Buckle up for wild 48 hours for Tigers, MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers' Corey Seager celebrates his two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game 5 of a baseball National League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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The first work stoppage in 26 years -- even a brief one -- wouldn’t be good for baseball. But it sure has spiced up the offseason.

A flurry of signings occurred this weekend and more are expected Monday and Tuesday, as teams and players rush to finalize deals ahead of an impending lockout.

The collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Barring a deal at the last minute, the owners will institute a transactions freeze.

MLB free-agent signings, which typically take place at a leisurely pace over several months, are now happening in rapid-fire fashion like the NFL.

What will Monday bring?

Shortstop Corey Seager is expected to announce his decision Monday and could still be in the mix for the Texas Rangers, who made a whopper of a deal on Sunday by landing Marcus Semien.

Former Tiger Max Scherzer is reportedly mulling offers that include an annual average value over $40 million. He too could decide on Monday.

The Tigers aren’t in the mix for Scherzer, but they were -- somewhat surprisingly -- linked to another former Detroit pitcher on Sunday. The New York Post listed the Tigers among five suitors for left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray, who won the AL Cy Young with the Blue Jays in 2021.

If the Tigers truly are pursuing Ray, it could be an indication that they plan to sit out the upper-tier shortstop market. The Tigers have been linked to Javier Baez, who remains unsigned and is expected to cost considerably less than Seager and Carlos Correa, both of whom are expected to sign for deals in the neighborhood of $300 million.

There’s a final wrinkle to this week’s madness. In light of the expected lockout, the deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players has been moved up to Tuesday. That means a flood of new free agents will hit the market just 24 hours before the deadline and at least some of them will try to sign with new clubs.

The Tigers, barring a last-minute change, are not expected to tender a contract to left-handed pitcher Matthew Boyd, making him a free agent. The Detroit News first reported the impending move.

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