Report: Detroit Tigers Could Emerge as a Willson Contreras Suitor
The free agency saga for Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will be an interesting one to follow, and a report from MLB Network's Jon Morosi added a wrinkle to the situation. Morosi says that the Detroit Tigers will be interested in pursuing Contreras, reuniting him with his former teammate Javier Baez.
There is a front-office connection for the Tigers, as Detroit's president of baseball operations Scott Harris worked within the Cubs organization from 2012 to 2019, adding some familiarity within the organization and making a signing seem more feasible.
Contreras would also be an impact bat for a team desperately needing it. Detroit finished with a league-worst 81 wRC+ as a team. The 30-year-old had a wRC+ of 132 in 2022, which would've been the best mark for any Tigers hitter. The Venezuela native would also fill a hole for Detroit at the catcher and designated hitter positions.
Tucker Barnhart, one of the Tigers' primary catchers in 2022, had a wRC+ of just 63 in 94 games. Contreras, while not a stellar defender, would provide a big boost offensively when starting in place of Eric Haase at the backstop position, or could slot in as the primary designated hitter option.
Either way, Contreras makes a ton of sense for Detroit, and it's easy to see why the Tigers would be interested.
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