Tigers Surprising Non-Tender of Fan Favorite Utility Man Was Correct Move
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The Detroit Tigers made some headlines during Friday's non-tender deadline when they tendered contracts to 13 of their 14 arbitration-eligible players, but it was the one they did not tender a deal to that made the biggest news.
Detroit fan favorite utility man Andy Ibáñez was non-tendered, making the versatile 32-year-old a free agent and available to any team that wants to sign him. This brings to an end a three-year run in the Motor City for Ibáñez, highlighted by some signature moments.
For as much as it will sting Tigers fans to see Ibáñez go, the production he put out this year unfortunately made this an easy decision for Detroit's front office.
Tigers Had No Choice But to Let Ibáñez Walk Away
In addition to providing positional flexibility, Ibáñez specialized in one thing during his time with Detroit: crushing left-handed pitching and being used in a platoon role to capitalize on that skill.
During the 2024 season, he slashed .292/.357/.445 in 137 at-bats against southpaws, and in 2023 the OPS was even better with an OPS of .820 alongside six home runs in just 111 at-bats. This past year though, Ibáñez lost his touch and that slash line dropped to just .258/.311/.403 with four home runs in 124 at-bats.
After posting a bWAR of 1.9 in 2023 over 114 games and a bWAR of 1.4 in 99 games in 2024, that figure dropped to a 0.6 in 91 games this season.
Ibáñez was also likely set to receive a raise while being arbitration eligible for the first time in his career this offseason, and the team wisely decided it simply was not worth it to keep him on the roster.
Who Will Take on Ibáñez Role Now for Tigers?
With concerning chase numbers and not enough walks, Detroit moving on from Ibáñez is just the latest sign from president of baseball operations Scott Harris that the team wants to become more contact driven.
While Ibáñez played in a platoon along with Zach McKinstry and others at the hot corner this year, it's no secret that the Tigers need a full-time third baseman assuming Kevin McGonigle is not ready to start this season.
The obvious hope here is someone like Alex Bregman, but in reality, if they miss on the superstar again, it could be a combination of McKinstry and Matt Vierling, as well as potentially a different lower-tier addition entirely.
It's worth monitoring the situation moving forward for Detroit to see if they make a concerted effort to replace the role Ibáñez now leaves vacant, or if they simply try to roll with internal solutions.
Regardless, Ibáñez will be remembered fondly by Tigers fans for his various moments in the 2024 postseason run, his clutch hitting, and overall positive clubhouse presence.
Detroit will be sad to see him go, but fans can also likely acknowledge that for the betterment of the team moving forward into next season, this was the right call by Harris and the front office.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.