With the Tigers' rebuild finally showing signs of progress at the big-league level, owner Chris Ilitch says he's ready to start pursuing 'high-impact' free agents as soon as this winter.
Speaking Tuesday at Hamtramck Stadium where the Tigers are helping fund a renovation of the former home of the Negro League's Detroit Starts, Ilitch said he and GM Al Avila are on the same page regarding the next step in Detroit's climb back to contention: supplementing the young talent in the majors.
"Al and his team are very focused on continuing to improve our team, and now we see the long-term efforts that have been put forth and the emergence of a young core. Al feels like we need to continue to improve our ballclub in a high-impact way, and I fully support that and will support that," Ilitch said.
Asked if the Tigers' pursuit of 'high-priced free agents' could begin this winter, Ilitch said, "Undoubtedly that could happen this winter."
Detroit currently has the eighth lowest payroll in the majors at $85.5 million, nearly $45 million below the league average, according to Spotrac.
"I think Al’s vision is very much aligned with my vision and our fans’ vision, which is, we want not only a highly competitive team but we want to be a playoff contender and ultimately compete for championships. And we want to do it on a long-term sustainable basis. And to do that, I am very much supportive of the approach that he and his team have taken of building a young core of talent and now having the desire to bring in high-impact players to fill that out," Ilitch said. "I’m very supportive of that."
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The most pressing long-term question for the Tigers comes at shortstop. It just so happens a loaded class of shortstops is set to hit the market this winter, featuring the likes of Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story and Javy Baez. Correa could be a particular fit for Detroit given his relationship with A.J. Hinch.
How big of a priority for the Tigers is finding a shortstop?
"Well, we all know you have to be strong up the middle to succeed in this sport," said Ilitch. "That is not lost on anybody in our organization, including Al Avila and his staff and A.J. and his staff. The team knows what we need to have to be successful, and I know Al and his team are focused on making sure that we have that to achieve the success that we're looking to achieve."
After four long years of losing, the Tigers have turned a corner this year under Hinch. Their young pitching is making an impact, and additions like Akil Baddoo and Eric Haase have paid dividends. Detroit just completed its third straight winning month for the first time since 2016. For that, Ilitch gave both Hinch and Avila major endorsements.
"One of the most difficult things to do in the entire baseball industry is a complete rebuild, and that’s what Al and his team have done," he said. "It takes a long period of time. It takes a lot of patience, not only on the part of our front office but also of our manager, A.J. Hinch, who’s just done a tremendous job with our club and has them playing competitively night in and night out, and our players and most importantly our fans. The patience they have exhibited has been great. We’re starting to see the long-term work manifest with this young core of players.
"The future is not only promising at the Major League level, but at all levels of our minor league system. I think Al’s done a great job and he’ll continue to execute his vision. We all realize we’re in a performance-based business and we need to continue seeing progress. He acknowledges that, I acknowledge that."