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Tigers DET

201764–98 (0.395)
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GM: Al Avila

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2017, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$168M
Surplus $M
-88
Win %
0.395
TAB
-13.3
WAB
-21.1
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
23.9
Dead money %
36%
Depth Players
6.0
Dead WAR
-7.2

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2017 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RJames McCann103
LAlex Avila⇄69
RJohn Hicks18
RBryan Holaday11
BVictor Martinez3
BAndrew Romine1

1B

RMiguel Cabrera115
RJohn Hicks26
BAndrew Romine22
LEfren Navarro20

2B

RIan Kinsler135
BAndrew Romine27
RDixon Machado27
RBryan Holaday1

3B

RNick Castellanos129
BJeimer Candelario⇄27
BAndrew Romine23
RDixon Machado5

SS

RJose Iglesias130
RDixon Machado32
BAndrew Romine10

LF

RMikie Mahtook19
BAndrew Romine18
LAlex Presley13
LTyler Collins4
LMatthew den Dekker1

CF

RMikie Mahtook67
RJaCoby Jones51
LTyler Collins26
BAndrew Romine24
LAlex Presley19

RF

LAlex Presley36
LJames Adduci26
RMikie Mahtook25
RNick Castellanos21
LTyler Collins17
BAndrew Romine11
LMatthew den Dekker2
RJaCoby Jones1

DH

BVictor Martinez104
RJ.D. Martinez⇄57
RMiguel Cabrera14
RJohn Hicks12
LAlex Avila⇄8
BAndrew Romine7
RNick Castellanos7
LAlex Presley5
RDixon Machado5
RIan Kinsler3
RJames McCann3
LJames Adduci2
RMikie Mahtook2
LEfren Navarro1
RBryan Holaday1

Starters

RMichael Fulmer3.6 WAR
RJustin Verlander⇄3.1 WAR
LMatthew Boyd2.1 WAR
LDaniel Norris1.4 WAR
RJordan Zimmermann1.2 WAR
RAnibal Sanchez0.5 WAR
RBuck Farmer0.3 WAR
RArtie Lewicki0.1 WAR
RMyles Jaye-0.3 WAR
LChad Bell-0.3 WAR
RDrew VerHagen-0.5 WAR

Bullpen

★ RShane Greene9 sv
RAlex Wilson17 h
LDaniel Stumpf9 h
LBlaine Hardy6 h
RWarwick Saupold2 h
LChad Bell1 h
LJustin Wilson⇄0 h
RFrancisco Rodriguez0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 2016)

PlayerfWAR
Alex Avila1.3
Mikie Mahtook1.3
Jeimer Candelario0.7
James Adduci0.2
Daniel Stumpf0.1
Efren Navarro0.1

Key subtractions (gone from 2016)

Player2016 fWAR
Cameron Maybin2.0
Erick Aybar0.2
Dustin Molleken0.1
Logan Kensing0.0
Joe Mantiply-0.1
Bobby Parnell-0.1

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Tigers. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 2017; everyone else is shown as a 2017 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Michael Fulmer 2017 +3.6 +62.6 0.6 +62.1 $0.2M 2.19× –
Justin Upton↔ 2017 +3.8 +54.6 18.2 +36.4 $4.8M 1.79× –
Justin Verlander↔ 2017 +3.1 +48.6 23.8 +24.9 $7.6M 1.96× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $13.0M AAV
Matthew Boyd 2017 +2.1 +24.9 0.5 +24.3 $0.3M 1.49× Free Agent · 2026–2027 · $14.5M AAV
Nick Castellanos 2017 +2.1 +14.1 3.0 +11.1 $1.4M 0.85× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Ian Kinsler 2017 +2.5 +21.6 11.0 +10.6 $4.4M 1.07× –
Daniel Norris 2017 +1.4 +11.0 0.5 +10.4 $0.4M 1.02× –
J.D. Martinez↔ 2017 +1.7 +14.0 5.6 +8.4 $3.3M 1.01× –
Mikie Mahtook 2017 +1.3 +8.4 0.5 +7.8 $0.4M 0.83× –
Shane Greene 2017 +0.7 +7.7 0.6 +7.1 $0.8M 1.34× –
Alex Avila↔ 2017 +1.3 +7.3 1.4 +5.9 $1.0M 0.69× –
Alex Wilson 2017 +0.5 +5.0 1.2 +3.8 $2.5M 1.34× –
Justin Wilson↔ 2017 +0.9 +5.0 1.7 +3.3 $1.9M 0.67× –
Jeimer Candelario↔ 2017 +0.7 +3.2 0.1 +3.1 $0.1M 0.58× –
Buck Farmer 2017 +0.3 +2.7 0.2 +2.6 $0.5M 1.02× –
John Hicks 2017 +0.6 +2.7 0.3 +2.5 $0.5M 0.56× –
Alex Presley 2017 +0.4 +2.6 0.4 +2.2 $1.0M 0.83× –
James McCann 2017 +0.7 +2.8 0.6 +2.2 $0.8M 0.52× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $2.8M AAV
Jose Iglesias 2017 +1.0 +5.1 4.1 +1.0 $3.9M 0.61× –
Bruce Rondón 2017 +0.3 +1.5 0.8 +0.7 $3.0M 0.67× –
Daniel Stumpf 2017 +0.1 +0.7 0.4 +0.3 $2.9M 0.67× –
Efren Navarro 2017 +0.1 +0.3 0.1 +0.3 $1.2M 0.56× –
Artie Lewicki 2017 +0.1 +0.3 0.1 +0.2 $1.6M 0.67× –
Arcenio Leon 2017 -0.0 -0.1 0.0 -0.1 – 0.67× –
Jairo Labourt 2017 -0.0 -0.1 0.1 -0.2 – 0.67× –
Victor Alcántara 2017 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 – 0.67× –
Jeff Ferrell 2017 -0.1 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 – 0.67× –
Bryan Holaday 2017 -0.2 -0.8 0.1 -0.9 – 0.52× –
Zac Reininger 2017 -0.2 -0.8 0.1 -0.9 – 0.67× –
Joe Jiménez 2017 -0.2 -1.0 0.2 -1.2 – 0.67× Extension · 2024–2026 · $8.7M AAV
Kyle Ryan 2017 -0.1 -0.8 0.5 -1.3 – 0.67× –
Blaine Hardy 2017 -0.2 -1.1 0.3 -1.4 – 0.67× –
Dixon Machado 2017 -0.2 -0.9 0.5 -1.5 – 0.61× –
Edward Mujica 2017 -0.3 -1.5 0.0 -1.6 – 0.67× –
Myles Jaye 2017 -0.3 -1.5 0.1 -1.6 – 0.67× –
Chad Bell 2017 -0.3 -1.6 0.4 -1.9 – 0.67× –
Warwick Saupold 2017 -0.3 -1.7 0.4 -2.1 – 0.67× –
Drew VerHagen 2017 -0.5 -2.5 0.2 -2.7 – 0.67× –
Andrew Romine 2017 -0.6 -2.6 1.3 -3.9 – 0.56× –
JaCoby Jones 2017 -0.8 -5.3 0.5 -5.8 – 0.83× –
Tyler Collins 2017 -0.8 -5.6 0.5 -6.2 – 0.83× –
Jordan Zimmermann 2017 +1.2 +9.7 18.0 -8.3 $15.1M 1.02× –
Aníbal Sánchez 2017 +0.5 +4.1 16.8 -12.7 $33.0M 1.02× –
Francisco Rodríguez 2017 -0.7 -7.7 6.0 -13.7 – 1.34× –
Victor Martinez 2017 -0.9 -4.9 18.0 -22.9 – 0.69× –
Miguel Cabrera 2017 -0.4 -1.8 28.0 -29.8 – 0.56× –
William Cuevas 2017 -0.0 -0.0 0.0 -0.0 – 0.67× –
James Adduci 2017 +0.2 +1.1 – – – 0.83× –
Matthew den Dekker 2017 +0.0 +0.1 – – – 0.83× –
Total—+24.0+278.5167.9+109.4—

Trades

Every graded 2017 deal involving the Tigers — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 6 total.

2017 · DET / TBR
DET · Al Avila +$4.0M
Mikie Mahtook
TBR · Erik Neander −$4.0M
Drew Smith
DET came out ahead by $4.0M
2017 · DET / CHC
DET · Al Avila +$34.4M
Jeimer Candelario, Isaac Paredes
CHC · Theo Epstein −$34.4M
Alex Avila, Justin Wilson
DET came out ahead by $34.4M
2017 · ANA / DET
ANA · Billy Eppler +$1.6M
Ian Kinsler
DET · Al Avila −$1.6M
Troy Montgomery, Wilkel Hernandez
ANA came out ahead by $1.6M
2017 · DET / ANA
DET · Al Avila +$32.0M
Grayson Long, Elvin Rodríguez
ANA · Billy Eppler −$32.0M
Justin Upton
DET came out ahead by $32.0M
2017 · ARI / DET
ARI · Mike Hazen +$28.8M
J. D. Martinez
DET · Al Avila −$28.8M
Dawel Lugo, Sergio Alcántara, Jose King
ARI came out ahead by $28.8M
2017 · HOU / DET
HOU · Jeff Luhnow +$196.8M
Justin Verlander, Juan Ramirez
DET · Al Avila −$196.8M
Daz Cameron, Franklin Perez, Jake Rogers
HOU came out ahead by $196.8M

Current & Historical Payroll

2017 payroll
$168.0M
2018 guaranteed
$0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2017, 2017–2023. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2017; arbitration & free-agent years are projected from service time. Hover a figure for its luxury-tax (CBT) & actual-cash values.

current $ guaranteed $ arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent club option player option mutual option vesting option

Guaranteed / signed (10)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
Miguel Cabrera3413.101$28.0MFREE AGENT
Justin Verlander3411.002$23.8MFREE AGENT
Justin Upton299.060$18.2MFREE AGENT
Victor Martinez3813.114$18.0MFREE AGENT
Jordan Zimmermann317.154$18.0MFREE AGENT
Aníbal Sánchez3310.099$16.8MFREE AGENT
Ian Kinsler3511.000$11.0MFREE AGENT
Francisco Rodríguez3513.115$6.0MFREE AGENT
Alex Avila307.061$1.4MFREE AGENT
Edward Mujica338.115$34kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (12)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
J.D. Martinez295.036$5.6MFREE AGENT
Jose Iglesias274.036$4.1MARB 3FREE AGENT
Nick Castellanos253.029$3.0MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Justin Wilson294.035$1.7MARB 3FREE AGENT
Andrew Romine314.049$1.3MARB 3FREE AGENT
Alex Wilson303.038$1.2MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bruce Rondón263.037$850kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alex Presley313.100$371kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Daniel Stumpf263.037$354kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bryan Holaday293.025$91kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
James Adduci324.000—ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matthew den Dekker294.000—ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (27)

PlayerAgeSvc2017201820192020202120222023
James McCann272.028$552kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Michael Fulmer240.157$552kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Shane Greene282.075$551kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kyle Ryan251.113$546kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Daniel Norris241.073$546kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tyler Collins271.080$545kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matthew Boyd260.169$544kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mikie Mahtook271.011$541kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dixon Machado250.075$538kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
JaCoby Jones250.034$536kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Warwick Saupold271.035$406kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Chad Bell280.129$380kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
John Hicks270.069$289kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Blaine Hardy302.037$275kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Joe Jiménez220.000$219kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Drew VerHagen261.078$205kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Buck Farmer261.031$152kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeff Ferrell260.040$143kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Zac Reininger240.000$114kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Efren Navarro311.072$91kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jairo Labourt23–$91k
Myles Jaye25–$88k
Artie Lewicki250.000$85kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Victor Alcántara240.000$79kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jeimer Candelario230.006$66kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Arcenio Leon30–$41k
William Cuevas26–$6k

Graphs

How each 2017 acquisition stacked onto Tigers's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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