Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila: 'We're going to be careful' about trading prospects
Evan PetzoldLAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila wants to send a message.
He isn't done making moves.
"It's getting to the point where it's thinning out a little bit," Avila said Thursday, discussing the free agent and trade markets. "We're still trying to improve the team. I'm not sure if we'll be able to continue that, but we're still trying."
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Here's what Avila said Thursday in the lobby of the Tigers' administrative building at TigerTown.
On the message from owner Christopher Ilitch: "There hasn't been any restrictions by any means. As the general manager, I'm trying to be responsible in what we pay, the years and all that stuff. That's my job, to manage it. ... I have not had any issues with payroll, anything of that nature. ... From a payroll perspective at this point, I've had calls from Chris like, 'Are we going to get him?' The worry is, can we get him? Let's go get him, as opposed to, 'Let's be cool about this.' The market is where it is right now."
On the Tigers' next move, after bringing aboard shortstop Javier Baez, left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, catcher Tucker Barnhart and left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin: "Our needs, we identified them. I think we've taken care of most of our needs. ... You have to weigh who's available now via free agency and trade possibilities, which some of these trade possibilities have gone away. Some are a little bit more difficult because of the type of, or the quantity of, prospects you have to give up."
On willingness to trade prospects for MLB players, such as Oakland Athletics pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea: "We've engaged in those types of conversations. We're not really motivated to trade the farm, per se, at this point. I think we're still a team that's growing. It's taken a lot of work and time to build up the farm system, so we're going to be very careful. Now, if there's a trade to be made that makes a lot of sense for us, we're not afraid to trade a prospect or two. But we're going to be careful."
On signing Chafin, a high-leverage reliever, before adding an established starting pitcher in the post-lockout market: "It's always harder for a starter, to acquire a starter. There's more bullpen arms available. Our focus at the beginning was more of a starter, but we always felt if we had the chance, we would also add to the bullpen. The bullpen, it came together at a good time for us. We felt that we had to move forward. I felt this was a good deal to improve the team."
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On former Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd, who signed a one-year, $5.2 million contract with the San Francisco Giants: "We were in discussions with him even before the lockout (about) bringing him back. It's just that we didn't agree on the terms at this point. And then obviously, he's already signed now."
On 18-year MLB veteran Zack Greinke, who signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Kansas City Royals: "I can tell you very candidly that we were in the Greinke situation. Money has not been an object in this case. I think, in his case, going back to Kansas City and the place where he started. Spring training is 30 minutes away from his house. I don't think the money was an issue there at all. It's more of that level of comfort that we couldn't provide. ... We were right in it."
On minor-league contracts to Wily Peralta, Chase Anderson, Drew Hutchison, Miguel Diaz, Ramon Rosso, Jack Lopez and Ryan Lavarnway, among others: "I feel that our people did a great job in the minor-league free agent signings as far as protection, but you still want to improve. We're always going to be looking to improve. Once the season starts, and you get to the trade deadline, if the team's doing very well, you're going to look at us to improve."
On Tyler Alexander as the No. 5 in the starting rotation: "Going back to my original comment, we're always looking to improve. But we like Tyler. The role that he's played for us, he's been very successful at it. We've been successful as a team with him in that role. Right now, there's going to be competition for that. ... That might mean Tyler is going to be in the rotation. It might mean he's in the bullpen. It might be a combination. We don't know yet because we're not done yet. Until the first game, we're going to be working at it."
On expectations for the trade deadline this season: "I'm hopeful that by the trading deadline, we're in a position that we want to trade somebody to take us over the top. That's what we hope for and that's what we expect."
On what Tigers need to see from top prospects Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene for them to make the Opening Day roster: "That's a very good question. The thing is, we ask that of ourselves. I'll be sitting there with AJ and our staff: 'OK, what are we looking for?' We all know that spring training can be tricky. Both guys are very mature in the way they prepare for each game. I think they learned a lot last year being a full season, in particular for Torkelson. I can't tell you exactly what we're going to be looking for. But we'll know it when we see it."
On service time manipulation: "When a player is ready to come up, and the team is ready to go, there's no reason to hold a player back. I was not taught that way. I also believe I'm not arrogant enough to think that I could hold a guy back and we're going to get by and we're going to make the playoffs anyway. You got to go full bore from Day 1. Those few games at the beginning could mean everything at the end. That's the way I was taught. Our decision is going to be to put the best team on the field where we can win and get to the playoffs."
On expectations for Tigers in 2022: "We expect to win. We expect to go to the playoffs. That's our goal. AJ has stated it very clearly — we expect to be in the playoffs. We're setting the bar high. If we fall short, we fall short. But we're setting the bar high. We're expecting to get to the playoffs. And if we don't, we'll regroup and make the team better."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.