Detroit Tigers Boss Charts Path to Improve Team After Free Agency Miss

If the Detroit Tigers are going to make any remaining significant moves before opening day, they'll likely happen this way.

Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris watches warm up before Game 2 of ALDS at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After what was a long and admirable push from the Detroit Tigers to land Alex Bregman, their efforts fell short despite what was a more than fair long-term offer.

At the end of the day, there's not much that can - or should - be done if a player's heart isn't in it and they ultimately want to play elsewhere.

Scott Harris, the team's president of baseball operations, said as much on Friday during media availability at spring training, expressing optimism in what's already in the building and doubling down on the fact the Tigers did all they could in order to land the star third baseman.

Detroit still has a need for a right-handed batter, a need they may or may not address at this point. But if they do decide to make a move in that area, it likely isn't going to come from free agency and would instead be a trade.

"I don’t think there’s going to be one coming through free agency," Harris said when asked about another right-handed bat via Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. "We’re going to explore trade opportunities, but we feel really good about the group we have and we think it’s a group that’s going to continue to get better."

If Harris is being truthful in saying there will be no right-handed bat coming in through free agency, this would essentially dispel ideas kicked around such as a reunion with J.D. Martinez or a one-year deal for veteran infielder Justin Turner.

Given the fact that the team still appears open to a trade, it's safe to assume Tigers are still involved in the trade market for Nolan Arenado, but Arenado's full no-trade clause will make that difficult.

After already turning down a deal earlier this offseason which would have seen him replace Bregman for the Houston Astros, Arenado clearly has a narrow list of teams he'd be willing to accept a trade to, a list Detroit is likely not currently on.

With that being said, if the 10-time Gold Glove winner is facing the prospect of staying with a rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals team versus going to the Motor City, things likely may change on his end.

Even if it isn't Arenado, the Tigers could still look to make a move for someone else, but it's probably more likely than not that there's no blockbuster in the works and what you see is what you get currently with Detroit - at least at the beginning of the year.

By most accounts in the building however, what they see already is pretty special.