Prior to a global pandemic and a season of lost revenue, 2021 was supposed to be the year the Tigers jumped back into the deep end of free agency. This was the message delivered by GM Al Avila in the 2019 offseason.
"After 2020 our payroll will be in a lot better place for us to be aggressive going into 2021," Avila said at the time. "I’ve talked to (owner) Chris Ilitch and I know that we will be in a place from a payroll perspective where I want to be, where I’m comfortable, where financially I know we’re in a good place."
Two years later, Avila and the Tigers were still shopping in the bargain bin. Their biggest signing was Robbie Grossman for $10 million over two years. They inked five players to major league contracts for a total of $21.5 million. Detroit enters 2021 with a payroll of $75.4 million, according to Spotrac, seventh lowest in MLB. That's about $25 million less than what it was projected to be last year.
Ilitch, the man in charge of the checkbook, said Tuesday he liked the team's offseason additions.
"I think Grossman and (Wilson) Ramos and (Nomar) Mazara are going to add some offensive punch to our lineup. They definitely make us stronger offensively," Ilitch said during the Tigers-Yankees broadcast on 1270 AM. "And on the pitching side, you look at (Jose) Urena and (Julio) Teheran and (Derek) Holland, they’re going to push the competition amongst our pitchers and they’re also going to help protect some of our young arms. So some really good, solid free agent signings this year."
Maybe the big signings will come next year.
"Our goal is to get more young players established at the Major League level and surround them with guys that we feel will take us over the top," Avila said last month. "So next year, the winter of ’21, I think at that point we can add more to the organization and make it better for '22."
A lot of that will depend on the Tigers' bottom line this year, which will depend in part on fans returning to Comerica Park. The team is prepared for a capacity of 1,000 fans on Opening Day, with the hopes of hosting more as the season moves on. Ilitch said the Tigers are working closely with government officials and health experts to re-open Comerica Park "in a safe manner for both our fans and our players."
"To have fans back at the ballgame is going to be wonderful," he said. "I'm excited for our fans. If all the trends continue in a positive way as it relates to COVID-19 and the pandemic, hopefully we can play a small part in helping bring peoples’ lives back to normal a little bit."
Like those fans, Ilitch is giddy about a farm system bursting with talent, including five of the top 25 prospects in baseball.
"I get super excited about all of the talent that Al and his staff have been able to stockpile and develop in our system. It gives me great confidence in the future of our baseball club. We’ve got so many prospects that are on the cusp and that’s very, very exciting, and we’ve also got a lot of prospects that are further down the development chain. But it’s an exciting time for Tigers baseball. Our future is very bright."