex Avila went out of action with knee problems and not giving the job up when he returned. McCann was taken in the second round of the 2011 draft out of Arkansas, a year when the Tigers didn’t have a first-round pick. He quickly assumed a leadership role, through deeds and words, much as Avila had in his first season as a regular.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I always liked spring trainings, before I played, even as a kid. I used to love spring training because it meant spring was near. Forget Groundhog Day, it was the start of spring training.” –Manager Brad Ausmus, on the return of spring and baseball.