Not so long ago -- though it might feel like forever -- the Tigers were a destination for big-ticket free agents who wanted to win. Their former president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski kicked off the Winter Meetings Monday in San Diego by signing All-Star shortstop Trea Turner to a $300 million deal with the National League champion Phillies. Under their new president, Scott Harris, maybe the Tigers will play that way again.
For now, they're eschewing the big moves for what Harris described at his introductory press conference as "calculated risks." They're searching for undervalued players who can become better versions of themselves under a revamped coaching staff in Detroit. This is the Tigers' recruiting pitch to free agents, that players who join them are going to improve.
"One thing that we have tried to convince the players that we are pursuing and continue to pursue is that you can come to Detroit and be surrounded by the resources and support staff that are going to help you take the next step in your development, no matter where you are in your career," Harris said Monday in San Diego.
Harris and A.J. Hinch have assembled a deep and diverse hitting department headlined by 28-year-old Michigan product Michael Brdar, who arrived last month from the Padres along with Keith Beauregard from the Dodgers and James Rowson from the Marlins. Changes were in order on the heels of a season in which the Tigers had the worst offense in the majors.
On the pitching side, they've added former kinesiology professor Robin Lund from Iowa, where he spent the last few seasons developing some of the best college arms in the country. Lund, fresh off coaching back-to-back Big 10 Pitchers of the Year, will join Chris Fetter and Juan Nieves in Detroit.
Already, Harris said the new hires have been met with "tons of positive feedback" from the players on Detroit's roster. Moreover, "it's resonated with with several players" on the club's radar that they can sign with the Tigers and get better.
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"If you’re a young player coming up to Detroit or a veteran who’s been in five different places, you can come to Detroit and work with Robin, Fet and Juan or work with Brdar, Keith and J-Row," Harris said. "They’re going to have excellent content for you and they’re going to be in the trenches with you every day for 162 to help you get better. I think that message has been well received by the players that we are pursuing and that we hope to come to terms with at some point."
The Tigers expect to officially sign Matthew Boyd in the coming days after reportedly agreeing to a one-year, $10 million deal with him last week. In the veteran lefty, Harris and the Tigers see a player with untapped potential they believe they can harness, which is one way they can start closing the gap on the teams they're chasing. The additions they make to their lineup, likely a corner outfielder and a corner infielder, figure to fit a similar profile.
Hinch said Detroit's coaching staff is going to function "a lot differently than the traditional way you would think of," particularly the hitting department. Brdar, Beauregard and Rowson all have different backgrounds and levels of experience by design. The Tigers aren't "as interested in hierarchy," said Hinch, as they are in "finding different ways to reach players to develop them in the big leagues."
"Diversity was a major priority for us," said Harris, "and not just in the traditional sense of the word."
"We have talked a lot behind the scenes about meeting players where they are, not where we want them to be. We want to meet them in their own language, in their own preferred means of communication, in their own cultural cues, their own humor, their own comfortable environment to be coached in," Harris said. "I think A.J. has done a great job of building a very diverse staff."
The hope is that by eliminating any barriers between the coaches and the players, the "players will be able to focus just a little bit more on the game and performing just a little bit better on the field," Harris said.
"Really, really excited about the start that we’re off to with the staff, because it’s different than the staff that has existed here for the last decade or so. That was intentional, but I think the onboarding of all of these coaches has gone just about as well as we could have hoped for," said Harris.
Now they wait, and hope, to reap the rewards.
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