The Detroit Tigers have added two crucial players to help catch Cleveland

Perhaps Detroit sports fans have moved on from the Detroit Lions’ National Football League Divisional Championship loss.

It’s baseball time.

The improving Detroit Tigers begin spring training this week in Lakeland, Florida.

The Tigers finished the 2024 season with an 86-76 record, 6.5 games behind first-place Cleveland in the Central Division.

All About the Money:

According to sportsrac.com, the Tigers have a tax payroll of $143, 000, 416, ranking 19th in Major League Baseball.

The current Tigers Tax Payroll exceeds the $104-114 million spent on team payroll last season.

Cleveland’s current tax payroll is $102,987,023, ranking it 25th among MLB teams.

With the exception of the Chicago White Sox, the American League Central Division’s teams play in small to mid-markets, as evidenced by the payrolls of the Tigers, Guardians, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals.

According to sportrac.com, the White Sox have a tax payroll of $67,829,999.

The White Sox are 29th in Tax Payroll. Only the Miami Marlins have a lower payroll than Chicago, with $61,296,666.

This offseason:

Have the Tigers done enough to catch the Guardians, who have lost dominant first baseman Josh Naylor and Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez?

To help make up ground, the Tigers have added a few new players to their roster.

The Tigers have added second baseman Gleyber Torres, right-handed starter Jack Flaherty, reliever Tommy Kahnle, and starter Alex Cobb.

Cobb is currently dealing with a hip issue and will most likely be sidelined for a month.

Two new players stand out to this old scout as the Tigers pursue the Guardians.

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1) Gleyber Torres:

On December 27, Gleyber Torres signed a one-year, $15 million contract with Detroit.

Torres adds some power from the right side of the plate to a lineup stacked with talented, young left-handed hitters.

Torres, 28, has most recently played for the New York Yankees.

Torres is 6’1 and weighs 205 pounds.

Torres signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent from Caracas, Venezuela, in 2013.

The Cubs awarded Torres a $1.7 million signing bonus.

Torres was traded to the Yankees in July 2016, along with Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman.

Torres became a free agent at the end of the previous World Series.

Torres was an American League All-Star for the Yankees in 2018 and 2019.

Torres batted.257/.330/.378/.709 in 665 plate appearances last season, scoring 80 runs, hitting 26 doubles, 15 home runs, and driving in 63. Torres stole four bases in seven attempts.

Torres’ stat line over parts of seven seasons is.265/.334/.441/.774, with 138 home runs and 441 RBIs.