Four Former Tigers Named Franchise's All-Time Mount Rushmore Free Agents
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The Detroit Tigers entered the offseason with plans to make some moves, but they've missed out on several opportunities.
Free agents are still floating around on the market, but it doesn't look like the Tigers are feeling ambitious enough to make waves anytime soon. Detroit isn't typically known for landing top free agents, so this doesn't come as a major surprise, although it is frustrating.
Despite their general lack of glamorous free agent signings, there have been a few valuable players they've landed over the years. According to Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, four stars stand out the most.
Ivan Rodríguez
After kicking off his MLB career with the Texas Rangers, catcher Ivan Rodríguez eventually found his way to what was formerly named the Florida Marlins for one season before signing with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent on Feb. 2, 2004, where he remained for five seasons.
While with the Tigers, he logged a .298/.328/.449 with a .777 OPS. Along the way, he recorded 62 home runs and 300 RBIs across 611 games. In 2017, "Pudge" was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in commemoration of his illustrious career.
Darrell Evans
Infielder Darrell Evans was just one season short of finishing his career in Detroit, ultimately signing with the Atlanta Braves in 1988 to wrap up his career. However, he signed with the Tigers as a free agent on Dec. 17, 1983. Evans was well into his journey in the Major Leagues when he began his five years with Detroit.
During that period, he slashed .238/.357/.450 and a .806 OPS, with 141 homers and 405 RBIs. 1985 was a particularly strong year for him, as he smacked 40 homers and 94 RBIs while slashing .248/.356/.519 with a .875 OPS.
Cecil Fielder
First baseman and designated hitter Cecil Fielder spent a total of 13 years in the Major Leagues, seven of which were spent with the Tigers. In those seven years, he slashed .258/.351/.498 with 245 homers and 758 RBIs.
As noted by Reuter, Fielder was the face of the franchise for quite some time in the 1990s. With that said, in 1996, Detroit traded Fielder to the New York Yankees. He may not be a Hall of Famer, but he is still an incredibly notable Tigers icon with two AL Silver Slugger Awards (1990, 1991), three AL All-Star acknowledgements (1990, 1991, 1993) and he was named Tiger of the Year three times.
Magglio Ordóñez
Outfielder Magglio Ordóñez retired from Detroit after the 2011 season, having spent seven years with the franchise. Originally, Ordóñez played for the Chicago White Sox for eight years, but once 2005 rolled around, he signed as a free agent with the Tigers.
While in the Motor City until his retirement, he slashed .312/.373/.476 with a .849 OPS. During that period, he sent out 107 homers and 533 RBIs through 847 games. He is a six-time All-Star, two of which were earned based in Detroit, and he secured a Silver Slugger Award and Tiger of the Year in 2007.
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Maria Aldrich lives in the captivating Adirondack Mountains in New York where she can be found scaling cliffs, hiking in the High Peaks and paddling down local rivers. After graduating from SUNY Potsdam with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Wilderness Education, Maria began documenting her backcountry experiences through written stories. Over the years, she has found herself drawn to sports journalism and now focuses on MLB, WNBA, NCAA and NHL writing. She can be reached at mariaaldrich20@outlook.com.