McCann, very good rookie campaign (26 next year). He was not good.
V-Mar, more like last half than first (the only actual OLD player on the team at 37 next year). No where to go.
Miggy, first fully healthy off season in 3 years! (Will be 33 next year not 40.) Keeper.
Kinsler, cheaper next season but coming of one of, if not, his best seasons (34 next year not 44). Can't trade might as well keep.
Iggy, head trouble and maturity issues, sure, but batting .300 with great fielding (26 next year). Yep.
Castellanos, better at the end of the season than he was at the start and better at the start of the season than he was at the end of last season and better at the end of last season than he was at the start of that season. The kid keeps improving, that is as good sign. (24 next year). Sucks bad.
JD, another guy who keeps getting better (28 next season, Aug). Agree.
Gose, he showed signs of improvement (26 next season, Aug). Sucks bad.
Collins, a serviceable fielder who needs to keep hitting and have a good defensive back up (26 next year). Backup.
JV, back up to 99mph on the gun, will break 100mph next year, and be back to 100% JV -- great pitchers often have better 30s than 20s, I look for him to win a Cy next year, he has been one of the best pitchers at the end of this season, still not with all his tools fully back online, 33 next year not 43, rumors of his power-outage were greatly exaggerated).
Sanchez has a shoulder issue, he needs to be handled with care, but he is still a heck of a pitcher when healthy (32 next year, not 42).
Norris, lots of promise in this lefty, (23 next year, yeah, 23).
BTW, the tigers are one of the younger team sin the league, ESPN pretendes like they are old as dirt, but they are NOT.
Other reliable folks, Romine and Machado as a backups (they could be used to replace Iglesias if he were traded for a starter). Marte and Moya left something to be desired to me.
Verhagen, Wilson, Hardy are promising pitchers for next year, BBQ should be gone, Rondon should become someone else's headache, maybe Farmer and Ryan can be bullpen arms.
Maybe Boyd/Lobstien/Greene can hold down a spot in the rotation.
Tigers need to start the season with at least one more starter of near ace caliber (aka David Price or like him), a closer, probably 1-3 more bull pen arms, and maybe another starter.
Pitching is
ROTATION
JV
Fill-in-the-blank (FA)
Sanchez
Fill-in-the-blank (maybe Byod/Lobstien/Greene
Norris
Fill-in-the-blank (probably Byod/Lobstien/Greene)
PEN
Wilson
Hardy
Verhangen
Fill-in-the-blank (probably Ryan/Farmer)
Fill-in-the-blank
Fill-in-the-blank
Fill-in-the-blank (FA closer)
They do not need a second starter FA nor do they need a Left Fielder on opening day, they must pick this up by the deadline next year if they want to go deep into the playoffs.
But, a better pen (including a closer) and a second top tier starter are NOT optional by the start of the 2016 season.
At least one MUST be a big name to inspire confidence, Al Avila needs to make a splash.
The danger is if he gets too cute trying to impress. Retaining Ausmus feels a bit like doing the opposite of what everyone thinks that he should do rather than actually doing what he things is best (his press conference was a bit defensive).
Cespadas would be a great pick up, but a top tier pitcher would be better.
The Tigers problem is not lack of offense or even its defense, which admittedly has under-performed.
No, right now it is pitching, pitching, pitching, from the starting rotation to the non-existent closer.
