The Detroit Tigers made one of the earliest splashes in free agency this offseason, signing left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year deal worth $77 million.
It doesn't come as too much of a surprise, because the Tigers are an up-and-coming young team looking to start contending earlier than originally anticipated. Five straight losing seasons will do that to you.
But are the Tigers ready to compete in the AL Central? Could they potentially make the playoffs as early as next year?
A signing like Rodriguez surely helps the situation. The Tigers had something of a middling pitching staff in 2021, with a 4.32 team ERA that put them ninth in the American League. They certainly have some pieces, most notably top prospect Casey Mize, who had a 3.71 ERA and 114 ERA+ in 30 starts in his first full big-league season. Mize projects to be the Tigers' ace for years to come, but the rest of the pitching staff was a mixed bag. Wily Peralta, Matthew Boyd, and Tyler Alexander all had sub-four ERAs, but it's clear Detroit needs more help in the rotation if it's going to take that next step forward.
Rodriguez can certainly provide that depth. He posted a rough 4.74 ERA in 31 starts with the Boston Red Sox last season, coming off a missed 2020 season in which he developed myocarditis after contracting COVID-19. In his career, though, Rodriguez has a decent 4.16 ERA and a career 110 ERA+, which puts him just above league average. You could say the Tigers reached a bit, but if Rodriguez is making a dependable 30 starts a year and eating up innings to the tune of that ERA, Detroit will surely take it.
Not to mention the Tigers already took a huge step forward in 2021, finishing 77-85 and sparking the notion they were ready to open that contention window just a crack. After a disastrous April in which they went 8-19, the Tigers were actually one of the better teams in the AL for most of the season, going 69-66 the rest of the way.
Clearly, the years and years of losing are starting to pay off. The offense still leaves a lot to be desired, though, which brings us to the Carlos Correa situation. Right now, the Tigers only have two regular hitters who finished the year with an average over .270: Jeimer Candelario (.271) and Jonathan Schoop (.278), with Harold Castro hitting .283 in 315 at-bats. Schoop is signed through 2022 with a player option for 2023, while Candelario is in his arbitration years and will become a free agent in 2024. Both of those players are solid contributors who provide depth to Detroit's lineup, and they'd look that much better in it batting around Correa.
There is also an obvious connection here between Correa and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who was Correa's one-time manager back in Houston. The two were even recently spotted getting breakfast (or maybe brunch?) together, which sparked a whole bunch of social media speculation. It likely meant very little in the grand scheme of things, but tell that to Tigers fans.
Though it has been said here that Correa may not ultimately be worth a gigantic $300 million deal, a team like the Tigers, who have been known to spend big in the past, could absolutely use his bat in the middle of the lineup. He's coming off one of his best seasons to date, hitting .279/.366/.485 with 26 home runs, 34 doubles, 92 runs batted in and a 134 wRC+. If you're looking to finally play with the big dogs in the American League, you could do a whole lot worse in free agency.
The AL Central is likely going to be way better in 2022 than most people realize. Obviously, the Chicago White Sox are World Series contenders, but the Cleveland Guardians and Tigers should be right there, contending for a playoff spot. The Kansas City Royals always play tough and might be a year or two away. Really, the Minnesota Twins are the only team in full-on rebuilding mode now.
If the Tigers decide they'd finally like to join the party for real, Correa would be the bat that could help them put it all together.
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