Detroit Tigers Rumors: Team Still Looking At New Options For Center Fielder
Detroit Tigers rumors have the team in the market for a new center fielder. Cameron Maybin got traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Victor Alcantara, leaving a gap in center field and in the batting order. A report by MLB analyst Anthony Fenech states that the Tigers are now looking for a “stop-gap” option who will sign for a very low salary. It means the team wants to spend around $2 million in free agency or through a trade to acquire a very affordable outfielder.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Detroit Tigers are pushing hard to cut salary for the 2017 MLB season. The team has underperformed for the amount of money that the front office has sunk into the roster, and every indication is that the Tigers have begun instituting some cost-cutting measures. Veterans like Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, and J.D. Martinez have also surfaced as candidates to be traded so that the team can cut even more money from the payroll. Dealing fan favorites could come with consequences in regard to ticket sales.
The Detroit Tigers still several options on the 25-man roster who could take over as the starting center fielder. Anthony Gose and Tyler Collins are both out of Minor League options, meaning they have to finish Spring Training on the active roster or get exposed to waivers. It’s possible that both players could get traded after being designated for assignment, but the team would have to figure out possible replacements on the active roster. A way to save additional funds would be to simply keep both players.
During the 2016 MLB season, neither Anthony Gose or Tyler Collins were impressive at the plate. Gose had 101 plate appearances over 30 games, posting six extra base hits, 11 runs scored, seven RBIs, a 0.209 batting average, and a 0.628 OPS. Collins had 151 plate appearances over 56 games, posting nine extra base hits, 14 runs scored, 15 RBIs, a 0.235 batting average, and a 0.687 OPS. None of those numbers would give Tigers fans a lot of hope for improvement at the plate during 2017.
Some players who have been linked to Detroit Tigers rumors as a possible answer in center field include Austin Jackson, Peter Bourjos, Michael Bourn, Coco Crisp, and Desmond Jennings. Lesser options who are available for an even lower salary are Drew Stubbs, Sam Fuld, Will Venable, and Drew Stubbs. The Tigers would have to weigh Gose and Collins against that lower tier, with many of those options likely to sign Minor League contracts with Spring Training invites included in them. Several other center fielders are free agents but will cost more than $2 million to sign.
Besides simply bringing back Gose or Collins, the simplest option in free agency might just be a familiar name. If the Tigers can convince Austin Jackson to sign a one-year deal worth $2 million or less, then he could be the perfect addition to the team (again). Jackson played nearly five years with the Tigers before getting traded to the Seattle Mariners during the 2014 MLB season. Jackson was originally acquired from the New York Yankees as a key piece of the deal for star outfielder Curtis Granderson. The Tigers also got Max Scherzer from the Arizona Diamondbacks in that trade.
Austin Jackson played 670 games for the Tigers, with most of them as the starting center fielder for the team. He led the league in triples twice, stole more than 20 bases three times, and remained an important cog on offense and defense before getting traded to the Mariners. The Mariners would then trade him to the Chicago Cubs during the 2015 MLB season before he would enter free agency.
Last season, Jackson made $5 million with the Chicago White Sox but struggled with consistency at the plate. With the latest Detroit Tigers rumors of the team looking to add a center fielder, maybe he would be willing to sign an affordable contract in the hopes of proving he deserves a long-term deal during the next MLB off-season.
[Featured Image by Leon Halip/Getty Images]
