That beard needs a minor league deal!

It’s reached the point in the off-season where things are finally (BLESSEDLY, MERCIFULLY) starting to happen in regards to free agents. One of the two biggest names signed a mammoth contract, a top-flight pending free agent inked a monster deal, and — most surprisingly — teams have been doling out really sharp minor league deals to veteran players.

These contracts, from the fan perspective, seem like really great opportunities: it’s a low-risk deal with the chance to turn into a solid major league contract. For front offices, these deals represent an ultimately high-reward player who can simply be cut if they don’t show enough to dwell in the minors — a fiscally wise choice. For players, however, it’s kind of a downer, being forced to potentially sign for below what you may actually be worth, but it’s also a better opportunity than just sitting around playing Squash.

The Detroit Tigers have been mostly low-key during this off-season, signing some free agents who could pay pretty nice dividends if they pan out, but mostly staying away from offering some minor league deals to previously established veterans. Well, after that Josh Harrison signing (a pretty damn good move, honestly) I got to thinking about the Tigers signing more free agents, especially minor league deals with upside (y’know, which could be dealt at the deadline for goodies).

1) Evan Gattis — There are few redemption stories that resonate as much as Evan Gattis, and fewer players with as much raw power. Gattis has a background as a mediocre catcher (being generous here), a very good DH, and an even better clubhouse presence (he seems like a Gardenhire-type guy, y’know?). Due to his statuesque nature and solid-gold intangibles, Gattis is an incredible opportunity for a minor league deal as a DH alternative and catching mentor to catcher-of-the-present/future Grayson Greiner.

Gattis’ power is incredible as evidenced by the fact that he’s had an ISO under .200 only once in his major league career, a wRC+ under 100 only once, and his slash against righties for last season (.218/.276/.417) easily topped Greiner’s (.200/.289/.275). El Oso Blanco seemed to have run into some bad luck last year simply because he’s chasing homers: his launch angle was the highest of his career at 18% and he sported a career-low BABIP of .232. I think moving to a place like Comerica, which isn’t known for its tiny confines like Minute Maid Park, may help prevent him from trying to hit a homer every time up.

2) Logan Morrison — Former social media darling Logan Morrison has always seemed to be a good fella to get on base or hit some dongs, but his 2017 season with the Rays saw him do both with astounding alacrity: he rounded the bases 38 times and posted an OBP of .353, which netted him a nice deal with the division rival-Twins. Unfortunately, Morrison had a VERY rough go of it last year, from injuries to inefficiency, and ended the year with a wRC+ of 74 and a WAR of -0.7. Blech.

However, he’s a capable enough first baseman/part-time outfielder/designated hitter where he could spell Miggy (who needs far more reps at DH) and not kill the team offensively. Hell, he could very well revert back to a very solid hitter and post 20+ homers and an OBP around .330+ — last season he suffered from an ungodly BABIP of .196 and still had a walk rate of 9.6% and an ISO of .182. Remember he did that while being unlucky in a pretty shitty lineup in a pretty tough-to-hit ballpark, and the dude had an ISO of .204 strictly against righties.

3) Adam Jones — A former Oriole whose skills may have declined, but Jones still has a lot of good reps to give a team. Jones, a clubhouse leader and all-around superb fella, stills has some pop in his bat, and is able to play any outfield position well as evidenced by his past as a top-flight center fielder. In fact, his play in left field last year garnered an UZR/150 of 6.6. It was only in 13 innings, yes (SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT), but his past experience and current level of athletic ability seems to say this could be a good transition for Jones…and left field is currently occupied by the Mahtook/Stewart platoon which is uninspired, to say the least.

4) Tony Sipp — This dude is far too good to still be available. Sipp isn’t just a great relief pitcher, he’s one of the best in the American League, holding lefties to a .188 BAA. His FIP with the Astros routinely stays under 3.00 (excluding two aberrant), while his xFIP has remained pretty consistent his entire career. In fact, against lefties in his career, he has a 1.18 WHIP, a BABIP of .248, and a K/9 of 8.29. He’s a great veteran to have in a bullpen, and his uncanny ability to dominate left-handed batters could make him someone a contending team would love to acquire at the deadline.