The Detroit Tigers have already made a move so far this offseason, acquiring catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Cincinnati Reds. And if the latest words from GM Al Avila are any indication, they may not be done yet.
“It’s the first day you can go out and talk to agents about players you’re interested in,” Avila said. “So it’s been an entire day of finalizing this deal and making a lot of phone calls. It’s started already.”
The Tigers aren’t allowed to officially have contact with free-agents until November 7, but that hasn’t stopped them from picking up the phone.
“It started today with a bunch of phone calls,” Avila said.
“The biggest difference is we’re not trying to trade veterans and rebuilding,” Avila continued. “Now we’re trying to build a winning team going into 2022. That’s a big difference from the last few years.”
The Tigers will be looking to add an arm to the starting rotation as well as a proven shortstop, though for Avila, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a deal for either position is imminent.
“If we have a deal to be made next week, great. If it comes later, then it comes later,” Avila said. “Deals come together at different times for different reasons, but we’re approaching it the same way: we’re trying to put the best team on the field.”
– – Quotes via Audacy Link – –
