Report: Tigers Not As Eager To Make Trades As It First Appeared
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
Just about every Tigers star has been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason, from Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera to Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez.
But there might not be much substance behind the speculation. According to Jon Morosi, the Tigers aren't as inclined to make trades as it was originally believed.
#Tigers officials telling teams that they are not as motivated to make trades as it appeared when offseason began. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 5, 2016
The Tigers looked committed to a roster overhaul this winter when general manager Al Avila said the organization needed to adopt a more efficient front-office approach. And that overhaul figured to take shape through a flurry of trades.
"Changes that we want to make are going to be dictated by what's available on the trade market," Avila said.
It bears mention that Avila has stressed a patient approach in regard to the organization's changing philosophy.
"The goal is to shed payroll and get better. Now, how do you do that? It may not all be accomplished in one shot. It's a process. I'm going to keep on saying that. It's not a process you do in three months," said Avila, according to MLB.com.
"At the very beginning, I said this may be a process that takes three winters, not just one winter," he added.
There's also the possibility that the Tigers haven't liked the offers they've received from other teams. Perhaps their assets - the four mentioned above, in particular - aren't as valuable as the organization believed.