Tigers are early offseason winners after trio of upgrades
Less than a month into the 2015 offseason, and the Detroit Tigers are already lapping the pace car.
Sunday's reported deal between Detroit and coveted right-hander Jordan Zimmermann caps a busy 28 days for new general manager Al Avila, who has offset the sentimental departure of his son with significant upgrades to the Tigers' rotation, bullpen, and outfield depth.
Zimmermann's reported five-year, $110-million deal - the largest contract ever awarded to a former Tommy John surgery patient - is the third significant pickup in as many weeks for the last-place Tigers, who also added All-Star closer Francisco Rodriguez and outfielder Cameron Maybin after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
Here are three takeaways from the Tigers' aggressive month of November:
Retool instead of rebuild
To no one's surprise, the Tigers have elected to fix rather than gut their flawed, high-priced roster. Bolstered by deep pockets in owner Mike Ilitch, Avila's added a durable starter to an injury-plagued rotation, an experienced reliever to an unpredictable bullpen, and a speedy bat to an unproven outfield. It's way too early to declare the Tigers' offseason a success, but for a team that won its fewest games since 2008, the turnover has to be encouraging. The Tigers took the roughly $28 million it spent on Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, Alfredo Simon, and Alex Avila last year, and invested in a trio of players who will cost slightly more (approximately $36 million), but should perform significantly better.
2016 Projected Rotation
| 2015 Stats | IP | ERA | K-BB% | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | 133.1 | 3.38 | 15.1 | 2.8 |
| Jordan Zimmermann | 201.2 | 3.66 | 15.1 | 3.0 |
| Anibal Sanchez | 157.0 | 4.99 | 13.5 | 0.9 |
| Daniel Norris | 36.2 | 3.68 | 13.5 | 0.4 |
| Buck Farmer | 40.1 | 7.36 | 3.8 | -0.7 |
Value grabs
Speaking of allocation of funds, Avila has so far addressed the club's weaknesses in a most efficient way. In search of an ace to fill the void left by Max Scherzer and David Price, the Tigers secured the best second-tier pitcher available on the open market. Though the specifics of his deal have yet to be disclosed, Zimmermann's annual value and/or length of contract figures to be dwarfed by Price, Zack Greinke, and possibly even Johnny Cueto - all of whom will begin the 2016 season older than Zimmermann. The acquisition of K-Rod, meanwhile, gives the Tigers an accomplished reliever at a fraction of the cost - in terms of money and prospects - it would have taken to trade for highly sought-after closers like Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel.
What's next
Despite the flurry of moves, Avila has already indicated he'd like to add a pair of starters this offseason. With Daniel Norris and Buck Farmer currently penciled into the back of the rotation, the Tigers are likely to go after another veteran arm to help bolster their chances of reclaiming the AL Central from Kansas City. Prior to Zimmermann's signing, the Tigers were roughly $50 million below their $173-million payroll from last season, a figure that does not include arbitration costs. MLB Trade Rumors projects the club's arbitration salaries to total just under $18 million, which would leave the club with enough money to add a mid-level pitcher to a team that's already potentially gone from pretender to contender in less than a month.