Tigers remain patient as offseason progresses

SAN DIEGO -- The Winter Meetings deals came in fast and frenzied, creating the most exciting Meetings in years. They did not knock the Tigers off their slow and steady pace.

General manager Al Avila and his assistants checked into the Manchester Grand Hyatt with a plan, and they're sticking to it.

"We have a lot of things going on to see how it all fits," Avila said. "So at the end, whether it be next week, next month or two months from now to try to put all those pieces in place, at the end of the day, we're hoping to definitely put a better team on the field and win more games."

The Tigers began the offseason expecting to play the waiting game on free agents, taking the opposite approach from the early signings last year that largely backfired during a 114-loss season. They left this week's Winter Meetings in much the same mindset, looking to find budget deals as winter settles in, Spring Training nears and lingering free agents look for camps.

Detroit filled its need for a veteran catcher on the way out of the Manchester Grand Hyatt on Thursday by reaching a one-year deal with Austin Romine, according to a source, perhaps a reaction to the quick pace of the free-agent catcher market. But most of the Tigers' discussions were meant to lay groundwork.

"We have talked to a lot of agents, and there's a lot of possibilities going on," Avila said. "Not all of them are going to pan out, because there's too many. We couldn't sign all the guys that we've been talking about. There's no way. But you have to have a pool of guys.

"We have a list. Sometimes you're not going to get the guy you exactly want, but you'll get the next guy. So even though we might walk away from here without having anybody signed, that doesn't mean that we don't have a lot of things in the works for that to happen within the next few weeks or months."

BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS

1. Corner IF: The Tigers have considered former Brewers slugger Travis Shaw, according to MLB.com's Jon Morosi, and they have taken a look at Justin Smoak and C.J. Cron. But with few contending teams actually needing first basemen, this could become a game of musical chairs late. Shaw bats left-handed and Smoak is a switch-hitter; both could help a heavily right-handed lineup.

2. Middle IF: The Tigers remain in the market for a second baseman. But with Brian Dozier, Cesar Hernandez, Jason Kipnis and Scooter Gennett among the free-agent middle infielders still available, Detroit is likely to wait for the market to sort out rather than jump quickly on one player, like with Jordy Mercer a year ago.

3. SP: This is one area where Detroit might move a little quicker given the way the market has unfolded. Avila hasn't had the budget to compete with teams on Kevin Gausman, Rick Porcello and others. The expected in-season arrival of top prospects like Casey Mize and Matt Manning also could leave free agents hesitant.

RULE 5 DRAFT

The Tigers used the first overall pick in the Major League phase on Yankees Double-A right-hander Rony Garcia, whose fastball-cutter combination could make him a fit in long relief. Detroit also selected hard-throwing Orioles right-handed reliever Ruben Garcia and Twins infielder Brian Schales.

GM'S BOTTOM LINE

"None of us want to go through [a repeat of] last year, so we're making an effort to put a better product on the field. Still, though, obviously we want to give young players opportunities to play. We're going to continue to develop them. We want to see some of these Minor League hitters come up. Don't lose sight of where we're at as an organization and our focus." -- Avila