One of the biggest decisions Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila will be forced to make this offseason is whether or not he wants to bring back catcher James McCann.
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According to a report from Anthony Fenech, the Tigers have decided to non-tender McCann and right-handed pitcher, Alex Wilson.
The Tigers will non-tender catcher James McCann and right-hander Alex Wilson, I'm told.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) December 1, 2018
What is “non-tender” you may be asking? Here is the definition from MLB.
When a club “non-tenders” a player, it declines to give that player a contract for the upcoming season, thereby immediately making him a free agent. Players on the 40-man roster with fewer than six years of Major League service time must be tendered contracts each offseason by a set deadline — typically a date in early December — or non-tendered and released to the free-agent pool.
In many instances, a club will non-tender a player because it feels the raise he will receive in arbitration would be greater than his on-field value. In other cases, a club will non-tender a player simply to clear a spot on the 40-man roster — even if that player isn’t due much more than the league minimum the following season.
McCann was once thought of as the Tigers catcher of the future but unfortunately, he has not lived up to that billing. In 2018, McCann hit just .220 with just eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 118 games, which made him expendable.
Wilson has been with the Tigers since the 2015 season. During that time, he posted a 3.20 ERA in 246 games, all but one being out of the bullpen.
BONUS CONTENT:
REPORT: Detroit Tigers zeroing in on free agent shortstop
There is little question about it, 2019 will likely be another rough year for the Detroit Tigers. In fact, do not be surprised if their final record ends up worse than it was this past season when they finished 64-98 in the American League Central.
General manager Al Avila has made it clear that the team is focused on rebuilding and blowing big money in free agency is not something that will not be happening anytime soon.
But that does not mean the team will not be active in free agency as they will look to add a few players here and there.
One position the Tigers will focus on adding in free agency is a shortstop as Jose Iglesias is moving on.
To read the rest of the report, please click on the link below.
https://detroitsportsnation.com/detroit-tigers-news/ddrysdale/report-detroit-tigers-zeroing-in-on-free-agent-shortstop/11-2018/198767/
