After being asked if he's confident in the Tigers' plan to have a quality player at third base next season, Scott Harris had to laugh. What was he supposed to say?
"Yes," Harris said. "Yes."
This was toward the end of a half-hour session with reporters, toward the end of the first full day of baseball's Winter Meetings in San Diego. And Harris, the Tigers' new president of baseball operations, believes his own answer. The club's plan at the hot corner remains to be seen after it non-tendered Jeimer Candelario last month, its primary third baseman for the past five seasons, but you can bet Harris has one.
It wasn't an easy call for Harris to part ways with Candelario, who has since signed a one-year deal with the Nationals. He acknowledged the two-time Tiger of the Year had "made a really big impression on the organization" since being acquired from the Cubs at the 2017 trade deadline, a joyful player who led the big leagues in doubles just two seasons ago.
"I knew him a little bit when we were with the Cubs, but coming here I asked a lot of people about him and heard nothing but positive things," Harris said. "Unfortunately, he struggled a little bit last year and due to the nature of our situation was a very difficult decision for us at the tender deadline.
"He seems like he’s in a position now where he can get plenty of at-bats and try to recapture the player he was a couple years ago. We wish him nothing but the best. He’s a great person who has a lot of fans in the organization."
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Candelario just couldn't get going last season. He finished with a career-low .633 OPS and nearly four times as many strikeouts as walks and a career-high 11 errors in the field. Searching for hitters who can control the strike zone, Harris and the Tigers couldn't justify bringing him back. He's set to make $5 million with Washington next season after making $5.8 million last season with Detroit.
The Tigers could find Candelario's replacement in free agency, where veteran Brandon Drury is an intriguing option coming off a 28-homer season, or they could try to trade for the left-handed infield bat they desire. And 25-year-old Ryan Kreidler, who made his MLB debut last season, will get a chance to show what he can do next spring.
Elsewhere on the diamond, the Tigers sound prepared to enter next season with a catching duo of Eric Haase and Jake Rogers. The latter is coming off Tommy John surgery and the former has his limitations defensively, but as Harris reiterated Monday, "The supply of talented catchers out there is very thin."
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"It’s really hard to find a stable major league catching duo," Harris said. "There are a lot of teams out there that are searching for that. Fortunately, we have two catchers that have a chance to stay with us for a while. I had always evaluated Jake and Eric from afar. I actually think they do different things well and complement each other well. I’m just pleased that Jake is going to be healthy and we can see those two work together in Lakeland."
It's not out of the question that the Tigers make a move behind the plate. They were rumored to be eyeing All-Star Willson Contreras in free agency earlier this offseason, and the Blue Jays are a potential trade partner with their surplus of catchers and need for relievers. They had talked with the Tigers about such a deal at the trade deadline last season.
But Harris also has faith in Haase, who posted a .748 OPS last season (and 22 homers in 98 games the season before that) and also has the versatility to play in the outfield. Asked if he views Haase as a starting catcher, Harris said, "Yeah, I mean, I think he put up a pretty strong case for it last year and he is one of the catchers that will impact us this year."
"I always value versatility," Harris added. "The thing I have learned about him specifically is that he’s comfortable in those different positions."
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