The Tigers are still on the lookout for a center field stopgap, tweets Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, but their preference is to add a low-cost option and spend around $2MM to fill the vacancy. Fenech further notes that the Tigers have opportunities to trade for a center fielder that fits that mold, but adding an affordable veteran via free agency is seemingly the likelier course of action.
Detroit’s in-house candidates in center field include the likes of Tyler Collins and Anthony Gose, each of whom is out of minor league options and will need to break camp with the team or be exposed to waivers. JaCoby Jones represents a younger alternative that has drawn some praise from the organization, but the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t played much center field in the pros. He also hit just .243/.309/.356 in 324 plate appearances at Triple-A last year, so while the Tigers may view him as an option down the line, there’s certainly a case that he could use more development time.
The vast number of corner bats and relievers left on the market have generated more attention than the remaining center-field capable bats, but Detroit GM Al Avila should have plenty options to choose from if his hope is to add a cheap center fielder to handle the position on Opening Day. While some of these players figure to command more than $2MM, that’s not characterized as any sort of hard cap by Fenech, and the sheer number of available assets relative to the number of teams seeking this type of player may suppress salaries.
All that said, here’s a look at some of the available names that could yet fit the bill in Detroit (listed alphabetically, as this isn’t intended to be a ranking of any sort)…
- Peter Bourjos: Long considered one of the game’s premier defenders, Bourjos’ defensive ratings have taken a hit following offseason hip surgery following the 2014 campaign. He’s never recreated his brilliant 2011 season — .271/.327/.438 with 12 homers, 22 steals and elite glovework in center — but Bourjos fits the bill as a cost-efficient stopgap that could compete for the regular center field job in Spring Training and act as a fourth outfielder even if he loses out on the gig. Bourjos hit .251/.292/.389 in 383 plate appearances with the Phillies last year and enjoyed a torrid June before suffering a July shoulder injury.
- Michael Bourn: The 34-year-old isn’t the elite defender and baserunner that he once was, but he still contributed positive value on the bases in addition to a +4 DRS rating in 2016 (UZR had him a tick below average). Bourn .264/.314/.371 with six homers and 15 steals between the D-backs and Orioles last year, and he’d give the Tigers a left-handed bat to pair with a heavily right-leaning lineup. Then again, with Collins swinging from the left side, a righty bat may be actually be preferable for the Tigers based solely on matchup purposes.
- Coco Crisp: To be clear, Crisp has spent much more time in left field than in center over the past two seasons, and with good reason, as his once-excellent defensive ratings have taken a steep nosedive as Crisp has advanced into his upper 30s. The 37-year-old switch-hitter batted .231/.302/.397 between Oakland and Cleveland last season but still showed a blend of pop and speed, hitting 13 homers and swiping 10 bags.
- Austin Jackson: No player on the free-agent market is more familiar to the Tigers than Jackson, who starred in Detroit from 2010-14 before somewhat surprisingly being shipped to the Mariners in 2014’s three-team David Price trade. Jackson’s bat has been mostly anemic since that swap (.255/.302/.345), and he ended last season on the shelf after suffering a knee injury that required surgery. That may call into question how capable Jackson is of manning center field. But, Jackson won’t turn 30 years old until Feb. 1, and he made just $5MM with the White Sox last year. A reduced salary seems likely, and there’s a bit of upside here to go along with the obvious familiarity.
- Desmond Jennings: Even though he’s seven years younger than Crisp, Jennings comes with similar question marks surrounding his ability to handle center field. The 30-year-old once looked like a star in the making, but his career has been slowed in recent years by a cavalcade of knee and hamstring issues. Jennings had arthroscopic surgery on his knee in 2015 and has also had separate DL stints for a bruised knee and a knee contusion since going under the knife. He’s batted just .222/.295/.347 in 93 games/333 plate appearances in the past two seasons. Like Jackson, he’s still relatively young and is only a couple years removed from being a solid everyday contributor.
There are at least two other hypothetical options in Colby Rasmus and Angel Pagan, though neither spent much time in center in 2016 and it seems likely that they’ll command a good bit more than Fenech’s suggested price range (possibly, over a multi-year term). Detroit would likely need to jettison salary elsewhere in order to make a play for either outfielder.
Additionally, there are a number of veterans that figure to sign minor league deals and could potentially be options for the Tigers. (Although any of the above players could certainly need to settle for a minors pact as well, depending on  how the market plays out.) Players like Will Venable, Sam Fuld, Craig Gentry and Drew Stubbs all have recent center field experience that could be of appeal to Detroit.
I hate it but Collins will win the job unless we bring in Bourjos (which I hope they do) This will give Jones time to develop in Triple A, put up a reasonable slash then take over for Collins after he (hopefully and foreseeabily) fails to produce.
I still don’t get why Maybin wasn’t worth the $9MM.
I watched Maybin for years in SD, he’s not worth 9 million.
but he had a really good year with the tigers in 2016 before being injured so I think he would be worth it
he had a really good year in Detroit before getting Injured
You mean after being injured at the start of the season, and then being injured again at the end. In between, he did hit well at home, but he played lackluster defense. With LF and RF being covered by Jup and JD, they need someone to catch the ball.
He had a great year in Atlanta
No rave reviews for Maybin’s time in San Diego.
Injuries for one. Defense for another. He had an amazing offensive year and was a great player last season. Also his salary $9 mill is a lot considering that Alex Avila and $2 mill had been purportedly too rich for the Tigers at one point.
Angels actually did great finding a platoon partner with him
Maybin has those career reverse splits, so I don’t think he’s the ideal platoon partner.
Maybin will start and revere is the 4th outfielder
Avila wasn’t very good.
While Rasmus didn’t play center a lot in 16 he actually did have good defensive ratings so he could be an option if he comes cheap enough
Hes one of the Tigers fans least favorite players for taking out Omar Infante a few years back.
Tiger Fans hardly remember Omar Infante, let alone that incident. That would not be the problem. His mediocre play would be the problem.
No we remember and we dislike Colby Rasmus
He does not draw rave reviews from Tigers fans.
Or from former teammates !!
Hard to envision Rasmus’ market disappearing to the point where he can only get 1/$2 million from the Tigers.
Another option: Gregor Blanco.
Gregor Blanco was head and shoulders better than Angel Pagan over the life of Angel Pagan’s 4 year deal with the Giants.
None of these options seem like they would be any better than Gose/Collins. Better off just letting those two fight it out.
If you’re only willing to spend $2 mil on some retread bum, why not just stick with Gose until Jones is deemed to be ready? I know Gose is awful but so are all of those names listed. Might as well stick with what you have and spend that money on a pen arm.
after his fight with Lloyd last year in Toledo, and now him becoming the Hitting Coach, I’m sure the front office is more interested in keeping Collins before Gose. Sad, but true.
I wouldn’t go as far as that. The Tigers are using a 40 man spot on Gose, and I assume there is a reason for that. Further, the Tigers had to send Rondon home during the season in 2015 for personal issues, and he is back now and considered a big part of the bullpen. If Gose shows well in ST and if the Tigers haven’t addressed the position with a free agent or trade, then I see no reason he wouldn’t be given a shot at winning the job. He’s left handed, a decent defender and okay on the bases… pretty much everything the Tigers are looking for.
I just want to point out that the Tigers have three, yes THREE, outfielders that are marginal players, bat left handed, and are all out of options (meaning sending them to AAA will mean they would need to pass through waivers). I’m referring to Collins, Gose, and Steven Moya.
Moya is a corner OF for sure, but he has not got much MLB experience and is the youngest of the three. He also has shown the more power with the bat than the others in his brief time up. Unless something happens, I think he has the clearest shot to the 25.
I’d prefer to see both Collins + Gose gone as they both had public incidents last year, neither have shown that well with the bat, and are both close to the same (Collins a little more power and Gose a little more speed). It will be a fight for one to get some time in CF either with an outside option or UT Andrew Romine could see some time out there in a platoon if he had to.
Until they trade JD (doubtful), at least one of these guys will be on the waiver wire.
I was in the dugout for the Gose/Lloyd fight (as a batboy). Knowing Lloyd and his personality, if Gose is in Detroit, Lloyd will walk out on the Tigers.
The problem is that the major league roster is fairly loaded and contention worthy. Its not like they are in rebuild, writing this season off. I’m still expecting a trade during spring training. Some team will have an up and coming prospect force their way into the OF picture, and the Tigers will be able to trade for a Jankowski, Pham, Pompey, Hicks or some such similar player.
They did bring Alex Presley in on a ST invite, but not that significant as he will probably end up being depth again.
I think AA needs a glove first guy (JD + JU don’t rate that well in the corners) with enough speed to steal some bases late in games (Maybin, Rajai, and AJax were all able to do this to some extent). This is why I like Bourjos here the most, and Bourn a little bit though more so for the bat than the speed. I’d also consider Alejandro De Aza at $1M as I’m unsure if he can still handle CF.
Bourjos will attract other suitors, so if he is your target you gotta act a little bit quicker on him than the others. The rest of the group will be hanging out there for a while IMO (late Feb.).
Bourjos, with his hip problem, may not be the defensive player the Tigers are looking for. I like Craig Gentry. Similar type player with a solid glove. Fuld would be a strong defense first option. I wouldn’t mind him, either. Both offer speed with the Glove.
Trade everyone for Trout.
I’m thinking AA will go with familiarity and sign Austin Jackson. He plays the game the right way and was a fan favorite. Desmond Jennings could be a sleeper for Comeback player of the year. This kid was a complete player before being riddled by injuries. Would like to think he would be worth a one year shot with someone.
I agree
Me too
I feel pretty strongly that they will lean towards a LHB, given the only other non-RHB in the lineup is VMart. That to me rules out AJax, Jennings, Bourjos, etc. That’s why I think they will look to Blanco, Bourn, Pagan, or maybe Rasmus if his price somehow falls into their range. I disagree with Steve Adams in that Pagan at 35 years of age is likely to land any kind of great contract, although he may get more than what the Tigers can offer. And anyone they sign would just replace Collins/Gose, and probably be in a platoon with JaCoby Jones before the end of the season. But you can’t really platoon Jones with a RHB, so again, all signs point to signing a LHB.
I keep beating this dead horse, but trade for Mallex Smith. Young, fast, left-handed and can play all 3 outfield positions. He batted .239, but hit over 300 the final month he was healthy before breaking his wrist after getting hit by a pitch. Right now he’s either the Braves 4th outfielder or back in the minors. He was batting leadoff before getting hurt. He’s a diamond in the rough. A great pickup, if the tigers could get him.
You just described why mallex smith is a 4th ofer and then want him to start for the tigers?
What I’m saying is he shouldn’t be a 4th outfielder. If he had not of gotten hurt last year, he would have remained the starter and leadoff hitter.
he had a wrc+ of 84 and slightly above average defense. That’s pretty much the definition of a 4th of.
He’s pretty young to slide into the 4th outfielder category, I think he has the tools to put it all together and be a serviceable OF in the bigs
His comment looks like it was in response to a cheap outfield solution. They may elect to spend nothing on a player if they deem the production value won’t be that far off from the plethora of 2 million dollar options. The trick is can they or can any team spot which one of these guys will have a surprisingly decent year because majority of the available guys have some major flaws
i assume the braves aren’t just going to give him away, so he wont really be cheap.
I didn’t indicate he would cheap in terms of getting him in a trade. But a year from now, many on this board will say, why didn’t we trade for him. Like I said, if he didn’t get hurt last year, he would be untouchable. He’s young, too young for so many to question if his ceiling is that of a 4th outfielder. I believe it is a mlb regular and possible all-star. That’s just my belief. Take for what it’s worth.
What do you think the Tigers have that would interest the Braves for Mallex Smith? Out of option players, or pending FA’s aren’t going to do it. They might like Kinsler for this year, but I wouldn’t do that, and he would be blocking Albies next year..
If they want really cheap veterans Nolan Reimold from the Os is a free agent. He always looked promising until he got injured badly giving 100% on the field. He looks finally healthy but has not had everyday at bats the last couple years as the Os were competing. For probably a minor league deal they could give him a look in spring. For a minimum deal he could be a valuable 350 at bats
He’s not really a CF.
Valid
Out of curiosity, at this point in their career, who would you rather have manning CF everyday: Jennings or Jackson?
Who do you think is better defensively? (Actual questions)
I’d imagine that Jackson is the better defender even with last year’s knee injury (though no one can know for sure until he gets back on the field). Tampa Bay started playing Jennings in left field two years ago, and he’s had 3-4 leg-related injuries in the past few years.
Anthony Gose doesn’t get rave reviews on his attitude
Or anything he does on the baseball field
It’s going to be a long disappointing season. If those are the options I’d try out Jennings. He is still young enough to flash some potential.
OK- Maybin’s $9M put them not just over the luxury tax line, but in the additional penalty area of the luxury tax, so they would have been paying essentially about $16M for Maybin. so, buh-bye. He played well, but he may be the most snake-bitten injury prone guy in the game. No way he plays a full season. Never has in 10 years…
Collins and Gose are awful. Collins isn’t capable of playing CF. Gose isn’t capable of playing MLB. Done and done.
The LH hitter issue is for real, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. Maybin was a righty…so that’s not going to influence me.
Blanco hit 224 last year with diminished speed and range. Never had any pop, weak contact. -6 Runs defensively. Nope, no way.
Jennings and AJax are dart throwso n guys who aren’t anything like “who they were”…if Jennings ever was. Pass.
Trade for Michael Taylor. Yeah, his hit tool is sketchy, but his D is legit and he has plenty pf speed and good pop. He reminds me of Maybin, really, at that age (25). A little Justin Wilson may get the deal done, as they have Eaton in CF now and Turner to back up, plus Goodwin as well. They need pen arms….nice match. The Tigers have no one even near ready from the farm…like maybe 2020 for a CF. so you get Taylor’s controllable years and hopefully his hit tool comes up to league average or so…
I like the idea of Taylor for the Tigers quite a bit, and I do think there’s some kind of match there with some of the bullpen arms the Tigers might be able to offer. I’d have gone into trade scenarios more in the post above were it not for the fact that Fenech — who is obviously quite plugged in with the team — characterized the trade market as quite a bit less likely.
Michael Taylor, Mallex Smith, Aaron Hicks, Trayce Thompson… there are controllable options in center field that the Tigers could realistically pursue in trade scenarios, though that list is considerably more longer and more speculative than the free-agent options available to them.
The off- season is not over. There’s not a single name mentioned above I care to see in CF in Detroit.
Given the Choices in FA, I give you the Tigers 2017 Centerfielder, Andrew Romine! LOL
Consider a trade between the Tigers and Braves (where Detroit received Cameron Maybin in an earlier deal) where The Tigers get Mallex Smith-First Year Centerfielder, with his 80 speed and Jace Peterson, a lefty hitting 3B to platoon for Jacoby Jones who needs another year in the minors and Joe Jimenez or Christian Stewart neither of whom will help Detroit this year. The Tigers fill the needs without spending the two million.
I think the Tigers will be severely disappointed if Joe Jimenez doesn’t help them this season. He tore through three minor league levels and was sharp in Triple-A to close out the year. I’d imagine he has a chance to break camp with the team and could be up by May or June even if he opens the year in the Minors.
I do like the notion of a Mallex Smith trade for them, though, and I almost made a quick mention of it in the post. But, the Braves love Mallex, and they’d ask for more than Jones (a lesser prospect) and one of Jimenez/Stewart.
Realistically, Smith is the kind of player the Tigers could target if they were to move someone like Kinsler to Atlanta, but I don’t think the Braves would move Smith without definitively improving their 2017 and 2018 rosters. And they certainly wouldn’t trade both Smith and Peterson in that type of scenario.
Not that I want to lose him but the Tigers might be wise to see what Preller is asking for Travis Jankowski.
This kid is an elite defender and has elite basestealing skills.
Good enough on base skills and I still believe he will improve with the bat with regular playing time.
If it weren’t for Margot he would be our everyday center fielding going forward.
Young,cheap and controllable unlike those listed.
I’m a Padres/Tigers fan so if any team was going to take Travis from us I would want it to be the TIgers.
m.mlb.com/video/topic/8743756/v1035236083/sd-pit-j…
Tigers? What about an affordable CF option for the Mets? I wouldn’t mind Bourn, even though he’s a little…um…beyond the ol’ hill. Still a better CF and leadoff option than we have. Grandy (much as I love him) can’t really do either anymore.