Detroit — As general manager Al Avila and manager AJ Hinch sat at the podium Tuesday in front of the assembled print and broadcast media inside the Tiger Club at Comerica Park, it was easy to hearken back to other press conferences in that room over the years where seated between them would be a top-shelf free agent the club had just signed.
Might that scene play out this winter with one of the high-priced shortstops on the market — Carlos Correa or Trevor Story or Marcus Semien — seated between them?
“Just the fact that it’s possible, I think, means we’re in a really good place on this date and time,” Hinch said.
But here’s the reality of where the Tigers are on this date and time: While it is encouraging they have the resources and the will to shop for high-end talent this offseason, putting all their resources into buying a $30-$40 million a year shortstop might not be prudent.
“It’s more broad-based than that,” Avila said. “One player is not going to determine everything. I think we have several needs that we need to tackle in the offseason.”
Avila talked about pursuing a proven, veteran starting pitcher and catcher in free agency, as well as trying to upgrade at shortstop.
“Pitching is very important,” Avila said. “We’ve established three young starters (Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning), but because of injuries, it’s set us back a little bit. The injury to Spencer Turnbull is devastating, really.
“And the injury to Matt Boyd, there’s a decision looming there now going into the offseason.”
Turnbull had Tommy John surgery and will be out until 2023. Boyd had surgery to repair his flexor tendon and could be back pitching by next June. He is arbitration eligible, so the Tigers have to decide whether or not to make him a contract offer.
“So, getting another proven starter is as important as a shortstop, at this point,” Avila said.
None of that is meant to pour water on what should still be an active and potentially pivotal offseason for the Tigers. The goal is still to vastly improve the roster.
“The resources will be there,” Avila said. “But I will caution you, this is not going to be spending like a drunken sailor. This is going to be a very measured process. We’re going to make sure whatever decisions we make free agent-wise don’t sink the organization for years to come. We want it to help the organization for years to come.”
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Avila, from 2015 through 2020, shred some $200 million off the payroll. Miguel Cabrera, who is owed $32 million each of the next two seasons, is the last remaining oversized contract on the books. They have salary commitments to just two other players for next season — $7.5 million to Jonathan Schoop and $5 million to Robbie Grossman.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, so nobody really knows where the luxury tax threshold will be for 2022, but if it’s near the $210 million it was for 2021, the Tigers would be about $150 million under.
“From my perspective, it’s an exciting time to be a Tiger,” Hinch said. “There are a lot of jerseys we could hold up at this podium and see it as a success. Our goal on the field is to make this a desirable place and show that the arrow is pointing in the right direction. And there are a lot of guys that can help us.
“We need help. We need to get better. We need help internally. It’s not a one-fix thing.”
Avila reiterated they were going to make a push this offseason, but he made it clear the goal wasn’t necessarily to make “a big splash.”
“The big splash I’m looking forward to is more wins next year and getting to the playoffs,” Avila said. “I want to make a big splash during the season. How that happens, there’s a lot of different ways. I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going to make a big splash and sign so-and-so. We’re going to go out and try to make the team better.
“You don’t have to make a big splash. Sometimes a big splash turns out wrong for you. There’s no fear factor in signing a big contract. But we’re not looking at it as, ‘Oh, we have to make a big splash.’ It’s about making the right decisions to make this team a winning team and that’s the way we’re looking at it.”
Big splashes can come from modest, unheralded deals, too, as Hinch reminded everyone.
“I would tell you that if you look back at what Robbie Grossman did this year, that’s a pretty big splash,” Hinch said. “I know what everybody wants to hear. I know they want to talk about the top end of the market. And if that happens, I’ll be the first one up here holding this jersey and loving life and I’ll kiss (Avila) on the cheek in front of everybody.”
But, he said, that alone wouldn’t guarantee a playoff spot.
“It doesn’t take a big splash to win,” Hinch said. “The big splash would help, but it’s a marriage that has to be created in so many different ways. It’s a complicated process and it’s not an end all, be all. Is it possible? Sure. I think we’ve all talked about it. Like the hidden thing in the room, are we going to sign this big dude? Maybe.
“But if we don’t, do you think signing Robbie Grossman was a big splash? I do. Do you think Akil Baddoo was a big splash? I do. We just we have to find a way to have a competitive advantage at more positions than we have right now.”
The goal is the journey, Hinch said. The Tigers won 77 games this season, a 30-win improvement over the last full season in 2019. They finished 68-61 after a 9-24 start. The point Hinch and Avila stressed, there is no urgency to overreach this offseason.
“I’m going to put pressure on you by telling you just to be patient with what we’re trying to do,” Hinch said. “Listen, if we can get somebody that can drive us there 100 miles per hour, then I’ll hop in the seat and we’ll drive it.
“If not, then we’re going to have to find other ways to get to 90-plus wins. That’s what we do.”
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky