LAKELAND, Fla. — Finally, Major League Baseball’s lockout is over.
MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a collective bargaining agreement Thursday, sources with knowledge of the players’ vote told the Free Press, settling disputes about the minimum salary, a bonus pool for pre-arbitration-eligible players, the competitive balance tax, a draft lottery and an expanded postseason.
MLB owners ratified the new CBA by a unanimous vote on Thursday night, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, with free agency set to begin soon after the official lifting of the lockout at 7 p.m..
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After three months of waiting, players on the Detroit Tigers‘ 40-man roster are allowed to show up to the spring training facility in Lakeland and can communicate with the organization’s employees, such as general manager Al Avila, manager AJ Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter.
Spring training games are scheduled to begin March 18.
That’s when the Philadelphia Phillies will arrive for a 1:05 p.m. matchup with the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium to start Grapefruit League play. Detroit is currently slated for 12 spring training games, including one split squad.
The Tigers and Chicago White Sox are set to meet April 8 for Opening Day at Comerica Park.
These are five things the Tigers need to do, right now:
Get everyone to camp
The Tigers have many players on the 40-man roster residing outside of the United States.
For example, left-handed closer Gregory Soto and third baseman Jeimer Candelario are in the Dominican Republic; second baseman Jonathan Schoop is in Curaçao; outfielder Victor Reyes is in Venezuela; and infielder Isaac Paredes is in Mexico.
It’s unclear whether these players are in the United States or a different country: right-hander Jose Cisnero, righty Angel De Jesus, left-hander Miguel Del Pozo, righty Rony Garcia and righty Elvin Rodriguez.
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The CDC requires all persons entering the United States via air travel — U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents and special visa holders included — to present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than one day before departure, or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days. The order does not apply to U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico.
If a player who isn’t in the U.S. tests positive for the virus, their arrival to spring training will be significantly delayed.
Designated hitter Miguel Cabrera has been training in Florida, and so has left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Before the lockout, the Tigers signed shortstop Javier Baez to a six-year, $140 million contract. He spent his offseason in Puerto Rico.
Sign starting pitcher
The Tigers signed Rodriguez to a five-year, $77 million contract before the lockout, but the organization needs another arm to bolster its starting rotation.
For now, the crew features Rodriguez, right-hander Casey Mize, left-hander Tarik Skubal and righty Matt Manning. Lefty Tyler Alexander could be in the mix for a starting role, though he fits better as a long reliever and spot starter.
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Regardless of Alexander’s role, adding another starting pitcher — likely a veteran on a short-term deal — is of the utmost importance. Before the lockout, the Tigers compiled a favorites list of pitchers on the open market.
Some names to watch: left-hander Tyler Anderson, right-hander Michael Pineda and righty Garrett Richards.
Before the lockout, the Tigers expressed interest in Anderson. The 32-year-old registered a 4.53 ERA with 38 walks and 134 strikeouts over 167 innings in 31 starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners last season.
The Tigers are not expected to bid for lefty Carlos Rodon.
Or make a trade
The Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds were open to trading players before the lockout, and the plan to dump payroll shouldn’t be any different coming out of baseball’s transaction freeze.
“Going into 2022, we must align our payroll to our resources and continue focusing on scouting and developing young talent from within our system,” Reds general manager Nick Kroll said after trading catcher Tucker Barnhart (and his $7.5 million team option in 2022) to the Tigers in early November.
Could the Tigers make a post-lockout trade with the Reds or A’s?
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Keep tabs on these six starting pitchers: right-hander Sonny Gray ($10.2 million in 2022, $12 million team option in 2023), right-hander Luis Castillo (free agent after 2023), right-hander Tyler Mahle (free agent after 2023), left-hander Sean Manaea (free agent after 2022), right-hander Chris Bassitt (free agent after 2022), right-hander Frankie Montas (free agent after 2023).
The Tigers aren’t ready to trade top prospects, though a small group of mid-tier prospects could be dealt. Avila will consider trade offers, but his organization won’t be overly aggressive on this front unless an oaligns with the team’s long-term plan.
What about a reliever?
The Tigers’ bullpen looks solid entering 2022.
Soto is lined up as the closer, followed by a slew of right-handers: Cisnero, Michael Fulmer, Kyle Funkhouser, Alex Lange, Joe Jimenez and Jason Foley. Assuming Alexander doesn’t make the rotation, the left-hander will serve as the primary long reliever.
But the Tigers need to think about upgrading the bullpen if they want to increase their chances of making the postseason. Left-hander Andrew Chafin or right-hander Collin McHugh would provide a massive boost.
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Last season, Chafin logged a 1.83 ERA with 19 walks and 64 strikeouts over 68⅔ innings for the Chicago Cubs (43 games) and Athletics (28 games). The Tigers only have one left-hander in the back end of the bullpen, so pursuing Chafin makes sense.
McHugh had a 1.55 ERA for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021, posting 12 walks and 74 strikeouts in 64 innings over 37 games (seven starts). He played for the Houston Astros from 2014-19, so he has a relationship with Hinch.
Although McHugh is a righty, his versatility is valuable.
Take care of contracts
Back in November, the Tigers tendered contracts to eight arbitration-eligible players for the 2022 season: Candelario, Cisnero, Reyes, Fulmer, Jimenez, right-hander Spencer Turnbull, catcher Dustin Garneau and utility player Harold Castro.
Those eight players will cost the Tigers roughly $20.9 million, estimated by a model from MLB Trade Rumors. Although the lockout has ended, these arbitration deals probably won’t start trickling in for two or three weeks.
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Candelario is projected to earn $5.9 million, Fulmer $5.1 million, Cisnero $1.9 million, Jimenez $1.8 million, Turnbull $1.8 million, Garneau $1.6 million, Castro $1.5 million and Reyes $1.3 million.
The Tigers will negotiate 2022 contracts with the players’ agents. If the two sides can’t agree on a salary, each party must exchange numbers and prepare for an arbitration hearing. If they don’t settle on a deal before the hearing, the case is decided by a panel of arbitrators.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.