The Tigers finished 2018 with the same record as they did in '17. Detroit heads into the offseason with much the same goals as last winter: Try to accumulate prospects while finding players to fill the gap in the big leagues until those young players arrive to the show.
As general manager Al Avila embarks on meetings with scouts, coaches and evaluators, though, he's looking at a rebuilding project that took its first steps in 2018 and a farm system stocked with better talent now than a year ago. The direction is set. Now, his challenge is to accelerate the momentum.
"What you're looking at is making progress, which I feel we did," Avila said Saturday. "We've got more players in the system. We've upgraded our Minor League system, going from like the bottom of the pile to a little bit better than middle of the pack -- and really, quite frankly, we feel we have even better than that. At the Major League level, [we have] a team that was very competitive, that very easily could've won a few more games getting a break here and there on some of these one-run games. So there's a lot of reasons why you can say we had a successful season -- other than, of course, the wins and losses."
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Here are five questions facing the Tigers this offseason:
1. Will Nicholas Castellanos be a trade piece, or will the Tigers think about a contract extension?
The Tigers are at a crossroads with Castellanos, who's on track to be eligible for free agency after next season. If Detroit decides he's not part of the long-term plan, or if the club decides the prospects he could draw in a trade are more valuable, the Tigers have this offseason or next summer to try to trade him. He drew limited interest last offseason during his transition from third base to right field, but that was before he posted American League top-10 numbers in terms of batting average (.298), hits (185), doubles (46), total bases (310), extra-base hits (74) and Win Probability Added (3.4).
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If the Tigers look at those numbers in Castellanos' age-26 season and decide he could be part of the long-term plan in Detroit, now is the time to explore a contract extension. With Detroit low on impact hitters in its farm system, there's a case to be made that Castellanos is a fit.
"It's something we have to figure out: Will he be here when we're ready to contend for the playoffs? That's the big question," Avila said. "If you could tell me in the next couple of years we're going to be a team that's going to the postseason, then it'd be easy to answer that and keep Nick around. He's a great hitter. But right now, we're trying to assess how that could fit, if that could fit."
2. What other trade pieces do the Tigers have to dangle for prospects?
Unlike last offseason, when the Tigers traded Ian Kinsler and listened to offers for Michael Fulmer, there's comparatively little for the Tigers to deal in their quest to accumulate prospects for their rebuild. Fulmer's trade value has dropped precipitously, after a season that began with struggles and ended with knee surgery. He also is eligible for arbitration this offseason. Matthew Boyd could draw interest after establishing himself as a full-time Major League starter this season, but his September struggles could concern some clubs. Shane Greene drew little interest at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and he had an up-and-down finish to the season.
"That's what we meet about in October with our scouts," Avila said. "Is there another club out there that has an interest in Boyd that can fit one of our needs? That's the question. And if there is, it's a no-brainer. But if there isn't, Matt Boyd is one of our pitchers. And that's the same, really, with everybody on the club. All you're trying to do is make your club better a little bit at a time. You can't look at every trade as the next big trade. It doesn't work that way."

3. Who will play shortstop and second base next year?
Jose Iglesias is a free agent this offseason, and while Avila hasn't ruled out a return, he intends to explore the market for someone to fill their shortstop position next year until prospect Willi Castro -- the Tigers' No. 10 prospect according to MLB Pipeline who was acquired from Cleveland in the Leonys Martin trade -- is ready for the big leagues. Dawel Lugo is closer to ready at second base, having spent September in the big leagues, but the Tigers will also explore the available options at that position to see if someone can fill the job while giving Lugo more time at Triple-A Toledo.
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"If we're able to find the right fit at shortstop and second base, I would say that yeah, that would be something that we would be looking at," Avila said. "I don't know if we're going to be able to sign both, but at least we'll try to sign one."

4. Will James McCann be back?
While the Tigers are down to just Jose Cabrera and Jordan Zimmermann for long-term contracts, they have nearly a dozen potential arbitration cases, a large number for a team in the early stages of a rebuild. Among the players whose futures will be debated is McCann, who posted the lowest OPS of his career this year to temper the enthusiasm over his defensive rebound. The Tigers could opt to platoon Grayson Greiner with a veteran stopgap until Jake Rogers, the Tigers' No. 12 prospect, arrives, or they could opt for at least one more year of McCann to bridge the gap.
"I think there's more potential in there," Avila said, "but he's getting to that point now where [he's] getting close to free agency and starting to make a little bit more money, so we have to make a tough decision on him. And we have not made any decisions yet, but he's one guy that we have to look at and determine: Do we bring him back or not?"
5. Who will fill out the rotation until the top prospects begin to arrive?
Boyd's emergence and Daniel Norris' encouraging finish give the Tigers the makings of a stable rotation if Fulmer recovers as expected and Zimmermann can stay healthy and eat innings. Still, Avila could opt for a short-term signing or two, hoping to replicate the success they enjoyed with Mike Fiers' brief stay and his trade return. Avila generally sides on accumulating pitching depth, but he could also have what he needs right now if he decides Beau Burrows, Detroit's No. 5 prospect, isn't far off from arriving at some point next year.