| Detroit Free Press
Watch: Detroit Tigers introduce AJ Hinch as manager
Detroit Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch and GM Al Avila introduce new manager AJ Hinch, Oct. 30, 2020.
The Detroit Tigers are gearing up to make decisions — some easier than others — regarding nine arbitration-eligible players: Matthew Boyd, Jeimer Candelario, Jose Cisnero, Buck Farmer, Michael Fulmer, Niko Goodrum, Joe Jimenez, JaCoby Jones and Daniel Norris.
Players on the 40-man roster with fewer than six years of MLB service time must be tendered contracts each winter. If a player isn’t granted a contract, he is considered non-tendered and becomes a free agent.
This offseason, the deadline to offer a 2021 contract is Wednesday.
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For a player to be arbitration-eligible, he must have accrued three or more years of MLB service (or earn Super Two status). For arbitration-eligible players with tendered contracts, they have until mid-January to negotiate salaries with their organization.
If the two sides can’t come to an agreement, an arbitration hearing will be scheduled in February, which puts the final decision on the player’s upcoming salary in the hands of a panel of arbitrators. After six years of service time, players become eligible for free agency.
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(Projections for next year’s salaries come from MLB Trade Rumors, estimated based on performance in 2020. Last year, salaries were prorated because of the 60-game season, but none of the figures listed below are prorated. This is to give an accurate representation of the 2021 projections.)
Contract details: Four years, 136 days service time; 2020: $5.3 million; 2021 projection: $5.5 million.
2020 season: 12 G, 12 GS, 6.71 ERA, 60⅓ IP, 22 BB, 60 K, 1.475 WHIP.
The buzz: On July 31, 2019, Boyd’s value peaked. At that point in the season, the left-hander owned a 3.94 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 132⅓ innings across 22 games. The Tigers projected Boyd as a future ace and asked for numerous top prospects in return at the trade deadline. Other teams didn’t entertain that idea, and the Tigers chose not to move him.
Since then, Boyd hasn’t been the same, with a 6.43 ERA in 22 games after the 2019 trade deadline passed. Last season, he paced MLB in two categories: earned runs allowed (45) and home runs allowed (15), to go with his 6.71 ERA.
“Matt Boyd is someone who has had success in the past, has had a little tougher of a stretch lately,” new manager AJ Hinch said Nov. 12, mentioning Boyd was one of the first two players — along with Miguel Cabrera — he contacted after getting the job in late October.
Typically, Boyd would be considered a solid non-tender candidate, based on his poor performance. But the 29-year-old is set to become a free agent after the 2022 season (and the Tigers are unlikely to compete for the playoffs until at least 2022), so the franchise might be willing to pick up Boyd’s tab, allow him to mentor the rising pitching prospects, eat innings and hope he returns to a formidable member of the rotation. Prediction: Tender
Contract details: Three years, 38 days service time, 2020 salary: $583,300; 2021 projection: $1.7 million.
2020 season: 52 G, 185 AB, 55 H, .297 AVG, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 20 BB, 49 K, .369 OBP, .503 SLG.
The buzz: Had it not been for Candelario’s breakthrough season, his contract status would be in jeopardy. He hit .224 with power in 2018 and then slumped further to a .203 batting average (with only eight homers) across 94 games in 2019. He entered spring training and summer camp in a position battle with Dawel Lugo, who was later designated for assignment.
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The Tigers stuck with Candelario, and he responded with a .373 batting average and a .641 slugging percentage during a 39-game stretch in the shortened season. He is slated to start at first base or third base in the 2021 season. Prediction: Tender
Contract details: Three years, 20 days service time; 2020 salary: $571,200 million; 2021 projection: $900,000.
2020 season: 29 G, 3.03 ERA, 29⅔ IP, 10 BB, 34 K, 1.112 WHIP.
The buzz: After a two-year stint with the Houston Astros in 2013-14, Cisnero found his way back to the majors in 2019 with the Tigers. And in 2020, the 31-year-old put together the best season of his career, delivering career bests in ERA (3.03), strikeouts per nine innings (10.3) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.40), among other categories. He isn’t a free agent until after the 2023 season and projects as an important member of the bullpen. Prediction: Tender
Contract details: Four years, 83 days service time; 2020 salary: $1.15 million; 2021 projection: $1.4 million.
2020 season: 23 G, 3.80 ERA, 21⅓ IP, 5 BB, 14 K, 1.172 WHIP.
The buzz: Although Farmer’s strikeout rate plummeted last season (5.9 strikeouts per nine innings compared to 9.7 in 2019), his WHIP (from 1.271 to 1.172) and walk rate (from 3.2 per nine innings to 2.1) improved. He is a steady arm in the bullpen and can fill the seventh-, eighth- and ninth-inning roles when called upon. The 29-year-old doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2022 season. For the Tigers, this is an easy decision. Prediction: Tender
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Contract details: Four years, 157 days service time; 2020 salary: $2.8 million; 2021 projection: $2.8 million.
2020 season: 10 G, 10 GS, 8.78 ERA, 27⅔ IP, 12 BB, 20 K, 2.060 WHIP.
The buzz: Two offseasons ago, the Tigers tendered Fulmer but the two sides went to an arbitration hearing in February 2019 — the team’s first since right-hander Chris Holt in 2001. (Fulmer filed for $3.4 million; the Tigers filed for $2.8 million.) The organization won the case, but then Fulmer missed all of that season after Tommy John surgery. Last offseason, the Tigers and Fulmer avoided arbitration with a $2.8 million contract.
Fulmer returned to the mound in 2020 but was kept on a strict innings limit. Therefore, it’s unlikely he gets much of a raise this time around, either. Prediction: Tender
Contract details: Three years, 31 days service time; 2020 salary: $698,200; 2021 projection: $1.6 million.
2020 season: 43 G, 158 AB, 29 H, .184 AVG, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 18 BB, 69 K, .263 OBP, .335 SLG.
The buzz: In his four-year MLB career, Goodrum has taken the field at second base (105 games), shortstop (81), first base (55), left field (31), right field (14), third base (11) and center field (8). “His impact is felt all the time,” new manager AJ Hinch said. “He’s a Gold Glove defender. Everybody thinks they can catch, so I’m not going to say he can catch, but he can play just about any other position you ask him to. That’s extremely valuable to a manager.”
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Will Goodrum’s defense be enough to warrant another year with the Tigers, considering his lackluster offense and the industry-wide desire to trim payroll? Prediction: Non-tender
Contract details: Three years, 77 days service time; 2020 salary: $584,900 million; 2021 projection: $1 million.
2020 season: 25 G, 5 SV, 7.15 ERA, 22⅔ IP, 6 BB, 22 K, 1.368 WHIP.
The buzz: The 25-year-old has been granted four seasons to live up to the “closer of the future” tag the franchise gave him as a prospect. To this point, Jimenez has been inconsistent. In 2020, he had a career-high 2.8 home runs per nine innings. The team seems comfortable with Bryan Garcia in the closer role, and Gregory Soto continues to make strides. To save some money and open up another spot on the 40-man roster, the Tigers could cut Jimenez loose. Prediction: Non-tender
Contract details: Three years, 125 days service time; 2020 salary: $1.575 million; 2021 projection: $2.2 million.
2020 season: 30 G, 97 AB, 26 H, .268 AVG, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 7 BB, 34 K, .333 OBP, .515 SLG
The buzz: Jones’ season was cut short after he fractured his left hand in the eighth inning Sept. 1 against the Milwaukee Brewers. Through eight games in July, he was 11-for-26 (.423) with three homers and seven RBIs. Yet he went 15-for-71 (.211) the rest of the way. The 28-year-old has potential as an everyday outfielder — if he avoids injuries — and could become part of a significant trade package if the Tigers don’t see him sticking around through the rebuild. He doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2023 season. Prediction: Tender
Contract details: Five years, 73 days service time; 2020 salary: $2.96 million; 2021 projection: $3.0 million.
2020 season: 14 G, 1 GS, 3.25 ERA, 27⅔ IP, 7 BB, 29 K, 1.157 WHIP.
The buzz: Norris becomes a free agent after next season, and if the Tigers aren’t going to re-sign him (nor compete for the playoffs), he is their best chance at getting marquee prospects from a contender in exchange for his short-term services at the next trade deadline. Prediction: Tender
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.