The Tigers have some holes to fill
Yesterday we looked at five potential free agent additions for the Detroit Tigers this offseason. Today we take a look at five more players who might help the Tigers.
Hye-seong Kim – Infielder – Left Handed – 25 years old (26 to begin the 2025 season)
The Tigers and Harris have been open about the idea of short-term deals, specifically for starters and right handed bats. And sure, the lineup could use more right handed bats. Note, this is NOT Ha-Seong Kim, the 29-year-old free agent infielder.
This is Hye-seong Kim, a Korean prospect, who happens to be a left handed hitter. He projects to be a good fielding utility man, which makes him a good fit because A.J. Hinch plays utility men quite a bit. Especially if they have a good glove. Matt Vierling and Zach McKinstry both play several positions, and both saw over 100 games this season.
Kim is a good fielder — one of the best from the KBO — and he fits the profile of a Tiger. There’s a chance he becomes a super-utility man with a better bat and glove than McKinstry.
But Kim is known for more than just his glove. He has a great approach at the plate, with an average walk rate. And Kim struck out just 11% of the time in 2024, which would be tied for 11th in MLB with Mookie Betts.
I’m not here to say that Kim would become an instant .300 hitter. But he has hit over .300 in his last four seasons, so he does project to have a solid bat. His power will never jump off the page, with his 11 home runs this past season a new career high. But with a .383 OBP and .841 OPS in 2024, it’s a safe to say Kim brings offensive value.
He also likes to steal bases. He stole 30 bags in 2024, and has stolen 211 across eight KBO seasons. All things point to Kim being a solid player.
Brady Farkas of Sports Illustrated projects a three-year, $24 million deal. If the Tigers could get Kim on a contract for anything under $7 million a year, it may be worth a shot.
Ryan Yarbrough – Relief Pitcher (LHP) – 32 Years Old (33 to begin the 2025 season)
The Tigers do not like to walk batters. That’s evident from the organization ranking second in MLB in walks.
Yarbrough, a Toronto Blue Jay last season, is a pitcher who does not often walk batters. Aside from 2024 (8.0 walk percentage), Yarbrough has been a good strike thrower since 2019. He is a soft tosser who doesn’t strike out many batters, but doesn’t give up much hard contact (86.0 mph average exit velocity allowed).
The Tigers traded lefty Andrew Chafin last year, so they could use another left-handed reliever. Yarbrough has been primarily a bullpen arm, but he has also worked as a traditional starter, an opener, and a bulk reliever. This may be Brant Hurter’s role, but it doesn’t mean Yarbrough could not help as well. He can eat innings as a starter or bullpen arm when needed, and can also throw strikes and limit base runners.
Spotrac estimates his market value to be about $4.5 million dollars a year. That would be a good value for the Tigers for either a one- or two-year deal.
Randal Grichuk – Outfielder – 33 Years Old
The Tigers need right-handed bats, and love short-term contracts. Grichuk is a perfect fit.
He was with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, playing in 106 games, with just 279 plate appearances. He’s a platoon bat who had 163 at bats against lefties, and just 91 at bats against righties.
Yet he hit six home runs against righties and tallied the same amount against lefties (.528 slugging percentage versus LHP/.527 versus RHP). But he had a significantly better OPS, with a .914 OPS against lefties and an .801 OPS against righties. He has also hit over 20 home runs five times in his career, and more than 30 once.
He doesn’t hold much value in the outfield anymore, although he never held much. But his bat far outweighs any fielding value. Especially if he’s in the same outfield as Riley Greene and Parker Meadows.
Grichuck showed the ability to make consistent contact in 2024. His 20.4% whiff rate and 16.5% strikeout rate were both career bests. But his walk rate is still below average. Regardless, Grichuck is one of the more realistic and better options with the amount of money the Tigers may actually spend this offseason.
Spotrac projects Grichuck’s market value is about $3.3 million. That would be a great price for him, but he’s another player I could see receiving $2-3 million more if platoon bats start to become more limited.
Andrew Heaney – Starting Pitcher (LHP) – 33 Years Old
The Tigers probably won’t spend much money, based on everything that’s been said this offseason.
Heaney is a 33-year-old lefty who pitched with the Texas Rangers last season. He fits the profile of a Tigers pitcher, walking batters just 5.9 percent of the time. But his 1.25 WHIP wouldn’t make anyone think he walks people at a low rate.
Heaney gives up a lot of hits, and people hit the ball hard off him, (40.1 percent hard-hit rate). It shows, as he gave up 23 home runs in 2024. The benefit of coming to Detroit? Fly balls go to die at Comerica Park. The Tigers allowed the 10th fewest home runs at Comerica Park, and it also yielded the 6th fewest doubles.
Extra base hits, aside from triples, are hard to get in Detroit (especially with Parker Meadows in center field). That matters because Heaney pitches to contact, striking out batters at a below-average rate, and ranking in just the seventh percentile (34.3 percent) in ground-ball rate.
Heaney profiles as a cheaper pitcher who could benefit from a park advantage. And that applies across the AL Central. The Kansas City Royals rank fourth in fewest in home runs allowed at home. The Cleveland Guardians rank fifth, and the Chicago White Sox come in at 14th.
Between working with Chris Fetter, and playing in a pitcher-friendly division, Heaney could recapture some of the potential that got him drafted in the first round in 2012.
Spotrac estimates a market value of about $10.8 million dollars for Heaney. That would certainly be well within the Tigers’ price range. There’s also a possibility with Heaney’s recent history, he could receive less than that.
Jose Iglesias – Infielder – 34 Years Old (35 to begin the 2025 season)
Here’s another familiar name to Tigers fans. Iglesias was a serviceable player in Detroit, even making the All-Star team and batting .300 in 2015. And he was always known as a defensive wizard.
Iglesias joined the Mets and was called up at the end of May in 2024. And, after not playing for an MLB squad in 2023, he went out and had the best season of his career. He immediately made an impact and finished the season hitting .337, showing he still has the ability to flat out hit.
Iglesias brings almost zero power, with just 51 career home runs. But he finished the 2024 season with an .829 OPS. And he’s another strike-zone-controller, though he rarely walks (4.1%). He whiffed just 15.2 percent of the time, and struck out at a 13.4% rate.
Iglesias also proved his defensive ability is still there, finishing in the 76th percentile in outs above average. He accumulated 2 OAA, playing games at second, third, and shortstop.
Iglesias wouldn’t be a starter on this young Tigers squad. But he but would be a serviceable infielder who can plug and play, and get hits.
He also fits the profile as a right handed bat. Iglesias hit .402 against lefties in 2024 with a .998 OPS in 92 at-bats. He slugged .543 and had a .455 OBP against lefties. Iglesias also brings speed, despite not being a base stealer. He ranked in the 83rd percentile in sprint speed at 34 years old.
Iglesias would likely receive a one- or two-year deal, and Spotrac projects him to receive just $1.7 million dollars. That would be a bargain deal for a beyond serviceable bench bat.
Chris Brown