What do the Tigers really need this offseason
Starting pitching and Utility guys?
Next year is about seeing if Carp, Greene and Tork are for real and what you might have in Keith, Malloy, Meadows and maybe Bigbie.
If Colt looks good in the spring, he'll probably be the third baseman. If Malloy looks good, he'll be up as a DH and sometimes LF.
I can live with McKinstry/Ibanez at 2b. Didn't they have a great record when Ibanez started?
They need to use all their powers and all their skills to fix Javy (and he needs to be willing to be fixed)
Help Mize adjust to post TJ, hopefully it's better than Fulmer and Turnbull's first year back
Find some sort of foot protection for Matt Manning that he can pitch with.
They could use an upgrade over Short/Kreidler/Lipcious, but maybe Maton figures things out or Kreidler becomes the player we were dreaming of 2 years ago. I could see them going for another Super Utility guy in Free Agnecy this winter.
2 starting pitchers (unless E-Rod signs a new deal here). Skubal-Manning-MIze-Olson...........pretty thin right now, especially when you consider Mize could really struggle in his return. Maybe Madden, Flores or Jobe shocks everyone, but I wouldn't count on it. Please no Wentz. And lets hope next year's Olson isn't this year's Wentz.
It's another year of watching guys develop, but the coaches/scouts they have in place under Harris sure seemed to make a difference in a lot of guys last year. Maybe they don't need to go big time shopping, maybe the right guys are here (or at Toledo or Erie) and we have the personnel that can unlock them. We sure didn't before. If they can get Keith, Meadows and Malloy to improve the way that Greene, Tork and Carp did.......now we're talkin'
Something tells me Mark Canha's gonna be here. I don't know why. Seem's like the cheap, average free agent they can live with, high OBP fits in.
I don't see a spot for Baddoo, unless someone else gets hurt. They have enough left-handed hitting outfielders.
And what of Austin Meadows?