Alex Muller
With each passing day, the Detroit Tigers are losing valuable time to find themselves a center fielder out on the market. It is worth noting however that the closer we get to spring training without news of Detroit signing a free agent, the more likely it becomes that they will roll the dice with a platoon of Tyler Collins and JaCoby Jones patrolling Comerica Park’s vast center field.
Being financially-strained already makes things more difficult when perusing the open market, it does not leave the team with the most enticing names out there. They have already missed out on the likes of Jon Jay (signed a one-year deal with CHC for $8MM), Ben Revere (one-year deal with LAA for $4MM) and former Tiger Rajai Davis (one-year deal with OAK for $6MM). The pool is just thinned out, and it could bode well for Collins and Jones, or even a major redemption opportunity for someone like Anthony Gose.
But if Detroit is truly considering a center fielder through free agency to at worst compete for the starting gig, there are still a few names they can consider. Here are three center fielders that the Tigers can entertain inking to deals for 2017.
