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With their most important bit of offseason business (re-signing Victor Martinez) wrapped up, the Detroit Tigers can now turn their attention to other needs. These needs used to include adding an outfielder, but Anthony Gose’s acquisition seems to have satisfied that. Re-signing the rehabbing Joel Hanrahan will help strengthen the bullpen, which was and still is another need, if the former Pittsburgh closer is healthy. Still, more bullpen additions can be expected.

If the team does sign free agents to fill the need, or goes after trade targets to achieve the same purpose, it wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. But history tells us that the Tigers general manager makes transactions that shock just about anyone—generally making deals to acquire premium players at positions where an upgrade isn’t necessary. Past examples include signing Ivan Rodriguez and dealing for Miguel Cabrera and David Price.

After re-signing Victor Martinez and handing out arbitration raises to standout performers like Price and J.D. Martinez, the Tigers will have little wiggle room financially. This shouldn’t dissuade any thoughts of Detroit making a big move.

In December of 2009, Dombrowski sent Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson packing in a three-team trade with the Yankees and Diamondbacks to avoid giving them hefty raises and to alleviate pressure on the salary cap. The deal allowed the Tigers the room to sign lockdown closer Jose Valverde. The trade also brought Austin Jackson and Max Scherzer to Motown. The moral of the story is that Dave Dombrowski knows how to make impact moves on a tight budget.

Detroit’s general manager is already helped by the fact that the collective salaries of Torii Hunter, Don Kelly, Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain have come off the books, thus giving him some wiggle room. While a percentage of that money was likely allocated to Victor Martinez and saved for arbitration rises, it still creates cash.

Dombrowski knows how to make his team younger, with the Granderson/Scherzer deal serving as a chief example. He has already acquired a young, controllable player with considerable upside in Gose and may not be done dealing.

Already, rumors are swirling about potential Tigers moves. The latest involves listening to trade offers for catcher Alex Avila. Dealing Avila would seem unconventional for a couple of reasons, one being the fact that Avila works well with Detroit’s starting pitchers. A second is that defensively the catcher grades out positively, while bringing power to the lineup as a left-handed hitter. Thirdly, the next catchers in line for the Tigers are backup Bryan Holaday and prospect James McCann.

Dealing Avila would mean that Detroit either has another deal lined up/in the works for a cheaper catcher they feel is an upgrade or that they feel McCann is ready to take the next step and start full-time.

Despite all the potential negatives, sending Avila to another team comes with benefits. The first would be wiping his salary from the books—Avila will make $5.4 million next season. The second would mean that the team could move on from a player who has been seriously affected by injuries.

Avila is still a starting catcher in the major leagues and certainly brings positive attributes to the table, but he isn’t what he once was. His finest hour came in 2011, when he posted an .895 OPS and drove in 82 runs. Injures soon ran rampant on Avila’s offensive production. Starting with the 2011 postseason, where he hit .063 against New York in and .080 against Texas.  The catcher has hit a combined .235 since 2011.

With surprise moves becoming the norm this offseason, (thanks to the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller trade and the Mets signing of Michael Cuddyer), it wouldn’t be a shock to see the baseball landscape rocked by an unlikely Dombrowski trade. He’s turned potential salary cap burdens into, among others, a Cy Young winner (Max Scherzer) and a player used to acquire yet another player with a Cy Young on his resume (David Price).

It’s unknown if Alex Avila’s name will appear in the transactions logs due to a trade, but it wouldn’t be surprising. Neither would be a conceivable, cost-cutting trade of a player like Rajai Davis. The bottom line is that Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers front office know what they are doing, and with the offseason in full swing (pun!), the ball is in their court.

All stats courtesy of http://www.baseball-reference.com/ unless otherwise noted. 

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The Detroit Tigers have had a productive offseason to this point. Their biggest priority, Victor Martinez, was promptly inked for another four years, and signings/trades have also yielded Joakim Soria, Alex Avila, Anthony Gose, Joel Hanrahan and Josh Zeid.

Not bad for seven weeks’ work.

Assembling Detroit’s squad won’t stop there. Despite answering questions regarding designated hitter, catcher and, to a degree, center field, one glaring blemish still remains: the bullpen.

Speaking recently to Matt Dery on Detroit Sports 105.1 radio, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports believes it is essential that Detroit continues upgrading its relief stocks: “This (signing Hanrahan) can’t be the end of their bullpen spending. You cannot allow the bullpen to be your downfall for the third straight year.”

But with considerable cash already spent, what can we expect from team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski? His recent words suggest continued investment but of a more subtle nature, per Chris Iott of MLive: “I’m not saying we’re done, but sometimes they’re not the big splashy ones. They don’t have to be big dollars and big splashes.”

Detroit is particularly thin at left-handed relief. Andrew Miller is by far the best lefty available and arguably the best reliever overall on the market. Tigers fans would be tickled pink if their former first-round pick once again donned the home blue and whites; however, Dombrowski’s words seem to imply that Miller is not on the team’s radar.

There are still plenty of other fish in the sea that Detroit may wish to cast a line at if, indeed, Miller is beyond its ambitions.

We cannot forget that there are also internal options. Blaine Hardy was good last season until his performances dropped off late in the year. Ian Krol had an excellent start to the season (2.33 ERA in April-May), but he was awful after that. Kyle Ryan, whom manager Brad Ausmus turned to a few times out of the bullpen in September, is another alternative.

But if the Tigers do decide to look externally, these are the best candidates…

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If there were any doubt the Chicago White Sox intend to put a winning product on the field in 2015, the Adam LaRoche signing erased it.

LaRoche, one of the top bats on the market, agreed to a two-year, $25 million deal with Chicago on Friday, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. With the move, the White Sox bolstered their lineup and sent a strong message to the rest of the American League: We’re going for it.

If that “it” is a return to the top of the AL Central, the White Sox—who finished 17 games off the pace with a 73-89 record last year—have work to do.

Inking LaRoche helps. The 35-year-old veteran belted 26 home runs to go along with 92 RBI and a career-best .362 OBP with the National League East champion Washington Nationals. 

He should benefit from both a shift to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field and to the AL, where he’ll likely see significant time at designated hitter. 

Most essentially, LaRoche will join reigning AL Rookie of the Year Jose Abreu, with whom he may split time at first base and DH, to form a fearsome middle of the order.

So the Sox just got better, no question there, and are unambiguously in win-now mode.

“The only message we want to send at the end of the day is when our roster is complete, that people can dream again,” Kenny Williams, executive vice president, told CSNChicago.com‘s Dan Hayes this week.

What more must Chicago do to turn dreams into reality? Let’s take a look.

Bolster the Bullpen

The White Sox’s relief corps, which put up an unsightly 4.38 ERA in 2014, remains a work in progress.

Yes, Chicago signed Zach Duke to a three-year, $15 million deal. The 31-year-old left-hander had a career year in 2014 with the Milwaukee Brewers, posting a 2.45 ERA in 58.2 innings.

The Sox need more help, though, as general manager Rick Hahn told ESPNChicago.com‘s Doug Padilla.

“It was an important get, one we’re all very happy about,” Hahn said of the Duke deal. “But we’re not deluding ourselves that we’re by any means finished addressing our needs both in the bullpen or elsewhere.”

MLB.com‘s Phil Rogers speculates that the White Sox “probably won’t compete” for top free-agent bullpen arms like David Robertson and Andrew Miller. But, he adds, there’s an array of intriguing names with ninth-inning experience—Sergio Romo, Rafael Soriano, Francisco Rodriguez—who the team could target.

“One way or another,” Rogers concludes, “the Sox need a right-handed addition alongside Duke.”

Add a Starter

The top of Chicago’s rotation is set with a pair of dominant southpaws: Chris Sale (2.17 ERA, 0.966 WHIP, 208 SO, 174 IP) and Jose Quintana (3.32 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 178 SO, 200.1 IP). 

No other regular starter, however, posted an ERA below 4.00. Which means the White Sox should dip into this offseason’s deep pitching market.

As with the bullpen, Chicago isn’t likely to land the big free-agent arms, guys like Jon Lester and Max Scherzer who are sure to command nine figures. 

After those expensive aces, there’s a long list of worthy options. Ervin Santana and Francisco Liriano both have serious upside, though each rejected the qualifying offer and would thus cost a draft pick. 

Plucking James Shields away from the division-rival Kansas City Royals sounds tempting, but he wouldn’t come cheap.

A more realistic option might be 32-year-old right-hander Jason Hammel, who pitched part of last season in the Windy City with the Chicago Cubs and who the Sox find “intriguing,” according to the Chicago Tribune‘s Mark Gonzales.

Dangle Alexei Ramirez

Dealing an All-Star middle infielder might seem like an odd move for a team that’s trying to win now. And the White Sox should definitely tread carefully when it comes to trading shortstop Alexei Ramirez.

But, as MLB.com‘s Rogers notes:

With two years of control left, Ramirez is Hahn’s most attractive piece for trade talks. His value is at a max after he won a Silver Slugger Award and finished as a Gold Glove Award finalist, and a 2012 first-round Draft pick Tim Anderson is coming fast.

In a down year for free-agent shortstops, Ramirez could bring back a nice return that provides multiple upgrades elsewhere, and the Sox have options that could serve as the bridge to Anderson at some point in 2016.

If the White Sox can net MLB-ready talent and plug multiple holes by moving Ramirez, it’s at least worth considering. If they can’t, there’s nothing wrong with keeping him.

He’d look good on any winning team, which is exactly what Chicago is trying to become.

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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After two subpar seasons as a member of the Cleveland Indians, Nick Swisher‘s days with the Tribe could soon be numbered.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, the Indians are considering trading the 33-year-old first baseman and outfielder in exchange for a player with a similarly large contract:

Swish is currently under contract until the end of the 2017 MLB season at $14 million annually, per Spotrac.com. After hitting .208 with just eight home runs and 42 RBI in 2014, there is no question that there are concerns regarding his ability to live up to that deal.    

He was limited to just 97 games with various injuries, including a knee ailment that ended his season in August. Because of that, Indians general manager Chris Antonetti is considering moving Swisher back to the outfield on a full-time basis should he remain with the team, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com:

It’s a very real possibility that there could be less strain on Swish’s knees in the outfield than at first base. There are very different movements in the outfield and at first base. At first base there is a lot of bending and standing and stopping and starting. In the outfield there is more running, but fewer quick and abrupt movements.

If the organization moves forward with potential plans to trade him, though, Swisher’s utilization will be another team’s decision.

Swisher put up at least 23 home runs and 82 RBI in four consecutive seasons with the New York Yankees from 2009 through 2012, so he can be an impact player when healthy and on top of his game.

With such a massive contract attached to him, though, the Indians may not be willing to show patience.

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Veteran left-handed pitcher Zach Duke has bounced around the majors over the last several seasons, but he has reportedly signed a multi-year deal with the Chicago White Sox, according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports:

MLB Roster Moves later confirmed the signing:

Duke, 31, started his career as a starting pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 but made the transition to the bullpen when he was traded to Arizona after the 2010 season. He floated from Washington to Cincinnati before making his way to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014.    

In a career-high 74 appearances (58.2 innings) last season, Duke amassed an impressive 74 strikeouts, 12 holds and an ERA of 2.45. The White Sox needed pitching depth in the seventh and eighth innings, and they’ve now added a player who specializes in those moments.

With the ability to shut down left-handed hitters (holding lefties to a .198 batting average, per Baseball-Reference.com), Duke will join fellow relievers Jake Petricka, Ronald Belisario and Zach Putnam as the team continues rebuilding the bullpen.

Chicago still needs a true closer to emerge from the current group. If the organization doesn’t believe Scott Downs or any other pitcher on the roster is the answer, filling the void on the free-agent market would be an option.

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The Detroit Tigers don’t have long to decide about the future of catcher Alex Avila:

Detroit would be wise to re-sign Avila for another season. A catcher’s first job is to play solid defense, and to say Avila was solid behind the dish in 2014 would be an understatement—he was outstanding.

In addition to handling Detroit’s pitching staff with aplomb, Avila was highly effective at neutralising the opposition’s running game. The 27-year-old gunned down 34 percent of would-be base stealers (second in MLB) this season.

Avila also made one of the best defensive plays of the year when he climbed the screen at Comerica Park to make a Spider-Man-style catch in September.

His excellent defensive play was recognised when he finished among the finalists for the 2014 American League Gold Glove—ultimately won by Kansas City’s Salvador Perez.

On the offensive side, Avila’s contributions have caused more than a few groans in Motown in recent times. This is especially true for fans who still see him through the prism of his breakout season three years ago. In 2011, Avila emerged as Detroit’s everyday catcher, with his offensive numbers (.295, 18 HR, 82 RBI) convincing many people that he would be the Tigers’ everyday backstop for the next decade.

As the table below shows, Avila has been unable to reproduce anywhere near that level since. In fact, since the initial big dip in 2012, his productivity has dropped a little more each year.

Avila is not the offensive player he was in 2011, and he may never be again. However, what his bat does provide for the team is by no means terrible. His ability to walk and provide occasional pop helped him post an OPS of .686 this season—not far below the AL mean (.706).

Also, that bit of pop has often been of a timely nature. According to Matthew B. Mowery of The Oakland Press, three of Avila’s 11 home runs this year gave Detroit the lead and each came in the eighth inning or later—two in extra innings.

His left-handed bat also provides a good balance to Detroit’s lineup. Of the Tigers’ nine everyday players in 2014, only Avila and switch-hitter Victor Martinez hit from the left side. Detroit cannot afford to lose a lefty, especially since prospect Steven Moya may not be ready to face big league pitching next season.

So, with all things considered, where does Avila’s productivity place him among his peers? Perhaps the sabermetricians can decide for us.

As wins above replacement (WAR) combines both offensive and defensive data, it is the most comprehensive sabermetric stat for evaluating players. Avila’s WAR (2.1) ranked 13th out of 23 MLB catchers (minimum 400 at bats) in 2014, according to FanGraphs.

It is fair to conclude from this information that Avila is an average MLB player. So why should an ambitious, big-spending club like the Tigers settle for mediocrity?

Because picking up Avila’s option is only a one-year commitment, and the team will need him more in 2015 than it will afterward.

James McCann is the heir apparent at catcher, and he should be ready to usurp Avila’s position soon. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut in 2014 and has impressed at all levels in the Tigers system. He is close but not ready yet for everyday duties.

The optimal scenario for next year would be these two playing a catcher platoon. That would enable McCann to ease his way into the Detroit lineup and prove himself at this level.

At $5.4 million, Avila is not an expensive 12-month option for Detroit. There is also a chance he could recapture his 2011 form. You never know.

Call him mediocre if you like, but bringing Avila back is a pragmatic decision for the Tigers. With a shortage of lefty hitters and no ready successors, he is their best choice for starting backstop next Opening Day.

Worries about his three concussions last season have also been put to bed after a recent interview with Chris Iott of MLive.

Of course, Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers’ president, CEO and general manager, may choose to scour the trade market in search a new catcher. That is never out of the question.

If not, Avila will do—and be just fine too.

Unless otherwise stated, all stats in this article are courtesy of ESPN.com.

Follow me on Twitter: @jdunc1979

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Chicago White Sox All-Star shortstop Alexei Ramirez is reportedly at the center of trade inquiries from at least a few prominent MLB clubs.    

This revelation comes from CBSChicago.com’s Bruce Levine, who offered more details on the high demand regarding the 33-year-old veteran:

The interested teams include the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. All of these franchises are looking for a reliable shortstop to anchor their infields. The Mets have been the most aggressive in their pursuit of a shortstop over the past 12 months. General manager Sandy Alderson has had his top scouts looking at shortstops such as Ramirez.

Ramirez is a valuable asset in the infield with his strong arm and defensive ability. He also has some pop at the plate, evident in his two Silver Slugger Awards from 2010 and 2014.

The latter of those accolades was just announced Thursday, per ESPNChicago.com’s Doug Padilla:

Despite somewhat advanced age in MLB terms, there is plenty of incentive for a team needing a quality shortstop to attempt to land him in a trade.

Only two years remain on Ramirez’s current contract (h/t Spotrac.com), and he’s owed a rather modest $10 million in salary in each of the next two seasons. Considering how vital of a position shortstop is and Ramirez’s strong 2014 form, the Mets or another team could be looking at a great deal.

Newsday‘s Marc Carig weighed in on the speculation that Ramirez could wind up in a Mets uniform:

The Mets are an intriguing destination, as Ramirez would join an infield that already features seven-time All-Star third baseman David Wright. However, the lure of the Big Apple’s pinstripe powerhouse in the Bronx or the glamor of L.A. may be even more suitable.

Chicago also has to take its future outlook into account after two straight losing seasons before shipping a prized commodity in Ramirez out of town. Selling the fanbase may be difficult if the White Sox trade away Ramirez or any of their other valuable contributors.

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The Kansas City Royals are coming off of their most successful season in almost 30 years. Now, with an American League Championship in hand, the team faces a new set of challenges. Possibly the largest challenge of all is sustainability.

They won the American League Championship. They were within 90 feet of potentially tying the deciding World Series game. They have shown the world that they are ready to compete on the big stage. Being there once is impressive, but finding the formula to be there again in the near future is much more so.

The decisions facing the Royals this offseason are numerous. They made the first decision of the offseason when they announced that they had declined the $12.5 million option on designated hitter Billy Butler’s contract.

The decision to decline the contract option was anticipated. Now, general manager Dayton Moore has to go to work on replacing Butler in the lineup and the clubhouse. Butler, one of the longest-tenured Royals, had been employed by the team since 2008. His leadership will be missed. His bat can be replaced.

There are five options to replace Butler in Kansas City in 2015. Those options are listed here, ranked from least likely to most likely.

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The Minnesota Twins didn’t have to look far to find their next manager. According to Judd Zulgad of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, they are on the verge of naming Paul Molitor to the open position.

Zulgad reported that former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who was considered a strong contender, is out of the running, leaving Molitor the presumptive favorite. Patrick Reusse of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities added that a deal could be done by Monday:

Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press provided some more info:

Although Molitor would be a first-time manager, he has coaching experience with the Twins. He worked with the team last year and he was the baserunning and infield coordinator for Minnesota’s minor league system from 2005-13, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Molitor, a St. Paul native, spent his final three years in the league with the Twins. In 422 games, he had 23 home runs, 271 runs batted in and a slash line of .312/.362/.432 leading to his Hall of Fame induction in 2004.

In the event Molitor takes over as manager, he has big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Ron Gardenhire, amassed the third-most wins in franchise history (1,068) and won six American League Central titles.

The Twins only made marginal improvement from 2013 to 2014, jumping up to 70 wins from 66 a year ago. But with young stars like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, the groundwork is there for Minnesota to be a contender again.

Hiring a first-time manager is always a bit of a risk, but Molitor could be the guy to turn the team’s fortunes around and make Minnesota a contender again.

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It rained all day yesterday in Kansas City, so much that Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between the Royals and Orioles was postponed.  The rainout gives both teams an extra day of rest, but which team does the rainout help most?

The Royals won the first two games of the series, both close games played in Baltimore, but I think the rainout actually helps the Orioles more than it does the Royals.

Up 2-0 as the series moves back to Kansas City, the Royals have all of the momentum.  They have not lost a game yet this postseason and seem to be a team of destiny at this point.  The Orioles, on the other hand, are on the brink of having their season end soon.

There have been only three teams in MLB history that have come back from a 2-0 hole to win a League Championship Series.  And all three of those lost the first two games on the road and were able to regroup as the series came back to their home turf.

The Orioles, however, lost two consecutive games at Camden Yards and will have to scratch and claw to prolong the series past the minimum four games.

So the day off presumably takes some of the momentum away from the Royals, thus evening the teams a bit.

It’s not just for momentum purposes, though; it’s also the men calling the shots.  Buck Showalter is revered as one of the game’s best managers, while you would be hard-pressed to find someone who disagrees that the Royals have won in spite of Ned Yost, not because of him.

The day off gives both managers the opportunity to reshuffle their pitching staffs as they see fit.  The Orioles can bring back Chris Tillman on regular rest, and the Royals can start James Shields if they choose. 

The O’s need a win in Tuesday’s Game 3, so it would be sensible to put their best pitcher on the hill with their backs against the wall.  For the Royals, it’s a bit different.

Do they want to have Shields pitch against the opposing ace or save him to pitch against the O’s No. 2 starter?  Do they really want to use Shields again this early in the series, or give him a little extra rest so he’s ready to go if the series gets closer?

Those are all questions that Yost can ponder with the extra day off, but Showalter can as well.  It seems like the tide has to turn sometime, and maybe the Orioles will catch a break or two. 

The rainout basically adds up to an extra day of rest to allow both pitching staffs to refuel.  If the series goes six or seven games, whoever handles the pitching staff best will have the advantage. 

If history is any indication, the Orioles are better suited in that department; thus, they are going to benefit more from this rainout.  Give a mad scientist like Showalter an extra day to contemplate future moves, and the results have a good chance of improving.

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