Tigers foresee ‘competition’ at 3B, among pitchers this spring
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pitching is the priority for the Detroit Tigers. Another starting pitcher and a left-handed reliever are the biggest needs for the remainder of the offseason, all while keeping an open mind to trade possibilities.
Regardless of the exact moves, the Tigers are counting on competition in spring training from infielders on the fringes of the roster and pitchers stuck in between the roles of starting and relieving.
“We’re heading towards a really competitive camp in Lakeland, which is a great thing for the organization,” said Scott Harris, secondyear president of baseball operations. “I hope there are opportunities to grab playing time for these players, and I hope they come in very motivated to make the decisions for us. It’s going to be a very competitive camp, and I think that’s a really good thing.”
Matt Vierling, acquired last offseason in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, is positioned to be the frontrunner at third base, with Andy Ibáñez factoring in at both third base and second base. Infield prospect Colt Keith is expected to play second base.
It’s worth mentioning that Harris isn’t guaranteeing Keith, or outfield prospect JustynHenry Malloy, a spot on the 2024 Opening Day roster.
“They have to actively earn a spot on the roster,” Harris said. “There are going to be a lot of players that are vying for spots on our Opening Day roster, and I think it’s going to bring the best out of these players.”
Keith, 22, hit .306 with 27 home runs, 60 walks and 121 strikeouts over 126 games for Double-A Erie (59 games) and Triple-A Toledo (67 games). Malloy, 23, hit .277 with 23 home runs, 110 walks and 152 strikeouts over 135 games for Triple-A Toledo.
“I am excited to see them with all of this attention on them,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s one thing to be on a prospect list. It’s another to be a featured part of a competition, trying to make a major-league roster for the first time.”
After Vierling, Ibáñez and Keith, the competition for the final couple of spots on the roster should come down to a flurry of unproven infielders: Zach McKinstry, Nick Maton, Ryan Kreidler, Tyler Nevin and Andre Lipcius.
McKinstry, Maton and Nevin don’t have any minor-league options remaining. McKinstry, Maton and Kreidler — but not Nevin and Lipcius — are capable of filling in at shortstop whenever Javier Báez isn’t in the starting lineup.
All of those players will look to third base for their opportunities, either aiming to unseat Vierling from his presumed starting role at the hot corner or get first dibs at playing time when Vierling isn’t in the lineup.
“I think it’s OK in December not to know,” Hinch said. “As I look around the field, that’s where the players are going to look and see if they can grab a couple of at-bats. That would be my expectation.”
The starting rotation, as currently constructed, features six potential pitchers for Opening Day: left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-handers Kenta Maeda, Reese Olson, Casey Mize, Matt Manning and Sawyer GipsonLong.
There are multiple versatile pitchers on the 40-man roster under consideration for roles as starters or relievers: Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Joey Wentz, Mason Englert and prospect Wilmer Flores.
Those pitchers will report to spring training
as starters but could fill Triple-A Toledo’s rotation or Detroit’s bullpen. Brieske, for example, is expected to pitch out of the bullpen in a multi-inning role for the Tigers.
“Just about all of those guys are going to come to camp as starters,” Harris said, “and then we’re going to see how to put together the best team possible.”
Austin Meadows
The Tigers non-tendered outfielder Austin Meadows in mid-November, forcing him into free agency. At the time, Meadows was undecided about continuing his baseball career after missing most of the last two seasons with anxiety.
“We prioritized him as a human being and the work that he’s doing on himself right now,” Harris said. “Austin knows how I feel about him. He knows how the organization feels about him.”
Returning to baseball, in any capacity, could mean returning to the Tigers. His brother, Parker Meadows, is slated to be the starting center fielder in 2024.
“When we get to a point in which he wants to talk about what comes next in his baseball life, we’ll be ready to have that conversation,” Harris said. “I think the priority right now is Austin and his family, and then if we get past that, we can talk about baseball stuff.”
For one final time
Right-hander Spencer Turnbull, who received a full year of service time by reversing two options to the minor leagues with a pair of injuries, was non-tendered in mid-November.
Harris said service time implications had “no impact” on the non-tender decision.
“We got to a point where we realized both sides needed a fresh start,” Harris said, “so the tender decision was the mechanism by which we created a fresh start for both sides.”
Got options?
Faedo has a fourth option year for the 2024 season, which means the Tigers can shuffle the right-hander between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo without removing him from the 40-man roster and putting him on waivers.
Most players have three option years.
The Tigers have nine players without any options remaining on the 40-man roster, but only five of them appear to be on the roster bubble: McKinstry, Maton, Nevin, Joey Wentz and Miguel Díaz.
Extensions
The Milwaukee Brewers signed 19-year-old outfield prospect Jackson Chourio, who hasn’t played more than six games above the Double-A level, to an eight-year, $82 million contract extension.
The historic Choruio extension, which became official Monday, sparked another extension question directed toward Harris, the second inquiry since the end of the 2023 season. The same question resulted in the same answer.
“We are always open to it,” Harris said Monday. “I’m never going to comment on it until it’s done, for obvious reasons. It just creates all kinds of issues internally. You want to be in a position where you have young players that are deserving of extensions. I think we are moving towards that.”
Extensions could be more likely after the 2024 campaign.