Aggressive Tigers could stay busy at Winter Meetings
After an eventful start to the offseason, Detroit remains in search of upgrades
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Let the Tigers' holiday shopping begin.
One of the most aggressive teams in baseball so far this offseason -- having traded All-Star Prince Fielder and postseason starter Doug Fister, the Tigers now head to the forum where they have traditionally been their busiest. With an outfield spot left to address, one top outfielder left on the free-agent market and others rumored to be available in trade market, the Tigers are set to be in the conversation for a few more days, certainly until Shin-Soo Choo finds a home or his market becomes more clear.
At the pace of moves already this offseason, these Winter Meetings have the potential to provide yet another tinkering to a Tigers team that already has a vastly different look from the team that lost to the Red Sox in the ALCS a month and a half ago.
The last time the Tigers had this vast of an offseason readjustment, they saved their biggest move for the Winter Meetings. That was 2009, the year they pulled off the three-team trade that netted Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson and others for Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson. Then, like now, team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski talked about the negative reaction of trading known players for unknowns.
If the Tigers make a move here, it probably won't be nearly as vast, and it'll probably bring in a known player. It could still end up being the key to prepping this roster for a run at a fourth consecutive AL Central title and a World Series bid.
Suffice it to say, it's a week worth following the Tigers. And MLB.com will be tracking them each day from the Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort. Breaking news can happen at any time, and it'll be covered here. Daily roundups will cover the latest buzz circulating the hotel lobby and the daily quotes from Dombrowski. They will chronicle not just what's going on this week, but how the moves and non-moves impact the team for next season and beyond.
It's also a week when managers gather and address the media, which means new Tigers hire Brad Ausmus will have his first session with national reporters since taking the job last month. His answers Wednesday afternoon should provide a little more of a glimpse into what kind of manager he'll be, and how he plans to put this reconfigured roster to work.
What will the Tigers do this week? What should they do? Feel free to comment, and stay tuned.