Tigers do 'due diligence' on JV workout

The Tigers make a point to send an evaluator whenever a Major League free agent has a showcase event or workout. No matter the level of interest, no matter the odds of signing the player, the Tigers are usually represented. It’s a policy that goes back to Dave Dombrowski’s time as general manager, and it's one that has continued under Al Avila.

“When guys go out there and do showcases, we always send scouts, especially this time of year,” Avila said Tuesday from Major League Baseball’s General Managers Meetings in Carlsbad, Calif. “We do our due diligence and we go see everything and everybody, because it’s good to know what’s going on if you can get some information, see who’s there. Sometimes it’s not just that player that you’re watching. There are a lot of other factors.”

And so it was that the Tigers had a scout on hand earlier this week at Cressey Sports Performance in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., watching a familiar face. Detroit’s front office knows plenty about Justin Verlander, but the Tigers wanted to see how he looks now as he heads into free agency for the first time in his career.

They certainly weren’t alone. Between 15 and 20 teams were represented at Verlander’s showcase, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. What they saw was a fastball in the mid- to upper 90s from a 38-year-old pitcher who underwent Tommy John surgery a little over a year ago.

“We have a tremendous history with Verlander, drafted him, developed him,” Avila said. “He won a lot of games for us. He’s a friend of my son. I have a very good relationship with him. But to go see him, it’s just part of the process.”

Given those ties, the Tigers have been linked to interest in Verlander, with speculation that he could return to his roots and don the Old English D again. With Spencer Turnbull expected to miss virtually all of next season and Matthew Boyd set to miss at least the start of it, Detroit is looking to add two starting pitchers to complement its young trio of Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning.

The Tigers are looking to build on their 77-win season and climb back into playoff contention, but they need to fortify their rotation to get there. With payroll flexibility, they have a chance to move out of their recent cycle of one-year contracts to bounceback candidates.

However, any idea that the Tigers are a natural landing spot for Verlander to resuscitate his career while other teams write him off looks overly optimistic, especially if he’s throwing this hard, this soon after elbow surgery. If Verlander can build on this, he can appeal to teams that are in World Series contention right now and looking to add to their rotation for a push -- moreso than a typical pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery, especially one who turns 39 years old in February.

Astros owner Jim Crane told reporters last month that Verlander is seeking “a contract of some length.” Houston made Verlander a qualifying offer last week, so if the Tigers were to sign him, they would have to give up a pick in next year’s Draft as compensation -- either their third-highest selection, or their next-best if they had already signed another free agent who had received a qualifying offer.

E-Rod a Tigers target?

Speaking of free-agent starters, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi reports that the Tigers have shown early interest in former Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez.

Interest had been expected. The 28-year-old Rodriguez is a relatively young free agent on the market with upside. He was a 19-game winner with 203 1/3 innings pitched in 2019. He missed the 2020 season after battling COVID-19 related myocarditis, then returned to make 31 starts this season. While he posted a 4.74 ERA in a 13-8 season, he also had career bests with a 3.32 Fielding Independent Pitching and a 10.6 K/9 rate. While opponents batted .277 against him, his Expected Batting Average was .233, according to Statcast. Batters averaged an 86.5 mph exit velocity against him, ranking him among the top 10 percent of MLB pitchers.

There’s an irony to Rodriguez as a potential Tigers target. The former Orioles prospect joined the Red Sox at the 2014 Trade Deadline in a trade for reliever Andrew Miller, who was a Tigers target at the time. The deal set up the O’s bullpen for the postseason, where Baltimore swept Detroit in the AL Division Series in what remains the Tigers’ last postseason appearance.

Need a shortstop? Get in line

While the Tigers have long been expected to get dive into this year’s deep free-agent shortstop market, how much company they might have wasn’t clear. Turns out, it’s a deep market.

“There’s a lot of teams looking for shortstop, I can tell you that,” Avila said. “I think we counted it up. Including us, there’s nine teams looking for shortstops. So I don’t know where the musical chair’s going to stop.”

It doesn’t necessarily change the way the Tigers go about their search, Avila said, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

“It’s just one need,” Avila said. “We had the need for a catcher and we got that. But obviously there are other needs, too. It’s not about one position or one player. It’s how to put together the best roster possible.”