Tigers Clips Thursday, October 20, 2016

Detroit Free Press Most likely Detroit Tiger to be traded? Probably J.D. Martinez (Fenech) ' 'long' revamp process will start with trades (Fenech)

The Detroit News What's next for Tigers? Here are some thoughts (Paul) Rabelo named of West Whitecaps (Henning)

MLive.com Make Comerica Great Again? I'm With Ver? Name the Tigers' new offseason plan (Woodbery)

CBSDetroit.com Verlander, Miggy, Kinsler — Which Tigers Most Likely To Be Traded For Younger, Leaner Team? (Burchfield)

Daily Transactions

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Most likely Detroit Tiger to be traded? Probably J.D. Martinez October 20, 2016 By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Tigers aren’t in a position to spend more money. said as much on Tuesday afternoon, saying with certainty the team would not be a big player in the free agent market. Avila wants the team to get younger. He wants more financial flexibility. And this off-season, he will approach the trade market with a number of high-priced, uber-productive chips, none more likely to get moved – if a move is made – than rightfielder J.D. Martinez. Martinez is scheduled to free agency after the 2017 season. He is due $11.75 million. “I don’t foresee any talks of a long-term contract at this point,” Avila said. “In saying that, we’re going to keep an open mind in what possibilities come across this winter, this coming summer. I’m not going to rule out that we wouldn’t consider a long-term deal, but sitting here today, we’re not thinking that way right now. Can’t say we wouldn’t be thinking about that down the road.” It would seem unlikely the Tigers would be thinking about a Martinez extension much given the fact Avila all but admitted the team’s payroll would be decreasing. Martinez, who has been one of the better hitters in baseball for the past three seasons, will be in line for a contract similar to the six-year, $132.75 million contract that leftfielder signed last off-season. In 2016, Martinez hit .307 with 22 home runs and 68 RBI. He missed seven weeks with a broken elbow in the middle of the season. He has emerged as a heart-of-the-lineup force with major power since the Tigers picked him up off the scrap heaps in 2014. Other players will be written and talked about – like ace righty or – but simply put, the Tigers do not profile as a postseason-contending team by trading one of the best and players in the . With so much power in a lineup that includes , Victor Martinez, Kinsler, Upton and even Nick Castellanos, trading J.D. Martinez could be the easiest way to gain some flexibility on and off the field. If they were to move J.D. Martinez, perhaps or – who are both out of minor-league options – could get the bulk of time in rightfield. Both would add a left-handed hitter to the Tigers’ righty heavy lineup, but are not nearly the player J.D. Martinez is. “That’s why we’re going to go in with an open mind in the wintertime,” Avila said. “To see what changes you can make that can not hurt you that much.”

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Detroit Tigers' 'long' revamp process will start with trades October 20, 2016 By Anthony Fenech/ Detroit Free Press

Last year, Al Avila laid out his off-season plans in plain sight. The general manager wanted the Detroit Tigers to add two starting pitchers and beef up the bullpen. Signing leftfielder Justin Upton to a lucrative, long-term deal was not part of those initial plans. But plans change. “This year is going to be different,” Avila said Tuesday afternoon. “This year, we’re going to go out and talk to 29 other clubs and see how we can start, little by little, making this team leaner, younger, more efficient and, at the same time, staying competitive, trying to get to the playoffs. So that’s where the tightrope is that we’re walking on.” That tightrope will be walked right through the trade market. The Tigers, whose payroll stands around $176 million, will not be adding to it, Avila said. More likely, they will decrease it. Fewer dollars to spend means that the team likely won’t be a big player in this fall's weak free agent market. “Other than the two players that we have options on, every position is set," Avila said. "So I can’t say, ‘Here’s a plan of action, we’re going to get this guy.’” The second-year general manager also can’t say which of his high-priced players could be lost in a bloodletting. “There’s guys you’d prefer not to (trade),” Avila said, "particularly the younger guys that performed well this year, that you have under control, that you figure are going to be part of your future. Most of those guys, we don’t want to trade. But you can’t rule it out.” It would seem unlikely that, with the youth movement that Avila detailed in 48 minutes with the local media, the Tigers would part with prospects. More likely, big names -- perhaps face-of-the-franchise names -- will move if the price is right. “It’s going to be a very difficult situation,” Avila said. Difficult, because the Tigers almost assuredly will not get the kind of immediate impact from the players they would get in return for players like, say, rightfielder J.D. Martinez or second baseman Ian Kinsler. Difficult, too, because the team’s hands are tied when it comes trading players such as ace Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, who have earned their 10-and-5 rights -- having played 10 seasons in the big leagues and five with their current team -- which carry no-trade protection. Difficult also because no team will touch the contracts the Tigers really would like to get rid of, such as pitchers Anibal Sanchez, and Mark Lowe. “I can’t sit here and tell you how we’re going to trade so-and-so because, at the end of the day, we might not be able to even accomplish a lot of the things we want to accomplish,” Avila said. “And that’s why I say it’s going to be a long process. It’s not going to be a short process. “It’s really unknown until we get there and really get deep into some talks with other clubs." That could come as soon as the general managers' meetings early next month. Avila said the team’s goal is to reach out to enough opposing GMs that, when they arrive in , they’re ready to discuss deals. Last year, Avila spent the meetings talking to agents of free agents. This year, he will be tasked with walking the tightrope of the trade market at a crossroads in the organization’s philosophy. “Moving forward, the changes that we want to make are going to be dictated by what’s available on the trade market,” Avila said. “What other clubs may have the needs that we might be able to fill and what certain clubs may have that we might like in return.”

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What's next for Tigers? Here are some thoughts October 20, 2016 By Tony Paul/ The Detroit News

Detroit — After Tigers general manager Al Avila's season-ending debriefing Tuesday, here are some of my takeaways. 1. Can we stop assuming Avila has had conversations with ? The Tigers are very conveniently using the phrase "Mr. I." or "Mr. Ilitch" these days. My question is: Which Mr. Ilitch? Given the Tigers clearly have an edict to cut the payroll, you have to wonder if it's coming from heir apparent, . Mike Ilitch is 87 and may not be as involved with the team as he has been in the past. Under Mike Ilitch, the Tigers have been aggressive spenders every year since opened in 2000 — from the eight-year, $140-million offer to Juan Gonzalez to last year's six-year, $132.75-million deal for Justin Upton — until, it seems, now. 2. I've been listening to a lot of sports-talk radio this week, and I've heard some so-called experts say they don't necessarily trust Avila to orchestrate this rebuild, or whatever you want to call it. Get real. Ask around, and folks in the know will tell you Avila is one of the best talent evaluators in the game. Yes, he goofed on Mike Pelfrey and Mark Lowe. He also is the guy who identified J.D. Martinez and Michael Fulmer as stars in the making, long before they were Tigers. 3. Avila has warned fans not to expect any significant free-agent signings. Well, this is the offseason to do that, given the free-agent market is mediocre. Outside of position players Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Justin Turner, Neil Walker and Ian Desmond — and closers Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen — there's nothing to write home about. That's right, no good starting pitching to speak about. There's a lot of teams that will sit out this sweepstakes. 4. So, who do you trade? The obvious answers are right fielder J.D. Martinez and second baseman Ian Kinsler. That's more than $22 million in payroll right there for next season, and you'd get a significant return of young, controllable talent in return. Problem is, obviously, there aren't immediate replacements for those guys. So expect any package of either Martinez or Kinsler to include a young chip who could project to be the immediate — and long-term — replacements. 5. So, who don't you trade? Simple. Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera. A year ago, they weren't even movable, because they weren't the stars they used to be, and they'd been injured. Now, there certainly would be suitors, especially for Verlander, given the vacant pitching free-agent market. But these guys will be making this franchise money long after we're gone and buried — fans will be wearing Cabrera and Verlander jerseys 100 years from now. They stay, for sure. 6. I'll give Avila credit for being overly transparent Tuesday in regard to the Tigers' tough-decision offseason. That's not easy to do, given the fans are now either nervous, or downright upset. That means the Tigers best be bracing for another significant drop in season-ticket renewals, even more than they lost after their last-place finish in 2015. 7. The Tigers have been operating beyond their means for years, under Mike Ilitch, who never looked at the Tigers as a money maker as opposed to his own personal toy. He wanted a ring more than anything, and was willing to spend whatever it took, profits be darned. The Tigers are a mid-market team; mid- market teams can't sustain $200-million payrolls and luxury taxes, especially when they've now gone two years without a playoff gate, and three years with just one. 8. Perhaps the most troubling news out of Tuesday's presser was that the Tigers haven't decided whether to pick up the super-affordable options of two of their better players from 2016 — center fielder ($9 million, 1.9 WAR) and closer Francisco Rodriguez ($6 million, 1.1 WAR). Maybin is a catalyst, and Anthony Gose, a guy who last I checked had yet to apologize to Lloyd McClendon for his immature blowup at A Toledo, isn't an answer. And Bruce Rondon isn't a closer, 9. On that front, here's one option — pick up Maybin's option, and then trade him. That could be the way to go, given, again, the weak free-agent market, and the fact his stock is at an all-time high. There would be suitors, and the Tigers could roll the dice with a JaCoby Jones and Tyler Collins platoon. It wouldn't be as feasible to

4 pick up-and-trade with K-Rod, even though he's been good for many, many years. The closer free-agent market is actually robust. 10. I've heard just about every Tigers name being talked about as a trade chip. Here's who likely isn't going anywhere: A) Pelfrey, Anibal Sanchez, Lowe and Victor Martinez, because their contracts are too big to unload; the only way one of these comes off the books is if they're packaged in a J.D. Martinez or Kinsler deal, but, then, that will minimize your return haul. B) Jose Iglesias, Nick Castellanos, Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and James McCann. They're the future.

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Rabelo named manager of October 20, 2016 By Lynn Henning/ The Detroit News

That high-energy Tigers minor-league post at Single-A West Michigan will have a new manager in 2017. It has been learned that , the former Tigers who was part of Detroit’s 2007 trade with the Marlins that brought Miguel Cabrera to Comerica Park, will be the Whitecaps’ new skipper. Rabelo managed at short-season Single A Connecticut the past three seasons. , a highly regarded manager and teacher in the Tigers’ farm system, has been promoted to Single A Lakeland, replacing Dave Huppert, with whom the Tigers have parted ways following six seasons there. It is anticipated Lloyd McClendon and , the managers at Triple-A Toledo and -A Erie, will return in 2017, given that both sides have been mutually interested in staying aboard. New contracts could be finalized within days. Also returning for 2017 will be the Tigers’ roving instructors: (hitting), A.J. Sager (pitching) and (outfield/baserunning). The Tigers have parted ways with two farm-system hitting coaches: Nelson Santovenia, who was at Lakeland, and Edgar Alfonzo, who had been at West Michigan. , the long-time Tigers farm prospect and minor-league home king, will move to West Michigan as the Whitecaps’ new hitting . Hessman had been on Rabelo's staff at Connecticut during the 2016 season. Pitching coach Mark Johnson, who has spent the past two seasons at West Michigan, has been asked to move with Graham to Lakeland. Pitching coach Jorge Cordova is expected to transfer from Lakeland to West Michigan. No new manager has yet been named at Connecticut, the short-season stop that does not begin its schedule until June. Rabelo is viewed as a charismatic manager, excellent with young players, who should be a good fit at West Michigan where Fifth Third Ballpark has a heavy following, a high-voltage game presentation, and a community that tends to adopt its players, and staffers. Graham, a native of Australia and one-time catcher in the Tigers farm system, is a player-development mechanic whose carrot-and-stick ways with young talent has steadily impressed his bosses in Detroit. McClendon, of course, was a Tigers coach on manager ’s staff before he became Mariners manager in 2014. He agreed last autumn to become the Mud Hens skipper, replacing the retired . Lance Parrish was a Tigers All-Star catcher through their 1980s golden days and then was a Tigers coach under former manager . Parrish became Erie’s manager in 2014. The promotions of Graham and Rabelo were anticipated after each skipper had gotten steadily solid reviews for their work at West Michigan and Connecticut.

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Make Comerica Great Again? I'm With Ver? Name the Tigers' new offseason plan October 20, 2016 By Evan Woodbery/ MLive.com

DETROIT -- The term "rebuilding" carries a lot of baggage, suggesting that a team plans to sacrifice a season or two while they scrap the roster and start over. That's why Detroit Tigers general manager Al Avila said that's not the best way to describe his plans for the offseason. He said Tuesday he wants to make the Tigers younger and more nimble and reduce the team's reliance on expensive free agents while still competing for the playoffs in 2017. "I'm not comfortable with the word rebuild. I don't think it's the right term," he said. "I've read 're-tool' and I don't know if that's the right term. "In describing the process, you could probably name it however you want to name it." So let's give it a try. With rebuilding and re-tooling, we have a good prefix, so we'll stick with that for a while. How about Refresh, Reboot, Rejuvenation, Restoration? Revitalization sounds like an urban housing Renewal. So in keeping with that theme, throw in Refurbishment, Restoration and Renovation. The public works theme suggests the New Deal, which of course was followed by the Fair Deal and the New Frontier. The first two make sense, given Avila's intention to be dealing this winter. More recently we've had Hope and Change. A check of Tuesday's transcript reveals that Avila used "change" or some variation 12 times. Asked if the Tigers would compete for a playoff spot in 2017, he said, "I would hope." Amid the current election, Make Comerica Great Again has to be mentioned, I'm afraid, but is just too obvious. If you think the Tigers already are great and you don't want major changes, you could say, "I'm With Ver." If the trade market is cold this year, the offseason could be quieter than expected, meaning the 2017 would just be a Rearrangement or even a Reaffirmation of 2016. If they make a few changes, it could be a Reconfiguration by adding players to serve as Reinforcement. Avila said he wants to keep the Tigers' window of opportunity open for years to come, so this offseason could be a Reframing of expectations. If none of these suggestions sound good, feel free to suggest your own. Al Avila is all ears. "If you guys can come up with a slogan, let me know and we'll go with it," he said.

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Verlander, Miggy, Kinsler — Which Tigers Most Likely To Be Traded For Younger, Leaner Team? October 20, 2016 By Will Burchfield/ CBSDetroit.com

Tigers general manager Al Avila raised some eyebrows at his end-of-the-year press conference on Tuesday, suggesting that the team needs to get younger and leaner. “Changes are coming,” he said. After confirming that the Tigers’ $205 million payroll will likely go down and that they will not be major players in free agency (not that there’s much out there to begin with), Avila explained the team will try to shake up the roster through trades. “Changes that we want to make are going to be dictated by what’s available on the trade market,” he said. In that light, here are the five Tigers who are most likely to be traded this offseason. 1. Ian Kinsler Coming off the arguably the best season of his career, Kinsler would be a hot commodity on the trade market. He hit for both power and average in 2016 and played terrific defense at second base, which translated into 6.1 (per baseballreference.com.) But if the Tigers want to get younger, Kinsler, 34, is a prime candidate to be traded. Given his great track record and affordable contract (he’ll make $11 million in 2017 with a $10 million club option for 2018), he could bring back an impressive haul. 2. J.D. Martinez There may not be a more tradable position player on the Tigers’ roster right now than Martinez. The 29-year- old has emerged as one of the better power hitters in the game over the past two seasons and will make just $11.75 million in 2017. For a guy with 30+ HR, 100+ RBI pedigree, that’s a serious bargain. But Martinez will be an unrestricted free agent due for a big-time raise at the end of next season, and the suddenly frugal-minded Tigers likely won’t be the team to meet his demands. By trading the slugging right fielder before that, they won’t risk losing him for nothing. 3. Justin Verlander This one might be anathema to Tigers’ fans, but Verlander has to be on the table. The 33-year-old re-established himself as one of the premier starters in baseball in 2016, finishing second in the A.L. in ERA and leading the league in . But the fact remains he’ll make $28 million per year through his age-36 season (2019), with a possibly-vesting option for $22 million the year after. As far as shedding salary goes, Verlander is the Tigers’ most viable option. (Yes, he has a full no-trade clause, but one has to figure Verlander would approve a trade under the right circumstances.) 4. Miguel Cabrera The rationale for trading Cabrera is the same as it is for moving Verlander. The two-time MVP is coming off another strong season (surprise, surprise,) but he’s on the wrong side of 30 and will earn a whopping $31 million per year through 2023, with vesting options for $30 million through 2025. It’s a contract that is almost guaranteed to end poorly, so it would behoove the Tigers to rid themselves of it when they still can. Whether another team would be willing to take on that kind of money, even at a discount, is a much different question. (Cabrera has a limited no-trade clause.) 5. Justin Upton By first impression, it’s hard to imagine Upton having much trade value. He will earn $22+ million per year through 2021 and he struggled through large portions of the past season. But Upton, for all the handwringing about his underperformance, actually put forth one of the most productive offensive seasons of his career in 2016. (Go ahead, check the numbers.) The Tigers may not be able to get much back in a trade, but if they find a team willing to take on the rest of his $132-million contract don’t be surprised if they pull the trigger. (Upton can block trades to 20 teams throughout the duration of his contract.)

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LAST UPDATED: THU, OCTOBER 20, 2016, 02:12 EDT

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Atlanta Braves Blake Lalli Signed to a Minor League Contract

Minnesota Twins Tommy Milone Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Minnesota Twins Andrew Albers Outrighted to Minors

Minnesota Twins Logan Schafer Outrighted to Minors

Minnesota Twins Tommy Milone Outrighted to Minors

Minnesota Twins Pat Dean Outrighted to Minors

Minnesota Twins James Beresford Outrighted to Minors

Washington Nationals Bronson Arroyo Released

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

TEAM PLAYER TRANSACTION

Atlanta Braves Brandon Snyder Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Atlanta Braves Blake Lalli Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

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Philadelphia Phillies Emmanuel Burriss Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

Seattle Mariners Steve Johnson Refused Minor League Assignment - Free Agent

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