The Detroit Tigers enter the winter with plenty of questions, and as of early December, none of those questions have been answered.
The Tigers were one of the better teams in baseball throughout the first half last season, but completely fell off when it mattered most, including the postseason.
Looking ahead, one of the biggest concerns is whether the organization is actually willing to spend.
Despite that, Ryan Finkelstein of Just Baseball doesn’t believe Detroit will sit out the top of the market, predicting the Tigers will sign their top free-agent target, Bo Bichette, to an eight-year, $208 million deal.
“Now, picking a new team for Bichette was tough, but I thought a fun landing spot would be the Detroit Tigers. Last year, the Tigers made a big push for Bregman. Maybe Bichette is the infielder they can lock up long-term instead.
“The Tigers currently feature the top prospect in all of baseball, shortstop Kevin McGonigle. There is every chance McGonigle is ready for Opening Day, which could make things a bit complicated if Bichette is unwilling to move off shortstop,” he wrote.
Bichette would be a really nice fit for the Tigers, but again, it’s fair to wonder whether ownership will actually hand out a deal worth nearly $210 million. As the Tigers have shown over the years, outside of a stretch about a decade ago when they fielded one of the highest payrolls, they operate on a tight budget.
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