Pros and Cons of Detroit Tigers Signing Free Agent First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt

The Detroit Tigers have long been expected to be major players in the first base market this offseason, but seeing the team truly in on the top of the market players would be a surprise at this point.

Everyone wants to land a big time free agent at a position of need, but taking a giant swing would run contrary to the growing of in-organization talent which has put Detroit in the position they are in now. Still, even if it's not a major nine-figure splash-type deal, something has to be done at first coming off a season in which former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson struggled mightily and had to be sent down over the summer.

A name which has emerged recently that the Tigers reportedly have real interest in is 2022 National League MVP and St. Louis Cardinals legend Paul Goldschmidt. Here are the potential pros and cons that bringing in Goldschmidt would offer:

Pro: Veteran Leadership at a Cost

With one of the younger rosters in baseball and a budding young core that looks to be on the cusp of taking this team to a special place, a player like Goldschmidt - a 14-year veteran and seven-time All-Star - can be invaluable. This is one of the huge points that people loved about the possibility of swinging big on Alex Bregman, but Goldschmidt on the other corner of the infield would come at a fraction of the cost and most likely on a one-year deal.

Con: Declining Production

At a certain point, this just becomes reality for veteran players, even someone like Goldschmidt who is one of the best first basemen of the generation. Even though he is just two seasons removed from one of the best years of his career and his first MVP award, his numbers offensively have began to fairly severely decline. 2024 was the worst offensive season of Goldschmidt's career in just about every offensive category. It's possible that Father Time has caught up with Goldschmidt.

Pro: Short-Term Commitment

Scott Harris has made a habit of signing high-upside veterans to short-term contracts and turning them into cheap production. It's no secret that Goldschmidt's days of being offered massive long-term deals are over, and if the Tigers could get him on a one-year deal, even 50 percent of the player he's been is an upgrade from what Detroit had in 2024. The one-year term would likely cost the team less than $10 million, a fair price to pay if he can provide you some juice on both offense and defense.

Con: Better Options Available

Realistically, the Tigers were probably never going to be in on Pete Alonso. But Christian Walker is someone who would not require more than a three-year commitment and would come nowhere near the massive deal Alonso figures to get. The argument can be made that Walker is an even better player than Alonso, and WAR over the last three seasons would back that up. Nonetheless, while Goldschmidt is obviously the budget-friendly option, there are certainly better first baseman available at this stage of his career.