Checking In On The Tigers' Offseason Moves
We look at Detroit's most notable transactions so far this winter and what those moves mean for the team's potential in 2024 and beyond.
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. . . In addition to making on-field roster additions, the Tigers also made a significant addition to their broadcast booth this offseason by hiring Jason Benetti to be their primary TV play-by-play announcer. Benetti was previously the TV play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox from 2016-23, and he did work with ESPN broadcasts from 2011-22. Additionally, he was the play-by-play voice for baseball on NBC during the 2021 Olympics and for Sunday morning baseball on Peacock, and he has broadcast NCAA basketball tournament games on national radio.
. . . Another piece of offseason news for the Tigers: the video board at Comerica Park is undergoing a renovation this winter and, come 2024, will be over twice the size of the previous video board. Once completed, it will be the second-largest video board at a Major League stadium after Citi Field’s. There will also be updated speakers and TV monitors installed throughout the ballpark to round out the offseason upgrades.
Leading Off
Detroit Tigers Offseason Evaluation
By Joe Underhill
For many teams, the offseason addition of new players is still well underway, with a number of star level players still looking for a home. As of this writing, Japanese phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still deciding where and for how long he wants to sign, and Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Matt Chapman are all still looking for their new home. However, for the Detroit Tigers, the major free agent shopping is probably over.
The Tigers have made four major additions to their expected 26-man roster. Let’s take a look at these additions and what it means for the 2024 Tigers.
Traded Blake Holub to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mark Canha.
Holub put together a solid season at High-A West Michigan and at Double-A Erie in 2023 pitching to a combined 3.03 ERA across 65 1/3 innings. For the Tigers, Canha brings in a veteran presence and a right-handed bat that was essentially missing from the Tigers’ 2023 outfield. Since 2018, Canha has averaged an OPS+ of 120 while slashing .255/.364/.426. He doesn’t have huge power, but he is a professional hitter and one the Tigers need with a group of young hitters working to find their way in the Majors.
This likely signals that Matt Vierling will see his playing time at third base increase dramatically in 2024. The Tigers have a crowded outfield if everyone is healthy. The starting outfield will likely be Parker Meadows in center field, with Riley Greene playing left field and Canha in right field. That leaves Akil Baddoo and Kerry Carpenter looking for at-bats. Carpenter was one of the Tigers’ best hitters in 2023, so he’ll probably split time between right with Canha and designated hitter. While it's possible Baddoo could join a rotation with Greene and Meadows in left and center, it would not be shocking to see a trade happen.
Signed Kenta Maeda to a two-year, $24 million contract. Signed Jack Flaherty to a one-year, $14 million contract.
Maeda was the first rotation upgrade for the Tigers after losing Eduardo Rodriguez to free agency. He had a strong finish to his season, posting a 3.79 ERA across 71 1/3 innings after a stint on the injured list. Maeda fits in well as a veteran mid-rotation starter on a Detroit team that is going to have a lot of youth in 2024. The Tigers have their ace in Tarik Skubal, but everyone else is either returning from injury or a young player looking to establish themselves. The contract is a good one for Detroit, leaving them plenty of room to maneuver.
Flaherty is a reclamation project for the Tigers’ pitching staff. In 2019, he looked like he was primed to be a front-of-the-rotation ace, finishing fourth in the National League Cy Young voting. However, injuries and ineffectiveness have sabotaged him since that season. His overall fastball velocity has dropped about one mph since 2019, but the biggest issue has seemed to be his control and shape on his slider. Since 2019, he has added a cutter and increased his usage of his curve. The Tigers are hoping they will be able to unlock some consistency with Flaherty like they did last year with Michael Lorenzen.
These two signings pretty well set Detroit’s Opening Day rotation. Barring any other surprises, the Tigers will start the year with Skubal, Maeda, Casey Mize, Matt Manning, and Flaherty as the opening five, with youngsters Joey Wentz, Rease Olson, Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Alex Faedo vying for a spot if there are any injury setbacks (Mize/Manning) to start the year and as fill-ins for the inevitable injuries and innings management that will happen throughout the season.
Signed Andrew Chafin to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with a team option and $1.5 million in incentives.
Chafin returns to the Tigers after a year spent between Arizona and Milwaukee. He was not able to recapture the success he had with the Tigers in 2022, when he pitched to a 2.83 ERA over 57 1/3 innings. Chafin is a good candidate to return to his previous effectiveness and gives the Tigers a solid lefty option to go along with Alex Lange and Jason Foley at end of games.
In the long haul, the Tigers will probably add a few more bullpen arms on Minor League deals, but this probably ends the significant Major League additions to the pitching staff and the MLB roster overall.
The other major takeaway from the Tigers’ offseason moves is second base will be an open competition between Colt Keith and Andy Ibáñez, and third will be a competition between Vierling, Nick Maton and Ryan Kreidler. Zach McKinstry will likely slot in as the primary utility guy, and the loser(s) from the second and third-base competitions will likely slot into the second utility spot.
The moves the Tigers have made will make 2024 a critical year for the young guys to demonstrate that they belong at the core of the team’s rebuild.
Joe Underhill is a diehard baseball fan and fan of the city of Detroit. Joe currently writes for www.tigstown.com. You can follow Joe on Twitter @TransplantedDet.