FanPost

HoustonTigersFan Offseason Plan 2017

While I did not hire Paul DePodesta, I do think I made some smart, money-saving, youth-injecting moves that should help in 2017 and beyond...Enjoy and go easy on me :)

Arbitration-eligible players

  • Casey McGehee: made $1.1 million in 2016 – Let Go
#2: Tigers Trade J.D. Martinez, Mark Lowe and a PTBNL to Philadelphia for infielder Cesar Hernandez, reliever Edubray Ramos, outfield prospect Nick Williams and pitching prospect Alberto Tirado
I give credit where credit is due, Ben Rosener is the mastermind behind this trade scenario. I attempted to come up with one I liked better, I could not. The Phillies have a serious amount of payroll space and can afford to eat Lowe’s Salary, also they may feel they can get the 2014 Lowe back. In JD, they get an All Star slugger to become a huge piece of their contention in 2017 and beyond. In Hernandez, we get a Kinsler replacement who is under control until 2020. This makes trading Kinsler all the more easier (from a business standpoint, trust me, I do not want to do it…Chris Illitch is making me). We also get an exciting up and comer in Ramos who will slide right into a late inning relief role (He is also under TC for the next few years).
#3: Tigers trade Ian Kinsler, Dominic Fiocello, Christin Stewart to the Dodgers for OF Trayce Thompson, C Austin Barnes, P Prospect Grant Holmes
The Dodgers are in serious need of a 2B, they ranked near the bottom in Defensive Runs Saved and WAR. This move will solidify their middle infield and strengthen their offense. They also get a potential replacement for Puig in Stewart who should be major league ready by 2018-19. In return, the Tigers are getting a controllable, young outfielder who can patrol CF or LF (Depends on Maybin). We are also getting our future Catcher in Austin Barnes and a future mid rotation guy in Holmes. This trade brings youth, speed, and depth to our organization.
#4: Tigers trade Anibal Sanchez to Pittsburgh Pirates for a couple of mid-range prospects. Detroit throws in 6 million this year, 4 million in 2018.
This needs to happen, and can happen. Pittsburgh seems to be the rehab center for broken pitchers and I think this is exactly what the dr. ordered for the former ERA title winner. This gives the Tigers serious salary relief while giving the Pirates a potential mid rotation arm. Win-Win for all.

Contract options (pick up or buy out)

Maybin is injury prone but there is no denying the spark he brings to this team. I am good with paying him 9M to roam the outfield. KRod…I have plans for him….stay tuned.

Pending free agents (re-sign or let go)

I am of the opinion that we can replace these players with league average for less. This also saves us about $5-6 Million

Note: The Tigers did not pay out the entirety of these salaries. Aybar spent most of the season with Atlanta, who sent $2 million to Detroit in the trade. Saltalmacchia received nearly $7.5 million of his salary from the Miami Marlins, who signed him to a three-year deal prior to the 2014 season. McGehee was payed a prorated portion of his $1.1 million salary while he accrued major league service time.

Free agents:

Drew Butera, C: 2yr, $3 Million: 34 yr old Drew had a strong 2nd half showing with the Royals last year filling in as All star catcher Perez’s backup. My favorite and sole reason why I chose Butera….He is an Indians killer with the bat……Ok, not really but he did hit .409 against the Tribe in 2016, I chose Butera because he mashes Righties at a .316 clip with a .356 OBP. He, IMO, is the perfect complement to McCann. Also, he seemed to handle the Royals staff pretty well and should make an easy transition over to the good side aka the Tigers.

Peter Moylan, RP: 1yr, $1 Million: Moylan is a journeyman reliever and he is 36 yrs old. But, he is a reliable arm that can come in when there is a jam and be counted on, something the Tigers sorely missed this past season. His 2016 stats show an impressive .229 Avg allowed when runners are in scoring position, .217 with RISP and 2 outs. To me, he fits a later inning role or simply bring him in when a SP gets into a jam later in the game, say 5th or 6th inning.

Neftali Feliz, RP: 2yr, $8 Million: I cannot recall which one of you chose Feliz as well, but I agree with you…whoever you are. Feliz seems to have been fixed by the pitcher whisperer, Searage. The opponents Batting Avg with Runners on, RISP was astoundingly low. Feliz is a young guy, still 28 yrs old. He may have finally found himself. He is worth a flier.

Nori Aoki, OF: 1yr, $5 Million: Older but still a great defender and hitter. Will play the 4th OF role and be a veteran presence and LHH Bat off the bench.

Trades

#1: Tigers trade Francisco Rodriguez and Matt Hall (#19 Prospect in org.) for Trevor Gott and Brian Goodwin.

I was on team Krod buyout but credit to Ben Rosener of MCB who changed my mind. Part of this trade was his idea, however I tweaked it as I did not think Washington would trade those two for KRod straight up. In Matt Hall, the Nat’s are getting some insurance for their rotation should Strasburg ever decide to leave. No, he is not on Strasburg’s level, but he has shown flashes of being a mid-rotation starter and with some of the pitching depth the Nat’s have, he does not need to be much more than that. The Tigers are getting a guy in Trevor Gott who can immediately slot into a late inning relief spot and he is controllable through 2021. Goodwin is a potential replacement for JD (See later) in RF.

These trades should roughly save the Tigers about 45-50 Million for 2017. Add in the FA signings of about 13 Million and the ARB Raises of approximately 6 million, and this brings us to approximately 26-31 Million in savings for the Tigers. This roughly puts their payroll at about 170-178 Million.

Projected Lineup:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Maybin

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Upton

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Miggy

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Castellanos

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->VMart

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->Hernandez

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. <!--[endif]-->T. Thompson

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8. <!--[endif]-->McCann/Butera

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9. <!--[endif]-->Iglesias

Projected Rotation:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->JV

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Zimmerman

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Fulmer

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Norris

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Boyd

Projected Bullpen:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->A. Wilson

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->J. Wilson

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->P. Moylan

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->N. Feliz

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->E. Ramos - SU

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->B. Rondon - CL

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. <!--[endif]-->B. Hardy/K.Ryan – They can battle it out in ST.

Projected Bench:

C. Drew Butera

UTL. Andrew Romine

4th OF. Nori Aoki

UTL. Jacoby Jones

Projected W/L in 2017: 89-73, 2nd in AL Central, 1st WC spot

Summary

As I sit back and imagine life as the GM of the Detroit Tigers I realize that I missed my true calling….who am I kidding, I am no Billy Beane, but I did watch MoneyBall at least 50 times….that should qualify me, right? Anyways, I truly believe these moves, if made, would free up serious payroll space while continuing to build upon the team’s youth and depth. While I hate to see JD and Kinsler go, we can rest assured that we are rebuilding this team with young, talented ball players all the while keeping your core players such as Miggy, JV, VMart, and Upton around. With the rising talent of Castellanos, Iglesias, and McCann, we can all be hopeful for the future.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.